Luly Yang Butterfly Dress

Miss Maya sent in this photo from Seattle. Holy butterflies, Batman! I have been thinking about this dress for a couple of days, trying to figure out if there would ever be a situation where I was called upon to represent a marabou-topped butterfly, and sadly, I can't think of any.
The only thing I came up with that was even close was checking if there was ever a butterfly-themed superhero who needed to attend a ball at Wayne Manor, but the DC Comics Encyclopedia let me down. No butterfly-themed superheroes (or villains). There's a Bumblebee, and a Blue Beetle, but no Butterfly. Okay, I admit it, butterflies aren't very tough, and I'm sure a butterfly hero's secret weakness would be GIANT LIGHT BULBS, or possibly small boys with nets, and if you brushed her wings she'd fall out of the sky, but still. You'd think that if there was this character, there'd be some kind of butterfly being.
This idea somehow really appeals to me, except I think that the monarch detailing and the marabou take it so far over the top that you'd need directions and a bus pass to get back. Now, if it lost the marabou (maybe a matte satin ruffle, instead, if you needed something at the top of the bust?) and was made in a heavy greeny-gray with tone-on-tone flocking and beading to look like a moth's wings, and not a butterfly's? That would be something. Maybe something Gypsy Moth would wear. Or Arthur.
NOTE: enough folks have emailed me about this dress that I have to make these disclaimers. I DID NOT MAKE THIS DRESS. More to the point, I CANNOT SELL YOU THIS DRESS. Try this site: lulyyang.com. Good luck!
Labels: butterfly_dress


54 Comments:
At Jul 28, 2006 7:32:00 AM,
Summerset said…
It's absolutely gorgeous as is. I wouldn't change a thing!
At Jul 28, 2006 8:35:00 AM,
Jill's world of research, reaction, and millinery said…
This goes into my inspiration file...I can see a hat shape there, not so much a dress. But this dress could be improved with black silk and marabou feather cocktail hat.
Or made much,much worse by adding a black cocktail hats with two long black stick ups.
At Jul 28, 2006 9:17:00 AM,
robertajune said…
They got it backwards. FIRST you write a butterfly-themed Broadway musical, THEN you design this dress for the leading lady!
At Jul 28, 2006 9:34:00 AM,
Shawn said…
Well, there is...The Monarch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monarch
At Jul 28, 2006 9:54:00 AM,
Jocelyn said…
Ohhh, did anybody else read A Girl of the Limberlost growing up? Which somehow took a strange turn halfway through and gained elaborate descriptions of ball gowns based on butterflies and moths? There's one here, I think.
At Jul 28, 2006 11:25:00 AM,
Marjorie Wise said…
I agree with sbanks, I wouldn't change a thing. Well, those pointy shoes shown with it would have to go.
Love your blog.
At Jul 28, 2006 11:51:00 AM,
mickey said…
As a costumer, I could eventually use it for something, I'm sure...
At Jul 28, 2006 12:51:00 PM,
the_sewist said…
I want a little background on this dress. Who made it? Why? Is it one-of-a-kind? I just need to know then I'll sleep well tonight. Otherwise, I'm going to toss and turn, darn it!
At Jul 28, 2006 1:47:00 PM,
Odessa From Frozen Country said…
I love this dress. If only it was in Chicago and in my size. I'd wear it! It is a showstopper!!!!!!!
At Jul 28, 2006 3:12:00 PM,
Miss Maya said…
Thanks, Jocelyn - this dress kept reminding me of something elusive and you hit it exactly - it's SO the Girl of the Limberlost!!!
At Jul 28, 2006 3:37:00 PM,
demondoll said…
That is so over the top gorgeous. I love it.
At Jul 28, 2006 6:43:00 PM,
Lea said…
Okay, I admit it, butterflies aren't very tough, and I'm sure a butterfly hero's secret weakness would be GIANT LIGHT BULBS, or possibly small boys with nets, and if you brushed her wings she'd fall out of the sky, but still.
Yes, but nobody ever suspects...the butterfly.
(Shawn already beat me to mentioning the Monarch, so.)
At Jul 29, 2006 12:31:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
There's an article about Luly Yang, the designer, and a picture of a model in this dress here: http://blog.nwsource.com/stylefile/archives/lulyyang_011906.html
The dress is described as "Monarch Butterfly silk taffeta corset and ball skirt, trimmed with ostrich feathers and Swarovski crystals; $25,000."
At Jul 29, 2006 1:24:00 AM,
erma said…
There is a comic book artist in the novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay who creates a character called Luna Moth, whose non-super hero alter ego is a librarian named Judy Dark. Perhaps Judy would wear this dress to a fancy ball at Wayne Manor.
Here is one reader's (David Hahn) conception of the Luna Moth character and costume.
At Jul 29, 2006 11:09:00 AM,
Esther.A said…
This is absolutely beautiful, but sadly, the only place I could see it is in a movie. Not sure it would quite fit in at the PTA Annual D+D.
At Jul 29, 2006 11:43:00 AM,
Library Lady said…
I would have to organize a Butterfly Ball! All proceeds going to the local butterfly house/zoo. ;)
At Jul 29, 2006 12:20:00 PM,
cmarie12 said…
Okay it is a totally unwearable dress but can you imagine the work that went into making that!
At Jul 29, 2006 12:49:00 PM,
Gidget Bananas said…
Boy, a person could stop the whole Burning Man festival in its tracks if s/he showed up wearing that! I love it!
At Jul 29, 2006 1:51:00 PM,
A Woman of Letters said…
Yes, I read the Girl of the Limberlost (and perhaps the sequel). I think I saw the movie, too, and (as is typical) didn't like it nearly as well as I did the book.
I went to check out the book again, and our local library lost the book :( .
At Jul 29, 2006 2:44:00 PM,
iopine said…
WOW.
At Jul 29, 2006 3:57:00 PM,
FancyAnne said…
I'm madly in love with this dress - I think that I'd wear it for a tea party with my daughter if I couldn't find a more high-wattage occasion (my invitation to the Metropolitian Ball keeps getting lost in the mail!)
Incidentally, the Girl of the Limberlost is in print - Amazon is selling it for $10.
At Jul 29, 2006 4:54:00 PM,
Zazzu said…
That dress is beautiful in the display, but I can't imagine someone actually wearing it. It's the sort of dress that wears you...not the other way around.
At Jul 30, 2006 12:06:00 AM,
Sherry said…
It is beautiful, but why? Maybe someone could wear it to the Oscars but other than that I am at a loss.
At Jul 30, 2006 4:31:00 AM,
Kerokonich said…
Sometimes people just make beautiful things to look at, people! I passed up Luly Yang everyday on my way to work, and her dresses are gorgeous! This was a fun dress to see in her front window- instead of her usual wedding dresses.
At Jul 30, 2006 3:30:00 PM,
Tavery said…
I've been lurking for a while, and I love the site and all the dresses. This seems like a dress which you would have to wear just for the sake of wearing it. A kind of "come what may" dress. Comic book artist Dean Trippe does an online comic strip about a superhero named Butterfly.
http://www.tencentticker.com/butterflycomics/
Though the character wouldn't wear this dress, he does earn points for parodying Batman.
At Jul 30, 2006 6:24:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
wouldn't it be beautiful to have your bride's maids wear these, to an outdoor wedding, and release butterflies during the ceremony?
At Jul 30, 2006 10:17:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
All I can think of is Bjork in the swan dress....
At Jul 31, 2006 9:35:00 AM,
Kate said…
I LOVE Bjork in the swan dress, and I love this dress. Very few people could pull it off, but the woman who wore this dress, like Bjork, would not give a hoot about what anyone thought. If only we saw more of this at the Academy awards, and not the fear-driven, fashion-panel-approved tasteful things, life would be a hell of a lot more interesting!
"Good taste is the enemy of creativity." -Picasso
At Aug 1, 2006 1:44:00 AM,
sewinggirlfromtheothersideoftheowrld said…
I adore the dress..and the answer to Why? is Why not! One would need supreme confidence and a sense of whimsy to get away with it though
At Aug 1, 2006 7:24:00 AM,
Marji said…
I Love this dress. I would find a reason to wear it, just because.
I bet it would win a Project Runway episode!
At Aug 1, 2006 9:33:00 PM,
robin said…
This dress would be perfect for the Ball that Hartford Stage throws every year. NO ONE would forget the girl who wore this dress. Now, where'd I put that extra $25K that was lying around....
At Aug 3, 2006 8:27:00 PM,
Oblivious Maven said…
That dress is gorgeous. I'd wear that sucker somewhere, I would. Gorgeous.
At Oct 4, 2006 3:42:00 PM,
Bettie said…
This dress is perfect for any ball for the Arts...
stay tuned...it will be worn.
At Jul 4, 2007 2:06:00 PM,
Oh said…
This post has been removed by the author.
At Jul 8, 2007 7:47:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
my sister is going to get married in it.
At Jul 16, 2007 6:08:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
it would be great if you had ripped it off and done a better job but the origional is clearly much nicer.
look up Johanna Carr's dress
At Jul 20, 2007 4:26:00 PM,
carolina fierros said…
Edgar me gustas... te quiero mucho..
pero no soy lo que esperas.
quisiera hacerte feliz, y ser felices los dos...
que porqueria... todo fue mi culpa, disculpame...
Carolina Fierros
At Jul 27, 2007 2:14:00 PM,
alice said…
i like your blog! =)
At Aug 21, 2007 2:19:00 AM,
Shirley said…
Where can I get this dress?
At Sep 2, 2007 5:02:00 AM,
serinde said…
as a blue/purple/green person (plus an Australian) i would say a ulysseys (iridencent blue with black rims) would take fab-u-lous to fan-tab-u-los. i agree that the shoes dont work
At Sep 9, 2007 8:36:00 PM,
<a href="http://courses.cvcc.vccs.edu/ENG112_GROSS/_Chat_Room/000008fd.htm">Anonimous</a> said…
Excellent website. Good work. Very useful. I will bookmark!
At Apr 15, 2008 10:46:00 AM,
ATL Gal said…
The dress has been there that long? I saw it last week in Seattle and fell in love with it. I think it is just gorgeous!!
At Aug 14, 2008 11:07:00 PM,
Oh my lady said…
omg it's perfect (=
At Aug 19, 2008 5:14:00 PM,
Megan said…
This post has been removed by the author.
At Aug 29, 2008 10:29:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
tHE mONARCH FROM THE VENTURE BROS.
At Sep 8, 2008 8:18:00 AM,
bojana said…
It's splendid, it's campy, it's delightfully over the top. I would definitely wear it.
At Nov 20, 2008 1:49:00 PM,
~Bon Vintage~ said…
Gypsy Moth can't rock that dress, she is very busy trying to hold up her pleather straps or strands? Her figure is definitely made for more than couture, dah'ling!
At Dec 5, 2008 1:40:00 AM,
sexy said…
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At Jan 19, 2009 7:11:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
I've seen this drsee as a framed photo that Target was selling. The sitting donw pose does it little justice. However, the woman in the photo, standing up & dress straightened out, has hunted my mind untill I could see the dress again.
At Mar 2, 2009 12:07:00 PM,
mysweetiepiepie said…
Truly stunning.
At Jul 28, 2009 9:58:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Various people have mentioned "The Monarch" from The Venture Brothers, and I've got to say, this would far more fantastic on his new-ish wife "Dr. Mrs. The Monarch" then her current "outfit" - far more stylish and in line with her previous Jackie O she going on then what she wears now!
At Oct 16, 2009 1:01:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Beautiful example of what haute couture should look like. I absolutely adore this dress. Is it practical though? Not at all.
At Nov 22, 2009 12:42:00 PM,
tink548 said…
Actually I need 4 of these dresses for my bridesmaids. I'm having a butterfly release of monarchs and this dress is perfect. I have searched the internet but can't find a site to purchase it... anyone know where I can get them???
At Dec 15, 2009 3:27:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
I also saw a picture of the woman in this dress standing up at Bed Bath and Beyond, i took a picture of it because i thought it was so beautiful. I am going to get something like it made for my prom. But the picture also haunted me and i have been searching for the dress for months and ifinally found it.
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