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Analysis > Galinda > The
Bubble Dress Analysis
The Bubble Dress Breakdown and
Analysis
Below is a detailed breakdown and
analysis of the Bubble Dress. I break the outfit down from head to
toe, starting from the top! See the Bubble Dress Page for full
pictures of the outfit.
Crown
From what I can tell, there are a few
different versions of the crown, 4 or 5 from my count but I could be wrong
about that. There is the original crown from early on (first
picture) and then several incarnations after that. All of the
crowns have, I will call them starburst or snowflake like ornaments on
them, usually 9 to 11 on the crown with them progressively getting
smaller from the middle out. The one difference I have seen is
that the West End, German and Australian version looks more like a snowflake to
me (last picture), with fewer snowflakes then the US versions.
With the West End snowflakes being various sizes throughout the crown
instead of getting smaller the farther to the back they go.
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| original
crown |
US
versions |
US
version |
German
crown |
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|
Australian
Crown |
West
End Crown |
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Hair
All of Glinda's hair varies from
production to production so every Glinda's wig is a little
different. Some are shorter, some are curlier, and some
fuller. The Bubble Dress wig is always a blonde, curly wig of some
sort though. Most of the wigs tend to have some large loopy curls
in the front of the crown. The West End version tends to be a
little more loosely curled than other productions.
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| Kristen
Chenoweth wig |
Annaliegh
Ashford wig |
Kendra
Kassebaum wig |
Alli
Mauzey wig |
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|
|
Stuttgart
version |
West
End version |
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Collar
Collars vary from production to
production and actress to actress. Some are taller, some are
shorter. Some more curvy, some less curvy. Kristen
Chenoweth's original collar was more pointy and curvy than later
ones. The collar is made of the same material as the petals of the
dress and usually has some sequins on it. It is attached to the
dress with a beaded strap on each side. The collar is not straight
across in the back, it comes down in a V shape. This shape of
collar is seen in the US productions, Australian production, and early
West End productions. One collar that is
different is the Stuttgart version, which is wider and has kind of
spokes going though it (think of a bike wheel). This version is
also seen in later West End productions as well. The Stuttgart
version is more see though and has what appear to be rhinestones, now
sequins, on it.
Necklace
The necklace started out for a brief time
as a beaded choker with 7 small drops coming down but changed to a
rhinestone necklace later on. In the US from what I can tell there
is a blue and white drop rhinestone necklace. In the West End and
Stuttgart version, the necklace has a snowflake shape which matches the
crown toppers.
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| Original
necklace |
First
incarnation of rhinestone version |
US
rhinestone version |
Stuttgart
necklace, this version also seen in West End Productions |
I found
this version was worn in one West End production, haven't found
a picture of it anywhere else |
Neckline and Bodice
The neckline of the dress appears to vary
slightly, as always, from dress to dress but there tends to be the same
necklines with a few variations. The original dress was a more
swooped off the shoulder neckline. In the US it varies from a deep
swoop to a slight swoop to a few with an almost (but not quite)
sweetheart neckline. I hold out the term sweetheart neckline for
the West End and Stuttgart versions. They have a deep sweetheart
neckline. The bodice is separate from the skirt with small poofy
sleeves. The front of the US bodice is rounded with the Stuttgart and
West End versions pointy. One thing I found is that the Australian
dress started out almost exactly like US versions is shape (see below)
but has later evolved to a more sweetheart neckline with pointed front
like the West End and German Productions. I don't have it pictured
here but the Japanese bodice is mostly the same as the US version.
The Skirt and Petals
The skirt consists of many many many
petals covered in waves of sequins. The number and size of the
petals vary from dress to dress. Some petals are very wide across
with others smaller in width. There tends to be around 5 layers of
petals gradually getting bigger the farther down the skirt they
are. The original dress had four layers of scallops, not
petals. The petals on the West End, Stuttgart, and Tokyo
production tend to be much much larger. The sequins on the West
End and Stuttgart version are a much darker blue color than the US and
appear to be spaces out a little more than the US dress. Also note
the the German production petals have little dots on them as well! (This
information via Pink goes Good with Green who is in contact with someone
from the German production) See picture below. The Tokyo sequins look
like there are fewer and more spaced apart with squiggly white
embroidered detail in the petals as well as the top.
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| Original
dress |
US
version |
US
version |
US, has
tiny little petals near waist |
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| German |
Close
up of German, the fabric has little dots on it! |
West
End |
Tokyo
production |
Shoes
It is said by people on the web that in
the opening scene, Glinda is wearing here blue and white Shiz shoes with
her Bubble Dress to aid in the quick costume change she has (check the
GA forums for more info). I haven't been able to find picture
proof of it but I have no doubt that this is true because it only makes
sense. However, later, I have found that she is wearing her gold
Thank Goodness dress shoes with her Bubble Dress at the end.
Picture evidence below.
Wand
The wand, like everything else,
varies from production to production. The main US version is
like a large snowflake starburst thing like the crown. It
has a large jeweled center with a whole bunch of spokes coming out
of it. The jewels in it are white and blue, some with more
white, some with more blue. There is also a version I found,
not sure from which production, that has a ball with sparkly
things sticking out the top of it. The West End and
Stuttgart production wands are like a firework that exploded
outward are are 3D versus the US wand which is flat.
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| original
wand |
US,
smaller stones |
US,
larger stones |
US,
seen in a Broadway production |
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West
End wand, more white stones |
German
wand, more blue stones than West End wand |
<<Australia
has a wand like the West End and German wands |
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