Cheesy trim + cheap fabric is shaping up to be a dress I adore

I still need to finish tacking the cartridge pleats for about half of the back of the skirt and do the lacing, but I'm closing in on finishing this sottana.  You'll notice I didn't end up using the bobbin lace.  I got it dyed a really fabulous teal blue.  I also dyed a yard of linen to match so I had some other fabric to make trim with.  It will have to wait for another project.  While I was waiting for the dye I was digging for something else and found 30 or so yards of this blue and gold metallic trim that I picked up for 10 cents a yard.  I got it for the price, obviously.  I thought it was a bit tacky-- which from me is saying something. 

I was worried that this brown dress would be a whole lot of plain.  I only had about 3 yards of bobbin lace in that pattern, which would have trimmed the bodice, but the skirt would be plain.  Wheels in my head started rolling and the fact that this is an underdress to be worn under a jacket where the bodice will be mostly obscured was a big factor in deciding to give the tacky trim a go.

As my motto is more is better and I had plenty of the trim, I just kept adding more.  It really worked.  One row was rather eh, but three looks good.  I still have about 16 yards of trim, so the plan is to be just as generous when I get to making the sleeves. I'm sure I'll have leftover and no ideas for what to do with it.  I am rather astonished at how much I like this dress.  The dark brown of the twill tones down the metallic of the trim and makes it look more opulent than tacky. The trim makes a plain brown cotton bottomweight I bought for $1.50 a yard look like something planned rather than a happy accident.  Putting it up against the silk, I think the whole outfit is going to look great.  Once again I'm breaking every rule with $40 a yard silk paired with clearance table materials.  Not sure how it happened that this seems to be working, but I'm doing a serious happy dance.

Is this too weird of an idea?

I was going to wait and do trim for the brown later, but I had a brainstorm.  I have a bit of this vintage bobbin lace.  What would happen if I dyed it either blue or copper and layered it with ribbons over a base of either a contrasting or coordinating color?  Would it look like embroidery?

I'm really, really tempted to try.  Especially since I don't see myself actually spending the time to do real embroidered trim for this sottana.   Am I completely up in the night?  Too theatrical?  Just plain wrong?

I guess I should make this first-- blue silk jacket

I'm much more excited about projects for 12th Night and the Masked Ball, but I've got Collegium and Toys for Tots in the next couple of weeks, so I suppose I should pay attention to those.  I had planned to do the pink with green sleeves for Toys and finish my blue and gold loose gown and wear it with my blackwork coif for Collegium.  Neither project seems to have gone anywhere, however.  I've got a loose gown cut out of purple and yellow, and I keep staring at the never-ending-100-button-loose-gown.  I misplaced one of the pieces to the back yoke and am rethinking the entire back piece.  Not to mention not wanting to rush the trim.  I just found the yoke piece yesterday, but I'm just not inspired by it right now.  I was convinced I wanted to wear my blackwork coif, but I think I'm over the thought of that.  Especially since I'm teaching 3 very Italian classes.

Sooooo.  Back to a project I was supposed to get done for IRCC II.  A jacket like the one in Lady and the Squirrel.  I bought this blue silk just before the start of IRCC II and it was supposed to be one of the first projects.  Yeah.  I get weird ideas about what I'm actually capable of getting done some times.  Anyway. I have two yards of this gorgeous thick blue and bronze silk.  Only issue is I need a sottana for underneath since I'm not wearing the big trained gold dress to teach and wrangle kids in.  The silk isn't the easiest thing to match.  I'm not really one to wear black, so I'm toying with the idea of this chocolate brown cotton bottomweight.  Seems sort of sacrilege to pair the silk with that rather than a silk or linen, but I have it in stash and I'm trying to not buy anything new right now.  Kind of blah, but the jacket is a casual piece worn with the camicia and what might be an apron. Not much of the under dress shows anyway.  At least that is what I keep trying to tell myself.