Venusian Princess

Currently I am working on a 'Venusian Princess' outfit for a Steampunk ball which is inspired by both Middle Eastern and Indian traditions, as well as the pulp SF of the early 20th Century. I imagine a Venusian Princess as a woman who is sensual yet adventurous, who is proud of her country and traditions, and these are reflected in her richly embroidered clothing which incorporates symbols and elements of Venusian Pride.

I am basing the dress on an Abaya, the long black cloak that is popular in the UAE and Oman. These tend to have richly embroidered yokes and sleeves so I am working on an embroidery that i can use on the abaya I bought.
I have chosen Copper and green as the colour theme to give it a steampunk feel, to add to this I have tried to incorporate metal into the embroidery design.

So far I have decided on a copper toned floss over a green aida (14ct) background. This will be stitched with 2 threads over two holes to give a chunkier feel, and so the pattern does't get swamped. I shall do an eight pointed star pattern, and fill the stars with embroidery, sequins, fake gems, shisha mirrors and chips of copper purl.

I have been quite inspired by a wall hanging (see left) we have in our house which incorporates many different styles of embroidery.

The pictures in this post are some of the panels.

The Headress will be more abstract, but I do know it'll have a copper band and green fabric.