Fabric dilemma

[celamity]

I know very little about fabric. I don't know which are stretchy, drapey, heavy, work with chiffon, need lining, feel hot, etc. etc.
I am having an off-white copy made of Arwen's mourning gown, in not necessarily stretch velvet due to difficulties finding light shades of velvet. (CrimsonVision in the sidebar is my future seamstress :) )
I had little luck finding a good velvet color in local fabric stores, so I am looking online, and at other fabrics (criteria: a little stretch, drapey, not shiny)
The monitor is old, and doesn't show color very well.
I hate yellow ivory. I want something almost but not quite white.

Hence, I need a verdict on the colors (and suitability, for those of you who know fabrics) of the following:

Ivory stretch velvet

Winter white stretch velvet

Off white triple velvet (says it won't stretch; I don't know what the characteristics of triple velvet are)

Ivory peachskin (suspect it's a very wrong fabric type but the pic looked pretty)

Diamond white satin d'hauteur

Diamond white satin charmeuse

Diamond white and ivory crepe backed satin (for some reason the ivory looks the less yellow on my screen)

White silk crepe de chine

Yes, I am looking at all kinds of possibly insane options here :)
They offer cheap samples, but I am trying to limit how many I get and I'm already planning on getting a ton of red ones, so I am trying to rule out some stuff.

Oh, and would sheer sleeves be weird on something like this?

Comments

[bradamant.livejournal.com]

Based on the cut of the dress, I think stretch velvet would give it a very slinky, sexy look, which may not be what you want. The prices on those first two seem reasonable for what they are. I don't know what triple velvet is--probably just means that it's deeply flocked--and that's what I'd choose if I wanted a more traditional look. I think the shiny satin stuff would shriek modern bridal gown in a way that may defeat the point of a unique dress like this. The matte/shiny thing with the crepe-backed satin could be really interesting. I think sheer sleeves wouldn't match, volume-wise, which such a long dress, but using the shiny/matte fabric to make sleeves that you could turn back would be cool. I think in any of these case, using a bright diamond white would undercut the historical inspiration of the gown.

So, to make long confusing opinions short:
--For a slinkier, modern look, one of those first two stretch velvets.
--For a heavier, historical look, the triple velvet (or cotton velvet, which is pretty matte and old-looking, but also expensive!)
--For a lighter look, the crepe/satin mix.

[celamity.livejournal.com]

I'm not too concerned about the color not looking exactly historical. I didn't even consider this dress till way out in my hunt for a gown I'd like, and the girl who is making it has a way of cutting the neckline that should flatter my body type even more than the original movie dress.

If I were slender, I would have gotten a copy of Eowyn's white dress (http://maidenfair.net/miranda/tttmmt3.jpg) from the same movies (yes, I am a geek, in case anyone wondered), but with a neckline like that it'd look horrible on me. I was considering trying to find someone who could make it with a lower cut neck when I realized a white copy of the Arwen dress would do what I wanted.