Major work

During my final year of study in Costume Construction I get a budget of $200 NZD to design and make my major work. I have decided to make a mid 18th century women's dress... yes that's right a huge frock out of 200 dollars... mmm.

It really all started with my very girly dreams of being Cinderella aged 5 and then going to vast stately homes in the UK and seeing portraits of women in very beautiful dresses cemented my love for Rococo. Then last year researching I read Dress in Eighteenth-Century Europe 1715-1789 by Aileen Riberio (which is amazing, but at 220 USD is on my wish list indefinitely) and saw this portrait of the Marqise de Lamure, 1745.


What an amazing outfit! I am also using other pictures for reference, especially portraits of Madame de Pompadour, the portrait below being my favorite.


This project will take me until September to complete along with my other modules. So if you happen to find 15 metres of sumptuous silk for 120 NZD dollars of less in a Rococo period colour please give me a shout :)

My course is taking up a lot of my time now that summer is over but I still will be refashioning, op-shoping, sewing and my dualthon is only 6 weeks, you can't say I don't like a challenge.

xx

Bad blogger...

My oh my, I have not made a blog entry for over a week. I am new to blogging but I would say that may be against the rules, or not quite cricket.

Below is the 1980's dress that I refashioned... I bought it in a store in Brisbane in 2006 when I was still a travelling bum and bit by bit it has been transformed. You can read more about it over on Wardrobe Refashion, lets just say it was not very flattering with its mono-boob boat neck and bloused elastic waist.


It kinda got me thinking about some of the things I wore in the 1980's and how much of that is in fashion right now. Like leggings or footless tights under skirts (keep them for the gym I say, however I did own a pair of pink legwarmers, so really I can't comment), plastic shoes (we called them jellies), huge t'shirts and neon!

Next I am expecting grunge to reappear, now that would make me feel old :)

xx

Cabaret

Well I have been a little lazy! I went back to study on Wednesday and we have been straight back to it, pattern drafting away for our corsetry and undergarments module. I am making 18th century Pocket Hoops, corset and chemise.

So along with lazy I have been busy :)

Last year in our pattern drafting course we made patterns for 1940's dresses. Then we made the dress for one of the actresses performing in the cabaret. My dress is above. I never got photo's last year but now they are on display, so I snapped away.

I am refashioning an 80's style dress, you know the lovely bloused at the waist with elastic ones (yueech), so I will post photos soon.

x

Costumers are go!

Over on Threadbanger they have a episode in Parsons Costume Shop in New York. I found it an interesting peek into the making of costumes for Broadway.