Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Dress

This is probably my favorite dress that I made for my most recent visit to Disneyland!

I have a soft spot for Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room; not only is this the only attraction at Disneyland that had Walt’s name in it, it was groundbreaking technology when it was introduced, and paved the way for many of Disneyland’s most iconic audio animatronic attractions. Aside from its significance as an attraction, I also love the design and aesthetic of the Tiki Room. It’s whimsical and completely immersive. All of the details have so much personality.

This whole outfit is a love letter to this special corner of Disneyland. I’d had the fabric in my stash for a few years, and only had 5 yards (which meant I only had 5 panels of the border print).

I wanted to get a dress with a really full skirt as well as a bolero out of that yardage, and mixing in a solid green to coordinate wasn’t an option, as I couldn’t find one that matched the greens used in the background design of this fabric. I had to be pretty careful with my cutting to get a full skirt, bodice, and bolero out of my material, but I did it!

Part of my strategy for making the most of my yardage was to modify a tried-and-true favorite pattern to use less fabric. I used Butterick B6413, but omitted the sleeve and attached a narrow strap instead. I had to adjust the shape of the upper bust front to get it to sit a bit more closer to the body without the help of the sleeve, but other than that change, the pattern converted easily.

Accessories for this dress were easy; because of my love for the attraction, I already had quite the stash of Tiki Room inspired pieces to choose from! These beautiful wooden pieces from Match Accessories were a no-brainer, and I had purchased these mouse ears for a different Tiki Room inspired outfit.

Of course, the star of the show was my Dole Whip purse! I didn’t get many comments on the dress when I wore it at Disneyland, but a ton of people commented on my bag! It was a fun addition that holds a surprising amount.

-Dress fabric is from Disney Bound Dresses on Spoonflower
-Dress Bodice pattern is a modified Butterick B6413
-Bolero pattern is the Charm Patterns Dorothy Bolero
-Purse is from Loungefly
-Hair flowers are La Casa de Flores and Shazam Vintage Pinup Hair Flowers, both via Etsy
-Flower necklace, earrings, and brooches are by Match Accessories
-Bangles and purple bead necklace are Splendette
-Ears are from Ears by Elf on Etsy
-Shoes are from Target
-Belt is from Torrid