A Sparkly Under-the-Sea Costume for A Beautiful Little Mermaid

My 11-year old granddaughter Felicity has been a mermaid aficionado her entire life, and we were all so thrilled for her when she was cast as Ariel in her youth theater production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.

I was also just as thrilled for my Makeling self because –
Woohoo! Gonna be makin’ some mermaid stuff!

The Under-the-Sea Design

Felicity eschewed the classic animated Little Mermaid shell bra and bright red hair in favor for the new 2023 Disney live-action Little Mermaid aesthetic. After getting approval from her director, we went to work. Though there are plenty of little mermaid sewing patterns available, none of them had the look or the functionality required for a stage performance costume. To the sketchpad!!

Form Follows Function

I considered these parameters when figuring out how to best design and construct this costume:

• Though Ariel would not be performing rigorous under-the-sea dances, she needed to move about the stage with ease
• The little mermaid is half-fish, so we needed to disguise those human legs
• The under-the-sea costume must efficiently accomplish multiple off stage quick changes into the on-land little mermaid costume
• Shiny! Sparkly!

Separates seemed the best way to go. A high-waisted knee length pencil skirt would allow a good range of motion. The multi-layered pouf would camouflage those legs. A separate cropped top would give good coverage plus would also serve as a base undergarment for the on-land costume. Keeping the crop top on throughout the performance would make Ariel’s quick change easier.

All About Fabric Choice

In Chicago, New Rainbow Fabrics is the place when you’re looking for shiny and sparkly without breaking the bank. They stock this beautiful sequined stretch velour fabric in multiple colorways. Felicity is such a skinny-malinky long-legs, one yard was more than enough. I just love this fabric. The all-over blue/green/purple sequins has a texture akin to fish scales, catching the light shifting color in beautiful ways. A stretch velour skirt would be very formfitting – like a second skin – comfortable to wear and easy to get in and out of.

For the crop top, I chose a performance stretch lame in a metallic purply-blue from Joanne. The smooth texture and iridescence reminded me of a beautiful tropical fish in a coral reef. Lined with a black stretch mesh, this crop top would hug the skin and stay secure while performing.

Of course, light and airy tulle was perfect for the pouffy fishtail. I bought matte tulle in 7 different hues of greens, blues and purples to coordinate with the varied colors of the sequins.

Putting It All Together

I used the Jalie Audrey Cropped Workout Top sewing pattern for the top. The racer-back seemed too sporty for a little mermaid, so I adjusted the pattern to a standard u-shape back. I haven’t worked much with stretch performance fabrics so the special techniques described in the Jalie instructions and tutorial were super helpful. Even after 40 years of sewing, I’m happy whenever I learn something new 😁

For the skirt, the sequined velour had a two-way 50% stretch moving across the grain. After pinning two sequined panels onto my granddaughter, with the stretch moving widthwise, I marked the side seam location and length. I used these marks to draft pattern pieces for a skirt with two side seams and a center seam up the back. The center seam would accommodate a 7″ zipper. I figured a zipper would make the skirt easier to put on, and the stretch would made it possible to slip the skirt off without unzipping for the quick change.

Using a scrap to sew a test seam with a tiny zigzag stitch, it became clear I would need to remove all the sequins from the seam line areas to sew smooth seams. I accomplished this task with my trusty pair of applique scissors and lots of patience. Working with embellished fabrics is such a mess! Though the Makelings studio became awash with sequins and sequin bits, the end result is so worth it. The side seams are virtually invisible and the skirt zips up easily without interference from the sequins.

Some Edits Along The Way

Though I originally thought to include a white iridescent ruffle around the waist of the skirt. In execution I realized the ruffle would inhibit the stretch at the waistline. Felicity opted instead to wear her African waist beads draped over the waistline, lending her mermaid tail a bit of her own personality.

The individual tulle poufs were easy to made. Fold one yard of tulle in half to a piece 27”x 36″. Gather stitch along the fold and stitched each pouf to the hem of the skirt. Once complete, one layer of poufs around the hem didn’t quite hide the little mermaid’s human legs, so I ended up adding a second layer of poufs. The poufs were then trimmed to skim the floor.

How The Costume Performed

As I’d hoped, the sequined velour looked just gorgeous under the stage lights. Felicity managed the quick changes without resorting to the zipper, as the skirt had ample stretch. The tulle pouf definitely added to the mermaid illusion, hiding those human legs without getting in the way. And to top it all off, our lovely little mermaid gave a stellar performance ❤️

Hey! Check out this post to see the costume we created for the Above-the-Sea Little Mermaid 😃