Glass Slippers Galore: Six Cinderella Stories

There was a piece over at Atlas Obscura yesterday called Glass Dresses, The Fairytale Fashion Trend That Never Quite Took Off, about a period in the late 1800s when manufacturers were LITERALLY making clothing out of glass:

To “spin” these glass fibers, a glassworker used tweezers to pluck filament after filament from a rod dipped into a flame. These threads were often wound onto a wheel and then woven on hand looms, dressed with some organic fiber to cushion the fragile glass. According to Charlotte Holzer, a textile conservator who studies glass clothing, the ties and belts were fashioned by gathering bunches of fibers into braids. Dresses like Eulalia’s weren’t boxy sheaths made from pieces of glass, but rather consisted of very thin strands mingled with other fabrics, such as silk. The garment would have been shiny and fragile, but not so brittle that it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Despite the non-brittle assurances, I feel that FOR ME, wearing glass garments would be a ridiculously stressful experience. But, of course, the story did make me think about the possibilities of a Cinderella story set during that era that incorporated the fad, etc., etc. Which could be fun, right? As far as I know, that doesn't exist—let me know if I'm wrong—so let's look at some retellings of Cinderella that DO exist!

So, here are three that I've read:

And here are three that I haven't read:

Mechanica, by Betsy Cornwell: This one sounds like a pretty straightforward retelling in which Nicolette—her stepsisters call her 'Mechanica' because according to them, being an inventor is weird—makes friends with a MINIATURE MAGICAL MECHANICAL HORSE and has to find a way to participate in BOTH a royal ball AND a technological exposition. First of a duology.

Whiskerella, by Ursula Vernon: I LOVE HARRIET HAMSTERBONE AND I HAVEN'T READ THIS ONE YET AHHHHHHHHHhhhh!!! *waves arms around wildly*

The Amah, by Laurence Yep: As twelve-year-old Amy is preparing for her ballet school's production of Cinderella, her life starts to parallel the story. This is the one I'm most excited to read, in large part because this is the first time I've run across any mention of it?

Obviously, there are many, many more—let me know if you've got a favorite that I shouldn't miss!