If you are feeling the cinematic magic of the last year, having fallen under the spell of Wicked, you may be drawn to the stars’ garments—onscreen and off.

Many costume designers found their muses in the powerful witches from the magical story. Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande made enchanting fashion statements with their couture-fueled press tour. Designer Naeem Khan dressed Erivo for her Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Gala performance, for instance. The designer’s summer 2025 collection was an homage to the magical duo. During New York Fashion Week, Khan’s runway showed glittering evening looks. There were dark, emerald, and black sculpted dresses with jet crystal beading inspired by the Elphaba character. I took the inspiration for this project from my favorite of the pastel Glinda looks from the fashion show. It was a delicate strapless dress embroidered with multilayered tulle petals accented with metallic thread and jewels.

The dress’s many pieces of tulle were embroidered one on top of the other. We can save time and fabric by enlarging and layering a petal of organza and a petal of tulle. For the sample top, I chose a simple silhouette with minimal tailoring, making it easier to appliqué the many petals.

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Mariana Leung is a fashion industry pro who watches for and re-creates striking embellishments. Learn more at MarianaLeung.com.