I still believe one of my beaded skirt obsessions was from a tiny book on costume, probably wedding dresses and is almost certainly gone (the library probably has removed the book from even stack.)
But I think I may also have totally forgotten that one of my favourite costumes from film has a very heavily pearled tablier!
http://www.wornthrough.com/2014/02/museum-life-film-costume-in-the-gallery-and-the-archive/
and:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bauhausfrau/albums/72157632918697746
In fact this so closely matches my image in my head that perhaps I was thinking of it all along!
Though the company that created the gown is very well known for using historic sources so there may also be some influence of the same sources!