Modesty's Costume Closet

 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...

For me, a big challenge comes with picking a character or making one up because I have lots of fondness towards the characters. And I am not opposed to doing a bit of cross-over or reaching back into my high school art and making Sailor Virgo or some other original character design.  For the base costume, I am keeping closer to the Manga references or the Reboot for references. Every character has multiple versions depending on the series and powerups. I'm going to try and stick with first season basics/initial costume. First I'll go over characters I'm considering: (Images all made with the Sailor Senshi Maker ) Canon Characters Sailor Moon Sailor Mercury Sailor Venus Sailor Mars Sailor Jupiter Sailor Saturn Sailor Pluto Original Characters Sailor Virgo Sailor X Sailor Goro Crossover Characters Sailor Rarity Sailor Fluttershy Sailor Mitsuri Sailor Tanjiro Sailor Shinobu Sailor Kyojuro So 16 character ideas total. Time to evaluate and eliminate to determine which one I will...

 I bumped up the Polish blend kimono on my project schedule so I could have it done in time for the cultural festival at church. Then I realized the event was in May and not in March like I originally thought. Oh wells, better to get her done.  And while trying to get'er done, I started embroidering on my machine. My original plan was to embroider the patterns directly onto the fabric then sew it together.  That worked for the corner of the sleeves, but then I got to thinking, "perhaps it would be better to sew on some of the other designs after I put things together. After all, my hems tend to be a bit unpredictable in placement." After breaking 2 needles while embroidering the sleeves, I got to thinking again, "perhaps sewing on the finished garment is a bit risky. Going over a seam while embroidering will surely break a needle!" So maybe it would be better to sew on some of the designs as patches. A couple of the designs are very dense and would suit patches ...

I was revisiting some of my sketches for Goro's fox form that I made awhile ago.  The first image is the ideal look I want for the puppet except the front paws aren't quite right.  The correct vibe and anatomy. Wrong face, but correct front paws. The character concept for Goro is a dragon-blooded kitsune. This is why he has scales down his back and more dragon-like front paws. However, I must consider how to make this in puppet form! There are few things these front paws need to do:  Support the puppet by hooking into my clothes with claws Have a bit of weight to hold it in place Keep a round, finger paw shape Support the wire frame and remain posable Method 1: Sewing The easiest method would be to simply sew and stuff the paws more like a lizard or frog. This would give them the correct shape. The downside is that squishy front paws won't "hook" onto my clothes as easily because stuffing deforms. Even if the claw portions are a hardened material, it won't dis...

 I'm going to share a bit of my process for making decisions. Lately, I have been assailed by indecisiveness and fretting about costume colors. So, I've sat myself down and did some practical things to help make these decisions.  Requirements This will require visual aides so either use a drawing that you will trace and color in or scan in a drawing to manipulate on art software. I use Photoshop but you can use any program that lets you dump colors and change layers.  Process Brainstorm :  Find inspiration based on costume themes or favorite colors or common color compliments for clothes or traditional cultural colors.  Create a cookie cutter template where you can place the colors generally where they need. If you are doing this physically, make sure the linework is bolded so you can retrace and try other colors.  Look at them all side-by-side.  Eliminate first by 'feeling'. "I'm not crazy about this combo." "Not my vibe." "Just not into it...

 The production of this costume has been as elusive as a unicorn. In part because I've put some kind of extra pressure on myself to have a certain look for my dance. So, hopefully, writing this will help me nail down some of my indecision. (Spoilers: It does!) Source Inspiration The theme of the dance is Night at the Movies, and I picked "The Last Unicorn". I will be dancing a rumba to the opening theme. I knew I was going to be "the unicorn" and my partner will be another character. (I'm hoping the red bull.)  Design Considerations In any costume design there's both a practical and aesthetic consideration.  Dance Costume Considerations Because I will be dancing with a partner, I need to make sure that my garment is out of our feet's way, I can move my arms and legs freely, and I don't have any costume malfunctions. So the major points of consideration are:  - hem length: I want to avoid catching the hem on my heel or have my partner trod upon a ...

Part of designing costumes is finding a way to pick from many solutions. Limiting these choices can be the art of design.  I have some of my own "Guiding Principles" or Design Principles when it comes to costume design. Some of these constraints are based on non-mutable factors. (Or currently difficult to change.) The fun ones are a bit on the arbitrary side. These are self-imposed limitations for the costume that as a designer I decide to apply to any given costume.  The point of these principles is to help you make a final decision if you are paralyzed by many choices. I may get hung up on some pretty silly things, so at the very least, this helps me move forward and kind of imply that I had a plan all along.  Immutable Design Principles We might run into some touchy subjects here but whatever, here we go! Immutable principles are either constraints your life situation has you in at any given time or core beliefs about what you wear. This can mean things like religious ...