Stepping into the role of a Disney princess will have your very own princess doing the happy dance in her filmy finery. Buy or make your favorite royal fashion tutu for a party, Halloween, or everyday dress-up around the castle.
Fit for a Princess
A Disney princess embodies the bold, the brave and the beautiful. That's a fun part to play and a dreamy dress completes the picture. You can find the popular Disney princesses in every good costume collection -- check stores around Halloween for the biggest selection or order online for licensed Disney gear or recognizable facsimiles.
Merida
Merida will send an arrow right into your heart in a teal velvet and tulle gown a girl could dance in - when she's not practicing archery. Pick up a blue and gold Merida tutu costume from Amazon for around $40 that comes in sizes 4-6 and 7-8. Shipping is free.
Ariel
Ariel rocks it under the waves and on the beach in a special tutu version of her princess dress, complete with seaweed. Monkey's Cubbyhole has the long, dancy tutu for little Ariels in one size that fits up to size 6 for around $20. Medium-size mermaids (8 to 10) can opt for a longer tea-length tutu of mesh layers for closer to $30. Party City offers free candy and free shipping for Halloween.
Rapunzel
Your long-haired princess will be pirouetting in her tower in a short, flouncy one-size (up to size 6), purple tutu dress for about $20 from Party City, and shipping is free. Bigger girls with even long locks may opt for the deluxe Rapunzel costume with a tiered, full-length glittery tulle skirt. A medium costume for an 8-year-old is near $60 from Halloween Costumes, priority shipping recommended.
Wave Your Magic Wand
So, your magic wand is really a glue gun. But the results are no less spectacular when your homegrown princess gown transforms the tomboy into a butterfly.
Basic Tutu Instructions
Follow instructions for making a simple, no-sew tulle tutu. It's as easy as knotting strips of colored tulle to a piece of elastic measured to fit the royal waist. Pair the tutu with a leotard that's puff sleeved or spaghetti strapped, with a gathered or sweetheart neckline, perhaps in Lycra or velvet.
Vary the tutu and leotard colors to evoke your favorite Disney sweetheart. Add all kinds of accessories to the basic costume to create a fairytale heroine, from Snow White to Pocahontas. Pick your princess and adapt the basic tutu for your bold, brave, happily-ever-after royal heroine.
Belle's Dress Design
A girl who knows her own mind, Belle can rock a formal when it's time for a beastly waltz.
- Hunt for a yellow off-the-shoulder leotard. Puff sleeves will work as well.
- Match it to a short or long full tulle-strip skirt dotted with scattered red roses and buds. Use a glue gun to stick the flowers to the tulle strips.
- Glue a strip of gathered gold organza trim to the neckline of the leotard, if desired.
- Glue a rosebud to the center of the leotard at the neckline.
- Tie another yellow satin ribbon with a fabric rose in full bloom around Belle's wrist.
Princess Aurora's Option
A dreamy princess waiting for her prince needs a rose-pink spaghetti strap leotard and a long tulle tutu of rose strips, tightly bunched to make a very fluffy skirt.
- Add a single layer of filmy white tulle strips over the pink skirt and carefully trim bunches of them to resemble large white petals all the way around the waist.
- A 36-inch wide piece of white tulle fabric gets accordion-folded into a "shawl," wrapped around the shoulders, crisscrossed in front and fastened to the leotard with a pretty pink and gold brooch.
- Tuck a few tiny pink fabric rose buds in Aurora's slim gold crown.
Snow White's Tutu Variation
Remind Snow White not to eat any apples as you send her off to trick or treat in a short yellow tutu skirt over a royal blue puff sleeve leotard.
- Trim the puff sleeves with wide-spaced rows of red satin ribbon from the top of the shoulder to where the sleeve hits the arm.
- Then stretch each sleeve opening on a piece of cardboard and glue narrow yellow gathered lace trim around the edge, covering the ends of the red ribbon.
- Once the glue dries, remove the cardboard so the lace trim is tightly gathered but will stretch slightly to accommodate the arms.
- Glue a shiny red ribbon bow at the front center of the leotard neck and make another red bow for Snow White's raven hair.
Emulate Cinderella
Every little girl deserves her Prince Charming. There's no better way to catch his eye than in a filmy light blue tea-length tutu skirt over a stretchy pale blue velvet puff-sleeve leotard.
- Add an overlayer of short white tulle strips to each side of the skirt -- about six inches to cover each hip.
- Trim the white tulle overlay into a curving swoop over the hip or just let the strips flutter.
- If you're feeling like the Fairy Godmother, glue a delicate line of rhinestone trim along the neck of the leotard to match the obligatory "diamond" tiara.
Channel Pocahontas
Pocahontas didn't always wear her tutu in the woods but she did love her nature colors.
- Make a tutu skirt from alternating soft fawn brown and gleaming gold tulle.
- Hunt for a fawn or nude one-shoulder or off-the-shoulder leotard to slip on under the skirt.
- Cut 4-inch wide bands of trim from shiny gold fabric to glue over one shoulder and across the bodice, on a slant.
- Use the same fabric for a wide belt to wrap around the leotard at the waist and glue strips of velcro to each end for a secure back closure.
- Add sandals or moccasins and some faux turquoise jewelry -- a stretchy armband, bracelets, a medallion or a necklace.
Perfect Princess
Being a princess is hard work but the job is a lot more fun with a swishy, shiny special costume that makes her feel like dancing. Trying gluing craft glitter -- silver, gold or multicolored rainbow -- to an inexpensive pair of flats for royal slippers to ramp up the flash from her crowned head to her twinkle toes.
