Esmeralda is the raven haired gypsy heroine from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While irresistibly beautiful and charming, she is also brave enough to stand up for what she believes in, even when it puts her life in danger. Not only is Esmerelda’s personality uplifting, but her gypsy fashion sense is inspirational.
Like the previous articles in this series, the purpose of this article is to use a childhood idol as inspiration for outfits that you can actually pull off as a college student. All it takes is a little creativity!
For more Disney-inspired looks, check out our past articles on Walt Disney’s Snow White, Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Walt Disney’s Cinderella, Walt Disney’s Princess Jasmine, Walt Disney’s Princess Tiana, Walt Disney’s Pocahontas, Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jane Porter from Disney’s Tarzan, and Megara from Disney’s Hercules.
About Esmeralda
Esmeralda is a gypsy woman living in Paris in the 1400s. Life as a poor gypsy has not been easy for Esmerelda, but she gets by with her talent for dancing.
At the Feast of Fools, Esmerelda becomes furious when she witnesses a man being humiliated by the townspeople. They tell him he has “the ugliest face in Paris” and then proceed to tie him up and throw food at him. Esmerelda is empathetic to the young man, because she knows the harsh effects of discrimination. Her people are stereotyped as horrible and evil by the rich aristocrats, especially Judge Claude Frollo. Esmeralda cannot take the man being tortured, so she stands up for him and gets the mob to stop harassing him. This infuriates Judges Claude Frollo, and he orders the police to arrest her.
Luckily, Esmeralda escapes the guards and ends up in the Notre Dame church, which is a sanctuary, and a place where the guards cannot arrest her. It just so happens that the young man she rescued at the Feast of Fools lives in the church. His name is Quasimodo, and he is known as the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also happens to be under the care of the vicious Judge Frollo. The judge raised him to believe that he was a monster. Esmeralda soon befriends Quasimodo, and convinces him that he is just as beautiful as any other person, because it’s what is on the inside that matters.
In addition to being beautiful and kindhearted, Esmeralda also shows how courageous she is by escaping from the church with the help of Quasimodo and Phoebus (Judge Frollo’s Captain of the Guard, who just so happens to fall in love with Esmeralda) and, after almost being burned at the stake, helps to defeat Judge Frollo and save her people from his harsh discrimination.
Esmeralda’s Everyday Outfit
The outfit Esmeralda usually wears isn’t exactly what most would call “everyday.” Numerous bold colors and contrasting textures add lots of interest to her look. In order to capture the essence of her outfit, I used a gorgeous teal dress with feminine ruffles along the side and hem, paired with a magenta cardigan. Also, I chose gypsy-like earrings to complement the pink headscarf.
Earrings- 1928 Jewelry, Shoes- Target, Dress- Shop Ruche, Cardigan- Athleta, Headband- Chick Downtown
Feast of Fools
Esmeralda captivates the crowd at the Feast of Fools with her dazzling dance moves and exquisite outfit. To emulate Esmerelda’s dance costume, I chose a red dress (which is one of fall’s hottest colors), lots of jewelry, and a scarf, because Esmeralda always piles on plenty of accessories. I also used an eye-catching sequined clutch to grab everyone’s attention in the best possible way.
Belt- Arden B, Clutch- Lori’s Shoes, Shoes- Debenham’s, Dress- Modcloth, Scarf- John Lewis, Necklace- 1928 Jewelry, Earrings- Lucky
Not Quite Burned at the Stake
The day that Esmeralda is arrested and ordered to be executed (which fortunately, does not happen) she is pictured wearing a simple white dress with a rope belt that is far more subtle than her everyday clothes. If you love the way Esmeralda dresses but don’t think you can pull it off, this is a great outfit to be inspired by.
To create a similar look, I used a simple white lace dress with a beautiful ruffled collar, tied with a simple skinny brown belt. Since Esmeralda never wears shoes, I included a pair of barely-there, yet still fashionable, teal sandals. Finally, I finished the look off with plenty of gypsy-inspired jewelry.
Bag- Monsoon, Shoes- Endless, Dress- Modcloth, Bangles- Wet Seal, Earrings- 1928 Jewelry
Another Not-So-Typical Outfit
Since Esmeralda is most often pictured wearing this outfit, I decided to create a second look inspired by her everyday style. This one is less casual than the first outfit I created.
For this look, I used a textured teal skirt, a corset-style white top, and a gold sequined shrug. To polish it off, I added a few purple accents as accessories and a necklace that reminded me of the coin embellishments on Esmerelda’s sash.
Necklace and Earrings Set- Fantasy Jewelry Box, Shoes- K Mart, Shrug- Newport News, Skirt- Forever 21, Brooch- Avalaya, Top- Vanity
Thoughts?
Are you inspired by Esmeralda? Which look is your favorite? Which Disney characters would you be interested in seeing posts about in the future? I want to know what you think, so be sure to leave your thoughts in a comment!
I adore the designs for Esmeralda, she has always been my favourite disney girl. My favourite is the last one, adding a little bit of glamour to an ordinary outfit that I could wear without being accused of showing off. (Even though I would be.)
I LOVE this post! That last outfit is so glamorous. I love all of these Disney Princess outfits! Would you consider doing Wendy, from Peter Pan next? Or girl outfits inspired by Peter Pan? I know, not really a princess movie, but still Disney and still one of my favorite movies. (:
Or maybe Mary Poppins! Or Robin Hood. Or maybe Toy Story? I know these aren’t really Princess movies at all but I would still love to see what kind of outfits you put together ! (:
Another great post! My favorite is definitely #3- like you said, it’s the most wearable.
I never realized Kmart had such awesome shoes!
I LOVE LOVE these outfits! They are very feminine and eclectic. The way the elements of each outfit complement each other is perfect! Great job!
I love the third outfit- that dress is gorgeous!
LOVE the last outfit! And, umm what, Kmart? Who knew! Thanks for letting us know about their cool shoes!
Mulan pleaseeeee! She is so inspirational, and absolutely gorgeous.
Erm, the “simple white understated ” dress was her shift/underdress. as prisoners weren’t allowed clothes, but still needed their modesty protected.
Ahhh, this article doesn’t work either. All I see for the images is COLLEGEFASHION.net
I’m so excited to see them too! Can anyone help?
I love all your princess stuff. It’s so creative. I would love to see a Neverland series with Wendy, Tinkerbell, and Tiger Lily. Or maybe even do the Disney faries. great job!
😀 This is my favorite so far (and I love ALL of them) particularly, the very last one
Not to rain on your parade, but I’m pretty sure that that third outfit where she’s being burned at the stake is Esmeralda’s 15th-century underwear:)
Love it! Even though she’s not a princess or heroin, I would love if you did Cruella de Vil
yay! I was hoping you’d choose Esmeralda for one of these 🙂
Love the last two outfits especially.
Are you going to do a 101 Dalmations post?
I’d love to see what you come up with for Cruella De Ville (Sans fur!) and Anita (?).
The Hunchbakc of Notre Dame is SO underrated!! I went to Paris over summer and got really excited in Notre Dame :]]]
Charlotte xxx
FAB! as always! what about doing some Pixar too? 😀
I would absolutely love to see you guys do Giselle, from Enchanted!
Wow I need those target shoes from the first outfit in my life ASAP!!
I would love to see Mulan as well! And Jasmine from Aladdin…or has she been done (?) Great post!!!
LOVE this idea – but I really only like the last 2 outfits (which you do amazing on). The others and as a whole, just dont give me her gypsy vibe. I’m really into gypsy culture and reading/learning about them all and their traditions and some of these are way too modern for me lol (though Im sure that was the idea hah).
perfection! you’re so creative and i love your posts 🙂
Finally! I love Esmeralda, she is one of my favorites. I love the look inspired by the red dress!
Ohmygosh…i loooooooooooove Esmerelda! She is my favorite! I really like these princess-inspired outfits.
Oh my gosh I love Esmeralda!!! The Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favorite Disney movie!! Frollo is so amazing!!! Please continue with the cartoon inspiration sets!! even though it’s not disney, i would totally appreciate an Anastasia post!!!
Oh and if you are looking for ideas, the Swan Princess would be awesome! It is my favorite :]
Love it! I think the last outfit is my favorite. You do such a great job on this series!
Love the series. Please do MULAN, not only is she beautiful but she stands for so much more! Please (:?
I absolutely love this series of posts. Can you please please do Anastasia? I know its not Disney (I think its a 20th Century Fox production), but its my favorite movie and she has a great wardrobe. I seriously want the blue dress at the end of the film and would love to see CF’s take on it!
nice job! i like all the outfits, but i think the only one that actually says “esmerelda” is the last one. if i saw someone wearing that i would probably instantly think “esmerelda” whereas with the others, i would just think “oh, cute outfit”. i like the earrings from the first and third outfits, as well as the turquoise sandals though.
DO MULAN NEXT! 🙂
wow! What a wonderful post. I really like her outfits in the movie- I have quite a gypsy esque style myself.
Just don’t read the book if you liked the movie. Trust me.
the last outfit is my fav…i love hunchback of notre dame
its the best animated movie but it never gets the credit it deserves…beautiful music and beautiful characters
also esmeralda is beautiful! the bold colors are amazing
really great post
cityflare.blogspot.com
Love the skirt, shoes and necklace in the 3rd look! X2 on cute Kmart shoes! Who knew?
Wow, I am in love with the looks you have created here. I want that Monsoon bag and those bangles of Wet Seal. I definitely will be channeling Esmerelda sometime soon.
Actually, I was so inspired by the teal and orange bangles you showed. I’m wearing an orange shirt today so I went and threw on teal shoes and a teal bracelet.
Love the dress in the first outfit! Great outfits altogether!
The last outfit is fabolous! I love it!
The first one is my fave – the dress is definitely something I would wear to a formal event, except I’m not sure if I would wear it with a purple cardigan! I love this post. 🙂 Great job!
-Bee
You did such a good job again! I love the last look… especially that skirt!