The Magic of Fairytales

It is known that most fairytales have a happy cheery ending and have characters that are always happy go lucky. That is not always the case though. The antagonist character from "Sleeping Beauty" is Maleficent. In the original movie, Maleficent gives Princess Aurora the sleeping curse, making Maleficent the "bad guy". In 2014, Disney brought to life the back story of Maleficent's life. You learn that her darkness isn't as dark as depicted in the classic original film Sleeping Beauty. She's actually a very kind-hearted character who has a dark side to her. Maleficent's style strayed away from Disney's typical colorful look. Instead, Maleficent is clothed in dark, magical, and mystical clothing. Nothing about her look says "I'm a nice person.", even though she actually is. Her look is very mysterious and beautiful in her own way.

 In the story "Sleeping Beauty", Maleficent makes Aurora prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel on her 15th birthday. When Aurora does that she falls into a deep sleep that she can only be awakened out of from true love's kiss. While in the movie "Maleficient", Aurora is actually friends with the dark character. Maleficent has no antagonistic qualities to her in the movie version of the story. She is actually a good-hearted creature that is protecting the land she is from. In the movie, she is looked at as a hero, not a villain. In both story and movie, Maleficient is seen in a black cloak over her black dress with her horned headdress on. She also has a dark feathered friend as her sidekick. Maleficent has a black raven named Diaval. With Maleficient's dark appearance and unsightly sidekick, she seems wicked. Her look is dark, powerful, and somewhat witch-like. She resembles a dark queen in every sense of the word.     

Lolitas are inspired by Maleficient's looks, especially gothic and punk lolitas. To achieve the dark queen look of Maleficient, you first need to find the perfect dress for your outfit. You may need to play black dress up to find the right outfit. A dress that would look great for a lolita take on the character, is a dress that is all black with white lace detailing around the collar. This dress is also a good option for someone who simply likes the victorian style of clothing. Victorian-style dresses don't have to be worn just by gothic or classic lolitas, they can be worn by anyone.  

This dress gives the gothic or classic lolita a foundation to build her final look on. Now if anyone is wanting a witch vibe, a hooded dress is the best choice. Hoods give an added sense of mystery to any outfit. Wearing a hood up hides the face, making it harder to identify who is under the hood. The dress that is shown contours the body and is covered in lace detailing, and has a hood on it to give it that witch look. Bell sleeves add to the witchy vibe of the dress. This dress resembles Maleficent the most. It would make a great dress for a Maleficent cosplay or Halloween costume.     

Black is the color that makes Maleficient who she is. Queens must always have something about them that is special. In Maleficient's case, black is her signature color. The color black draws attention. Black is a statement color when worn without any other colors. The dark queen is ready to make her appearance when she is fully clothed in all black. Black fairytales aren't seen as much as the happy fairytales, however, they are making their way into the fairytale scene.     

Some other good options for a black fairytale look would be a classic black skirt. There are a number of black skirts out there, finding one that has a dark queen style to it can be difficult. Make sure to look for a skirt that draws attention in even though it is plain black. The photo shown below is a skirt that has a mermaid style to it, and also has stunning lace details. Choosing a skirt like this is sure to make you feel like the dark queen you are.     

You can also find good options for black dress up. The option shown is a black lace gothic queen scarf. It wraps around the neck like a scarf but is more like a tall lace collar. This scarf looks very similar to the collar on Maleficent's cloak worn in the Disney classic "Sleeping Beauty". Wearing a scarf like this will most definitely make you the dark queen in the room.    

Last but not least is finding a dress that is gothic-styled. Gothic looks are mainly black in color and are made of lace or sheer material. To find the right dress for a dark look, find a dress that is long and extremely detailed. Doing so will not only draw attention to your outfit but also make you feel like a dark witch or a dark queen that you are. It will also look more like Maleficient's dark attire. Shorter gothic dresses will not give the same effect as one that is long and draping the floor. Dresses that are long in length draw the eye to every aspect of the dress. This dress, in particular, is in a classic 1950s style. However, it takes a twist on the classic style by adding a longer length and elegant draping sleeves on it. The drapes on the sleeves give the dress a queen-like effect. This dress would be a good choice for anyone wanting to dress up or use the dress for a Halloween Maleficient costume.       

Don't fit in with everyone's standards. Be the dark and mysterious woman that you are. Show the world how powerful the color black can really be. Black shouldn't be looked at as a sad color, it should be seen as a beautiful color. It's time to be your true self and let the darkness shine through. Besides, there's always darkest before the dawn.