News From the Costuming World

I decided to take a look around today to see what was going on in the world of costuming and get out of my own head. It's really important to get a fresh perspective now and then so I don't get stuck in a downward spiral that tightens on itself until it strangles my creativity like a rapacious anaconda (*sparks random thought* "Oooh, snake print brocade would make a cool corset fabric!" See what I mean about new paths and creativity???)

This leather, dragon-scale waist cincher isn't exactly what I pictured, but is super cool. I found it through google images, then tracked it back through pinterest to Etsy. So many links, whew!

Now, where was I? Oh yeah...costume news.

Has Nerd Chic jumped the shark?
Whenever a fringe concept gets noticed by a super main-stream source, its future shelf-life is suspect. Well, the Huff is now reporting on The Big Bang Theory costumes as well as other trends at San Diego's costume con! I love that show and would be tempted to go to Comic-con to see Nathan Fillion.

Maybe The Huff is just that savvy that they could spot the Geek Chic trend before it was over??? *dubious*

Note: I've only been to 2 cons in my life, Lunacon and Syndicon. I don't remember much from Lunacon, but the Syndicon I went to featured Forever Knight and Highlander. I got >this close< to the astounding hotness that is Adrian Paul *swoon*. That man is way hotter in person than on TV, and THAT'S saying something!

(thanks to wikia for this pic)


*swoooooooooooooooooooooooooooon* Huh? Wha? Oh yeah. Costumes.

Obituary
OK, so the next bit of news is a little sad. The costuming world has had a death in the family. Sunday, June 8 2012, theatre and SF Ballet costumer Martin Pakledinaz passed away, apparently after a long illness. I'm not sure what production the following image is from, but it's Elizabethanesque (the flattened skirt silhouette is more 1789 than 1589), which is always enjoyed on this blog for its elegance and prolific use of embellishments.

MJ & Cirque du Soleil?!?!
The next article that I want to talk about may spark a little controversy, and that's ok. I just ask that you be polite about it. Now, regardless of what you think of Michael Jackson the person (my opinion is another blog altogether), there is no denying the talent he possessed. Cirque du Soleil is clearly equally impressed by his talent, as they have designed an entire show around his legacy, entitled "Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour". This article talks about the costumes for the show which take up 3 trucks in the show's caravan!

Thanks go to cleveland.com for this pic.


Arachna-phabric!
And lastly, for those of you who haven't already heard of the project that earns my just-coined prize for "Best Timed Press Release" (so named because it coincides cleverly with the release of the new Spider Man movie), here is a really fascinating article and video about a group that wanted to see what would happen if they wove spider silk into fabric. All I can say about it is ubuh, ubuh, ubuh....the video shows the team that came up with this remarkable idea and the project in-process. Here are some pictures to enjoy which I take no credit for (I have attached a source link to each picture from where I found it):

I think I would have preferred a different kind of garment, but there is no denying the mastery in this project.

I think I would have made a Chanel-style suit out of the resulting fabric...maybe a wall tapestry, so it could NEVER be ruined by the drycleaners!

That's all the news for now. Thanks for coming by to visit. Hopefully I will have a camera again soon and can share more pictures of my own progress.

Happy costuming!