THE flamboyant fashions of fairytale favourites will be the subject of a magical talk at York Castle Museum on Wednesday.

Expert Lucy Adlington, from The History Wardrobe, is to give a lecture exploring fairytale fashion, exploring the history of the princess dress, Dorothy's red shoes from The Wizard of Oz, and Little Red Riding Hood's cape.

There will be a grand unveiling of a pure silk 18th-century replica ball gown for Cinderella, commissioned especially for the event and hand-stitched by Meridith Towne of History Wardrobe.

The evening will explore how fairytale dresses have impacted on the modern world with vintage wedding dresses from the 1950s and 1980s, and an 18th-century silk skirt, on display.

Lucy said: “We wanted to try something a bit different and the history behind the fairytale dress and other fairytale fashion is incredibly interesting.

We have carried out extensive research - much of which was spent looking through York Museums Trust’s fantastic costume collection - to make a reproduction of the beautiful Cinderella Dress ,which will be the highlight of the evening.

"Working with an 18th century ribbon embroidery specialist and an 18th century historical footwear specialist we have tried to make the dress more historically accurate than you might see in recent films but we have still added a touch of magic!”

The event is from 6pm to 7pm on Wednesday and is aimed at adults and older children. Tickets are £8. To book, phone York Museums Trust on 01904 697979.