costumey goodness

[anotheranon]

A handful of links:

The Furr Homespun Dress: extant Civil War-era homespun dress from North Carolina. Lots of construction details and photos.

Kristi Smart - "Romantic fantasy coats for any event". I LOVE the one on the front page and am vigorously resisting the urge to figure out how it's made :P

Jwylhyfer De Winter's Costume as Performance Art - one of the artists featured in "Costumemaker's Art" and an example of what I mean when I insist I'm not that good.

Comments

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

rrr - I met Jwylh at my first CostumeCon. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.

I modeled the 5th person for their group costume. They KNEW I was an actor - I had sent them my head shot and resume when I volunteered. Well, I won 'Best Presentation - Master Class', an award which goes to the presenter, not the costumer. I explained to the judges that I had *nothing* to do with making the costume, but they insisted it went to me personally.

J and her cohorts then refused to speak to me for the rest of the weekend, and were really rude to me in public, over a situation that I had no control over.

So, not so impressed any more. (Unlike the sitch with Animal X who is a fabulous person who is funny and charming every time I have met her.)

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Never said she was a nice person, just a good costumer - never having talked to her or costumed with her, I have no personal experiences to share.

I am sorry for your experience though - the behavior of the entire group sounds quite immature - why on earth didn't they just talk to the judges?

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

Frock coats. *cries* Frock coats are my wet dream.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Oh, one of mine as well! I've got the Simplicity "Jack Sparrow" pattern fitted and ready to go, once I can afford fabric.

Frock coats. With a swagger stick and/or sword, ideally. And a tricorn (I'll have to learn hatmaking one of these days!)

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Don't forget your thigh-high Guccis, Cap'n Sheba. ;-)

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

Oh baby. *drools* Yeah, me too. There's just something about that look that makes me very warm and fuzzy -- girls or boys.

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

The Furr dress site reminds me of the regular historic clothing articles in Australian Stitches (yes, I someday WILL get a scanner and fire them off to you) ... they, too, illustrate the interior construction, seams, etc. They're interesting because they always strike me as being a little different from the European/American fashions of the same period ... presumably because of allowances made for climate, locally available fabrics, etc.

Agreed, that initial coat on the Kristi Smart site IS gorgeous ... you can always let your "figuring" go ahead and make it up in miniature out of your scraps (c'mon, you're a sewer ... I KNOW you've got scraps). ;-)

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

...you can always let your "figuring" go ahead and make it up in miniature out of your scraps...

You know, if I were really clever I'd embrace doll-making - much cheaper because much fewer materials used. But *I* want to be the one dressed up, dammit! :P

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

I know ... getting to wear your creations yourself is much more fun. But think of it as practice run and experimentation ... being able to see how something drapes and goes together before you commit to cutting up large chunks of expensive fabric. I'm not talking Barbie-size ... that's for masochists. But something like my 1950s fashion doll that's 24 inches tall and has an adult figure (I think I paid a whole $15 for her) ... a "mannequin" that size can give you a pretty good idea of how the real thing will look/behave, using bargain bits out of remnant bins (plus she won't complain if you jab her with pins ***grin***).

And now that you mention dollmaking ... have you ever seen the creations of Lisa Lichtenfels? Or Akiko Anzai? Check to see if your library has Susanna Oroyan's Anatomy of a Doll (or any other title by this author) ... it'll change your entire perception of dollmaking and you might find yourself with a whole new set of inspirations (even if you don't want to make a doll, I'm sure you'll want to copy some of their garments for yourself ***grin***)