New projects - Halloween soon!

This is a project I've had for a very long time. It's not meant to be historical, just to be great! I'm starting from Truly Victorian patterns. I'm going from this overskirt and bodice combination:

I've found some pretty cool fabric. I swore I wouldn't do red because it's been overdone already, but, you guessed it, the fabric I found is red. I've also found a nice patterned black.So, the question is, should I put the black over the red, or the red over the black? My thinking was this: If I do black over red, then I can wear the red underskirt alone, and maybe I have enough red fabric left to make a second, lower bodice (think ball gown), and maybe I've got enough black left to cheat and borrow the vest basque from the early bustle period.

If I do black under, then... well I guess it ends up being pretty much the same. I can wear the black gown alone with a lower bodice, and maybe I've got enough red to make... well... I can't see myself making a vest basque from the red fabric.

So I guess it comes to this: I think the red would make an absolutely fantastic waterfall overskirt; and I think the black would make a couple of nice bodices.

How weird would it be to have a bodice matching the skirt instead of the overskirt?

Verdict is this: I need to change my bodice choice.

So, in red, I can make this: 

And, in black, I can make one of these two:

I really think I need to do the first bodice I wanted to do all in black lace to get the effect I want; that and a layered under skirt with no flouncy overlay. Maybe like this.

Or simply like the one on this page:  http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/tv208-1870-trained-skirt-ensemble-pattern.php?s=&c=22&d=186&q=2&p=684&w=21

No colour or fluff. That'll be for another time!

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I said I was going to talk about Halloween, didn't I? Well, the project above, or rather, the original project, the one I just said I will have to do all in black, was supposed to be my Halloween costume this year. I had it all figured out, including a supplier for the contact lenses I was to wear. But... Richard has said the magic word Steampunk, so I can't let it pass.

Tomorrow, I will be ordering the riding habit skirt and bodice...see, I already have the fabric for it, and it just happens to be tan...