Costumiere

List for keeping record of the sewing/accessory projects I claim to want to do. (This list was actually started on 5/30/2008; it's fore-dated to keep it at the top of my journal for easy reference.)

Velvet coatdress into polonaise

Velvet and lace trim, new buttons on purple denim Victorian jacket

Striped linen jacket--add collar, cuffs, trim, back lacing, back split

Black tulle and satin skirt/petticoat

Venise lace trim on black silk jacket

Center panel in black rayon velvet dress

Tiered velveteen skirts into polonaise/bustled overskirts: burgundy, silver, blue (dye blue?)

Trim and frogs on purple silk dress

Braid and frogs on black pumps

Lace on black strapped shoes

Striped trim on mary janes

Rose organza trim on gray cloche

Black and white parasol

Jewelry and trim out of Teens beadwork

Pink crystal & hematite jewelry

Red luster & matte black jewelry ("Caviar")

Polka dot jewelry

B&W striped jewelry

Hematite/gray pearl/silver filigree cameo choker

Copper & turquoise jewelry

Copper & purple jewelry

Beading and trim for bedroom lanterns

Since I can't just walk into Display&Costume or Value Village anymore *sob*, I need some assistance in finding places I can look for some stuff I need for a costume by the end of this month.

--A light blond wig that is side-parted or can be side-parted and styled up into a chignon, bangs/fringe okay if long enough to be styled to the sides. I would prefer not to pay a huge amount of money for it; costume-quality is fine if the styling can be done. This is the most critical part--without this, the costume simply can't happen.

EITHER of the following clothing items:
--Skirt, circle (preferred) or A-line, just below knee length (on me that's about 22-23 inches), in plain solid navy, khaki, or white, (no decoration, pattern, or detailing) size XL/1X or 16/18
OR
--Knit crew-neck/jewel-neck top or button-front cardigan, long sleeve or 3/4 sleeve, in solid cobalt blue or solid pastel or fruit-based color (and yes that includes yellow, orange, or green), size XL/1X or 16/18.
The tricky part with either of these items that I'd really prefer not to spend more than $10. (I can find suitable cardigans at the chain discount stores, but they're all $20 and up. If it comes to that, I will cave and pay that price, but I'd rather not.)

I need to have these things in my hands and ready to be worn no later than May 31 (meaning the wig will need to be in my hands at least a couple of days before that).

I still have some options for looking for things in my area, but my resources are definitely smaller than they might be if I were still in Seattle. If anybody has ideas for online resources that might work, please help. I will be most grateful.

This, quite frankly, is one of my favorite fundraising ideas ever:

Help some folks help Haiti, and see an incredible Edwardian re-creation gown get made into the deal. Have a read at the link, and pitch in if you feel like it.

(And yes, I know it's a bit crass to show up after a year with a fundraising pitch. But it's for a cause that matters to me and I thought I'd share. I've got plenty to share on the costuming front, but life has been...interesting this past year, and I just have to find the time to write and post it all.)

I don't have time yet to do the typical blow-by-blow post for my Vampire's Masquerade Ball outfit, as I still have to get ready for Norwescon. (I've never before done two huge-outfit, pack-and-leave-home events within a week. It's proving to be a challenge in focusing and getting things done.) But I figured I could at least post a photo so you can see how it came out.

( Look back here )

Speaking of Norwescon...on the bad side, I have not even started on the elements I need to make or modify for the Poiret dragonfly outfit, and we leave for the convention in pretty much exactly two days. On the good side, though, I've pretty much resolved all remaining undecided outfit issues, and have even written up my packing list already.

I figured out a way to do the Sunday outfit with the ridiculous ivory hat, although the weather is probably going to be a little cooler than I was hoping for (the blouse has elbow-length sleeves) and I'm still mulling possibilities for a jacket. But I tested the basic idea last night and it works.

For Thursday, I'm going to do two "stuff from my wardrobe that looks kinda period-style" outfits in plum. The daytime outfit involves a sweater jacket with Victorian influences and a skirt in satin and tulle. The evening outfit will be sort of 1930s/1940s in layered plum georgette and a lace surplice top. Both are easy to do and involve pieces that haven't really been out much.

The lace tiara for the Friday evening late-Victorian outfit is not terribly likely to happen, though I haven't totally ruled it out yet; I'd hoped to make it work with lace I have on hand and that turned out to not be what I wanted, so I'd need to buy some different lace for it. But I think I'll have to go to the fabric store tonight for some supplies for the dragonfly outfit (you know, the one I haven't even started on), so I might pick up a little bit of the new lace I have in mind and see what I can achieve quickly.

And that's it for the talking about this stuff, for now at least. It's time to go finish what still needs to be done.

I would normally have done this earlier in the year (and probably would have saved myself some dead-ends and dilemmas if I had), but here's my general overview of what I'm planning for the two big dress-up events this spring: The Vampire's Masquerade Ball, which is a little over a week away from today, and Norwescon, which is exactly two weeks away. ( Lists, descriptions, and assorted bloviating )

One of the things that was driving some of my costuming ideas this year was the possibility that this could be my last NWC; my husband will finish his degree this summer and will be pursuing jobs in his field all over the country, so we could very well be living somewhere entirely new in a year's time. So I don't actually know what my options for events will be after this year. I do hope I'll have more opportunities, both specifically for that big white gown and for costuming in general; but we'll just have to see what happens. And in any case, I'm going to do my best to really enjoy all of these costumes.

edit after posting: Oh duh. Half the point of me doing this was to give myself an excuse and a focal point to write down my to-do list, and then I forgot to do it. ( So here's the actual list, which is likely not going to interest anyone other than me )

Deciding a week and a half before an event that I ABSOLUTELY NEED an item that's going to be near-impossible to find.

And yet, there is something about the thrill of the hunt of such things that I never seem to get over. Which is why I seem to do this every time.

(Dove-gray or silver-gray 12-button gloves, if you're curious. Yeah, I know. I'm also figuring out how I'm going to handle not having them, since the chance of success is so small.)

Lace tiara.

I think I already have an idea of how to do it.

Context will come down the line.



(This is the sort of stuff my brain works up while I'm sorting clothing and already in a costuming mindset. I wish I could find this kind of inspiration in other areas of my life...)

Ugh. So I promise you something, and then I take two weeks to do it. Sorry. There's a nasty tendency for life to get in the way of all my costuming activities, particularly journaling about it.

So. I said in the last post that the hat, while made primarily to be a stand-alone accessory, was going to pay a role in a larger ensemble. And here it is.



Yes indeed, that is an interpretation of the Mad Hatter. The hat--which, as noted previously, I had already intended to make--was a starting point for it; but so were a number of things in my closet, and a variety of cultural references. ( And here's how I got there from all that. )

If you actually read all that, you'll note that I keep mentioning "the next time I wear this outfit." My original intention was to use this at Norwescon this year. However, our favorite local club was planning a Wonderland-themed night at the end of February, and while I hadn't originally intended to attend that, I got talked into it, and had to have the outfit ready earlier than I'd intended. So a lot of the little details weren't quite right for this wearing, even though I was quite happy with how the overall concept came out. I will indeed be wearing this as one of my outfits at Norwescon at the beginning of April, and will smooth out these little hiccups, and get more detailed photos.

As to why I got talked into wearing it earlier...well, here's a little bonus for you: A costume my husband wore for the Wonderland-themed night, which I helped develop. ( You might regret looking at this, though. )

So there's a little Wonderland nonsense for you. I have a cluster of costuming coming up very soon that I need to outline, and I have a significant backlog of other costume-related things I'd like to write about. The trick is making myself sit down and do the writing. I won't promise you that I'm going to, but the intention is certainly there; I just need to find the discipline. Which, frankly, is pretty much the story of every creative thing I ever do.

Final note: Thanks for the photos goes to Victoria of Designs by Victoria, who was a very fetching sepia-toned Alice on this particular evening. Victoria makes gorgeous jewelry, elegant accesories, and some delightful costumes--you should take a peek at her work.

( A couple more and some details )

Yes, there *are* things in the works, despite my long absences. Stay tuned.