Flora McDonald's Fancy

Highland dancers wear the aboyne costume when they dance the national dances such as the Flora McDonald's Fancy.  The national dances are "softer" more feminine dances than the Highland dances (such as the Sword and the Fling). Clarissa is wearing a pink Highland dance aboyne.  Her outfit has a pink tartan skirt that is gathered at the waist.  Her white blouse has puffy sleeves, and she wears a matching white petticoat underneath.  Clarissa's vest is made from a raspberry felt and has gold ribbon lacing up the front. There are "petals" around the bottom of the vest.

Highland dancers also wear a plaid. This is a piece of tartan material that is pinned to the shoulder of the vest with a broach and the plaid drapes down the back of the dancer. Most dancers attach their plaid to the back of the vest with some hidden safety pins so it doesn't fall off while they are dancing.

One of the things I really liked about this outfit was the color of the tartan fabric. It has raspberry pink, purple and gold stripes.  I thought it would be fun for Clarissa if she could change things up a bit, so I made her a second vest so that she could completely change her look.

Clarissa's second vest is a lilac purple color. This vest has pink ribbon to lace it up the front. Like the other vest, the plaid is attached at the shoulder with a broach (I used a button that resembles the broaches my daughters wear with their costumes). 

 This vest is a bit plainer than the other one (I accidentally left off the petals and didn't realize it until the vest was completed).  I love the way the different color vests look with this outfit. It makes it lots of fun to get ready for a dance event!