A Deep Dive into What Inspired my Dressmaker’s Ball Look: 90’s Renaissance Revival!

September 23, 2026

How it Started : 18th Century

After visiting the Marie Antoinette Style exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum last November, I decided my next Dressmaker’s Ball dress would be inspired by 18th century! I started looking for sewing pattern ideas, and fabrics that would give that aesthetic (and also within my skill level).

While it wasn’t exactly 18th century, I came upon Simplicity 8623 which has a look that could certainly work with my 18th century vibe, mostly because of the side overlays which reminded me of panniers on 18th century dresses.

The sewing pattern I chose (above), my initial inspirations from 18th century (below).

Simplicity Begotten Sewing Patterns – INSPIRED!

When I found the sewing pattern, I noticed the fancy little “Begotten” graphic on it, and that got me curious! I researched more about it, and Begotten was a line of sewing patterns released by Simplicity in the late 90’s and early 2000s. These silhouettes & details, boast a romantic, Renaissance-inspired, gothic, and historical costume aesthetic. Right away this got me excited! I grew up in the time when I remember this aesthetic making a comeback in fashion, advertisements, and album covers.

Exploring the Aesthetic of Renaissance Revival

The first thing that came to my mind about this aesthetic, once I decided I wanted to explore it as the basis of my look for the Dressmaker’s Ball, is a very specific advertisement by Cover Girl. This ad campaign came out in 1998, and I loved it back then! Before Pinterest existed, I used to cut out images from magazines and glue them to a sheet of paper to create mood boards. The images of Tyra Banks were my inspiration for Homecoming dance, and I took that image of here with the crystal ball to the hairstylist to have my hair like that for the dance. It’s so funny that all these years later I am drawn to the same thing. As you see in these ads, the font choice and illuminated “B”, the colors and styles all nod to the Renaissance revival which was going on in the 90’s – early 2000s. The same time the sewing patterns were published, makes sense! Even the “Bejewel” and “Begotten” of the Cover Girl ad and the Simplicity patterns are cohesive.

Here are some more images I was able to find from the time period, of this aesthetic.

According to the CARI institute on Aesthetics:

“Renaissance Revival

Namesake: Refers to how this style revives the art of the historical Renaissance era.

1990s and millennium ren faire, antique gothic, Shakespearean/Elizabethan, Medieval, Renaissance Greco-Roman art interpretation, magick, and faerie tale cultural revival. Most often mixed with obvious anachronisms. Runway shows *inspired by* Renaissance fashion; a reprinting of Shakespeare that utilizes Elizabethan *style* design elements; 90s/millennium formal attire with faerie tale inspiration.”