Persephone; the boozy goddess of Spring as she’s reimagined in the Broadway musical Hadestown! She’s even got her “suitcase full of summertime,” and a flask for living it up on top.

I made this half-scale replica of Amber Gray’s costume using only materials I had on hand in my workspace: rayon challis, lace, faux fur, twill tape, polymer clay, straw, craft foam, acrylic paint, felt, embroidery thread, and hot glue. Though I amended certain details out of necessity (yardage constraints; the challenge of scaling details into miniature), I tried to reflect costume designer Michael Krass’ original intent.

To make do with what I had, I bleached, then dyed several fabrics to get Persephone’s bright Springy green; I handpainted cheap white faux fur to get the ombre effect I needed; I soaked straw in water and then braided it to create the materials needed for her purse. (For details on some of my process, check out the highlight I created called “Persephone.”)

I love the costume created for Persephone. In researching the details of this garment, I discovered that Krass created this look as an amalgam of “’40s band singer and Dolly in the ’80s and maybe today’s Real Housewives.” It’s perfection, in my opinion. And recreating it in half-scale was a fun distraction during this dark time. I hope Persephone brings Spring and brighter days back. “Let the world we dream about be the one we live in now.”