Costuming for Nerds, Part 12
Oct. 11th, 2016 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matril2014! If I can get in one more entry of this before Halloween, I'll be able to proceed at a nice leisurely pace of one post per year. ;)
This was the year that Mark decided to bring back his Darth Maul costume. After thirteen years, many of the original components had disappeared or been modified for use in other costumes, so we needed to get a new bald cap, cloak, lightsaber and gloves. But the key component, Mark's ability to paint the face tattoos, would be enough to ensure an awesome costume whatever the other details.
So I wanted to do something equally impressive. My handmaiden cloak just didn't seem enough this time. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could pull off one of Queen Amidala's intricate outfits? It just didn't seem possible. Without much hope, I browsed the Internet for suggestions, and found a tutorial for her purple traveling gown (worn on her return to Naboo from Coruscant, also at Qui-Gon's funeral) that intrigued me. Hmm. This actually seemed kind of workable. Find a long dark purple formal dress at a thrift store, then make some kind of overdress...the headdress is mostly a veil with two hanging pieces....hmm.
I gave it a try.
Looking at it with a perfectionist's scrutiny, I would change a lot. The fabric I chose for the headdress is far too pale. I should have stitched the black edging in a tighter pattern, and draped the veil more smoothly. And that exposed neck is completely wrong; I should have made a high collar....Well, anyway. It's still probably more impressive than any other costume I've done. If I'm ever able to attend a fan convention, some far-off future day, I could wear this with just a few modifications and feel moderately proud of my work. And Mark and I made a very striking pair.
Meanwhile, Emma and Ryan decided they wanted to be characters from Wreck-it Ralph, so we made Luke part of the theme as well. Emma was Vanellope - we found her a green jacket and colorful tights and I made her a brown skirt. Ryan was Fix-it Felix - with a collared blue shirt and pants, all I had to do was stitch the letters on the cap and wrap gold duct tape (the same I used for my headdress) around a hammer. And Luke was Ralph himself, with an orange shirt and overalls hanging by a single strap. I'm not sure how many people actually recognized their characters, but it was fun to work with a common theme.
And now just one more year to cover before the upcoming Halloween....
This was the year that Mark decided to bring back his Darth Maul costume. After thirteen years, many of the original components had disappeared or been modified for use in other costumes, so we needed to get a new bald cap, cloak, lightsaber and gloves. But the key component, Mark's ability to paint the face tattoos, would be enough to ensure an awesome costume whatever the other details.
So I wanted to do something equally impressive. My handmaiden cloak just didn't seem enough this time. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could pull off one of Queen Amidala's intricate outfits? It just didn't seem possible. Without much hope, I browsed the Internet for suggestions, and found a tutorial for her purple traveling gown (worn on her return to Naboo from Coruscant, also at Qui-Gon's funeral) that intrigued me. Hmm. This actually seemed kind of workable. Find a long dark purple formal dress at a thrift store, then make some kind of overdress...the headdress is mostly a veil with two hanging pieces....hmm.
I gave it a try.
Looking at it with a perfectionist's scrutiny, I would change a lot. The fabric I chose for the headdress is far too pale. I should have stitched the black edging in a tighter pattern, and draped the veil more smoothly. And that exposed neck is completely wrong; I should have made a high collar....Well, anyway. It's still probably more impressive than any other costume I've done. If I'm ever able to attend a fan convention, some far-off future day, I could wear this with just a few modifications and feel moderately proud of my work. And Mark and I made a very striking pair.
Meanwhile, Emma and Ryan decided they wanted to be characters from Wreck-it Ralph, so we made Luke part of the theme as well. Emma was Vanellope - we found her a green jacket and colorful tights and I made her a brown skirt. Ryan was Fix-it Felix - with a collared blue shirt and pants, all I had to do was stitch the letters on the cap and wrap gold duct tape (the same I used for my headdress) around a hammer. And Luke was Ralph himself, with an orange shirt and overalls hanging by a single strap. I'm not sure how many people actually recognized their characters, but it was fun to work with a common theme.
And now just one more year to cover before the upcoming Halloween....
