Disney Princess Basics

Disney has had numerous princesses through the years. Each has a distinctive style, which can be simple to reproduce as a homemade costume using blocks of color in basic styles of skirts, dresses or pants.

Snow White was Disney's first princess. This lovely lass made her screen debut in December 1937. The fair princess wore a two-color outfit. The bodice was blue with a pointed waist and short puff sleeves trimmed with red inserts. A demure scooped neckline with a white stand-up collar in the back complimented the princess's ivory complexion. The flared yellow full skirt came past the ankles, but the yellow shoes showed. In her page-boy style ebony hair, Snow White wore a red ribbon band with a bow.

Cinderella debuted in 1950. This quintessential princess wore a striking blue ball gown for her evening with the prince. The gown features a scooped neck, short puffed sleeves, pointed waist, and a full, hooped skirt with puffs on the hips. The princess wore long over the elbow blue gloves and (of course) glass slippers to complete the ensemble. In her blonde, upswept hair she wore a blue ribbon band and around her neck she wore a simple, black velvet choker.

Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty made her appearance in 1959. She is the first Disney princess to wear pink. Her gown features a deep pink bodice with a classic pointed waistline and a full skirt of a slightly paler pink. The neckline has a white collar and the sleeves are long and tight.

Ariel of Little Mermaid fame first appears on screen as a mermaid with a green tail fin and a lavender bra made of shells. Once she is transformed into a human girl, she wears a black pointed bodice with long full aqua sleeves and a deep blue, flared full skirt.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast enters the scene in a blue jumper with a white, long sleeve blouse. During her waltz with Beast, she wears a classic yellow gold ball gown, with a full hooped skirt, accented by tiers of draping of the same fabric. The bodice is off the shoulders with slight cap sleeves and a pointed waist. To complete the ensemble, Belle wears long yellow gloves which extend beyond the elbow. Her hair is pulled up in a small bun, but most of it hangs free.

Pocahontas, the Native American princess, wears a short, one shoulder buckskin dress. The hemline is pointed and the waist is cinched with a belt. Around her neck, Pocahontas wears what appears to be an arrowhead on a turquoise blue ribbon.

Jasmine from Aladdin is one more unforgettable Disney princess set in another culture, this time the Middle East. Jasmine wears harem pants and a midriff top which is off the shoulders and has small cap sleeves. She has both a blue-green and a blue outfit of this type. Her long black hair is accented by a blue headband featuring a stone in the center and by another blue band close to the ends of her hair.

In Mulan, Disney highlighted the Chinese culture. For dressy occasions the brave Mulan wears a mauve kimono with purple braid around the neck and a red obi bordered with a white floral trim. The obi is tied in the back with a purple sash in a large bow. Her red slippers are trimmed in the same floral trim as the obi. To complete the look she wears a mauve flower in her long black hair.

Tiana from The Princess and the Frog is Disney's first African American princess. She wears a strapless, light blue, full-skirted gown which has some subtle sparkles. A blue sash of the same material encircles the hips and is tied in a large bow. The outfit is accessorized with long over the elbow gloves. She wears a pearl necklace with a blue pendant. In her black upswept hair she wears a tiara. In other scenes from the film, Tiana wears a strapless, full-skirted green ball grown; the bodice is designed reminiscent of a flower and extends in the shape of pond lily leaves down over the skirt.

Rapunzel from Tangled is the latest of the Disney princesses. She wears a purple peasant-style calf length dress which laces down the front to a pointed waist. The lace trimmed neckline is scooped with an empire-style emphasis on the bust. Her three- quarter length sleeves have stripes on the puff caps and lace at the cuffs. A lacy underskirt peeks out from underneath the dress. Her well-known long blonde hair is worn parted on the side.

If you want to be a princess for Halloween or birthday party, there are wide variety of Disney princess costumes to choose from. The Princess Jasmine Costume from Aladdin is one of the most popular. But all the Disney styles are simple to make thanks to iconic blocks of color and signature hair and jewelry styles.