Modesty's Costume Closet

 Just giving the update that my dress is done! I did my performance, but I'm still waiting on the video footage.  [Image -tbd] For accessories, in the end I made a couple of pearl necklaces. They did not hit my partner thankfully. I have the t-strap mary janes...they're a bit rough to dance in. And I made a headband with a feather in it. I have a couple of simple pearl earrings I could wear too and the beaded false lashes.  Retrospective I should have measured between the layers of fringe with a ruler. It was all pretty thick on the hem but it did move nice.  I wore nylons instead of my usual shorts. This was nicer looking IMO.  The brooch I used on the belt flew off during practice. Had to tape it closed with a band-aide. 

 The design frenzy has settled down. The initial excitement wanes a bit as expected. But there is still more to think about. While I'm pleased with the potential ideas, there are a few things I should consider on a more logical and practical basis. For example, what's going to be the challenge in making this dress? How expensive do I think it will be? Is my production plan the best way to make this? When it comes to accessories, what will be great for dancing and what will get in the way or become an annoyance?  Current preferred Design Lets start with determining potential Accessories. Accessory Evaluation Going off my drawing, here are the accessories I might use:  Feathered Headband Stud Earrings Long Pearl Necklaces  Ornamented Necklace Black Gloves Gold bangle bracelets White Feather Boa Ornamented Belt/Sash T-strap Mary Jane Shoes A couple of non-negotiables include the shoes and at least one other Flapper staple such as the headband or pearls.  For dancin...

 I've had a sleep and some time to think on things and a few more ideas for the dress have crept in. So here's how day 2 is going.  First, I reviewed my previous day's results a few times. I did make some doodles but was not happy with my color scheme of red and black. It seemed too grim and again, too much like my current competition dress. (Which I finished by the way...here's what that looks like.) So things that bothered me were colors and cuts. While the styles of the 1920s go against every rule of dressing a pear shaped body, I decided that I wouldn't care...but I could "lessen" the effect with a few tricks.  For now I decided that the mesh-top with a heart shape would be best, but I'll put in a triangular cut-out to make a plunging V shape in the heart. I plan on using sequins to make lines on the bodice and making it a highly decorated top...which IS good for pears. The back line will be V-shaped as well.  During the night I peeked at some onli...

Just got good news that there is going to be a showcase this year at my dance school and it's going to be different than before! This time it's theme is a Murder Mystery in a 1920s Speakeasy. It's going to have a story to it so I'll be in-character after my dance number. (I've been craving a theatrical project. I'm going to have to brush up on my '20s slang.)  Right now, I'm plotting what to do with the character that I've chosen and how to design her costume. I thought this would be a fun example of developing a costume design as in the moment instead of in hindsight.  Character Description This is the character prompt I received from the organizer:  Polly Peppers - The flapper with a Dark Past. She dances and laughs like she hasn't a care in the world, but Polly's real story is darker than anyone knows. Is she hiding more than just a broken heart? So a few words stood out to me immediately: Flapper, Peppers, Laughter, Dark Past To be honest...

 I've been quiet because I am laser focused on making this dress on time. At this point I've finished the major sewing. I'm "tweaking" and getting ready to add the decoration.  Here were the pain points for this project:  Tailoring the pattern Inserting Godets Adding horsehair braid hem Inserting the neckline elastic It needs a zipper But I did learn a great deal. So, here's how these were addressed:  Adjusting a Pattern I do this more often than making my own pattern. However, I understand now the benefit of drafting my own based on a pattern block. Making or getting a leotard pattern block makes tailoring other patterns much easier. Since I'm narrow up top and wide below the belt, I tend to have two very different sizes. In this project, I was able to adjust the top using my dress form and pinning to take in the side seams. I didn't realize until later that I also needed to reduce the width of the front and back neckline. I was able to address this b...

My current project is making a new ballroom gown for a competition in March. My theme has been gothic rose as mentioned in a post I made a year or so ago.  Old design ideas  So as you can see there were a few considerations for this theme and a new dress. Now that I have a dress and have made a few costumes, I know what cuts I like. Some of the tailoring elements for the dress that I like are:  Godet Flared skirt Off the shoulder wide neckline Long sleeves The aesthetics/theme that I was aiming for were:  Gothic Colors Dark Roses So my first order of business was finding a pattern. I know...I could draft my own but I don't. I found something I liked from Just Dance Patterns .  Design 465 It has all the elements that I wanted. Off the shoulder neckline, godet skirt and long sleeves. I sent the pattern to a printer to get it printed on A0 paper...which is becoming a favorite thing for me to do now.  But obviously, I need to make the dress a bit of my own des...

There two things to consider when designing a dance costume:  Allow the dancer to move safely without interference Enhance the dancer's movement and body aka draw attention.  Let's discuss these considerations.  Movement Safety For a dance costume, you don't want the dancer's movement impeded or restricted by the costume. The style of dance (or the choreography) plays a role in the design. A dance costume for a dance that includes leaps and landings will have different design considerations for movement safety than a more deliberate, slow dance.  There are a few areas of focus for this on a dance costume: Feet/Legs (Hem), arms (Sleeves), and Torso (bodice). Hem This refers the the bottom edge of any skirt or pant leg.  A hem should allow for what I like to call "foot clearance". This is what I failed to realize with my earlier costumes for ballroom dance: the hem needed to be at my ankle or higher while in the high heels.   The style of shoe and the co...

 We have confirmation that I will be partaking in Smooth for the mini-match.  But I'm going to do the cost analysis for both because I'm feeling  both. Let's start with the current plan.  Modified Flame Dress  Base Dress = $115 Rit Dye Synthetic = ~$11 each (I need 2 Red and Orange) Metallic Spandex .25 Yard of Red = ~$4 Gold/Bronze = Owned $0 (or $4 each) Fire Opal Rhinestones = $5 - $6 Siam Red Rhinestones = $5 - $6 White Rhinestones = Owned $0 Fabric Spray Glue = $10 New Base Dress = $60 Red Elastic = $5  Alt: Found a dress in the color scheme and base design that I like for only $60 and free shipping.  Potential Total = $153 - $170 Alt Cost = $82  (This also negates the need for dye or red spandex) Work Time = 2 days (1 day dye and cutting fabric, 1 day applying applique and rhinestones) Supply Shipping = Dress, Stones, fabric glue, elastic 1 - 5 days Flame Dress (From Scratch) White Power Mesh 1 yard = $6 White Spandex 1 yards = $11 Red Spand...

 Shame on me for not posting sooner, but the Unicorn dance costume was a success! (A proper post-mortem will come later.)  However, I've decided to enter my first competition. Just a mini-match for now but I will need a dress for it. Which of course, is very exciting when it comes to "what should I wear?" I've been Pinning ideas for different dress shapes, colors and designs and maybe overwhelming myself. So, it's time to hit pause and layout some design considerations as well as practical ones. Let's start with practical.  Practical Considerations - Budget and Investment These are the pillars of practical decisions for costumes (and other creative things): Budget and Investment.  Budget = what you can spend/spare in terms of time, money, space, and energy. Basically it's what you have on hand already.  Investment = what you can put into a project in terms of time, money, space, and energy. It's more about capacity. My analogy of this is Investment is ...