Piecing it Together

Planning is the first and most integral step to doing a unique first costume. And surprisingly enough, one of the most important aspects of planning is keeping the process dynamic, for a couple of reasons. Having a generalized plan to start with shouldn't contain too many details until you get further into your planning process. Part of the planning process involves both having an idea of how you'll accomplish each part of the costume creation, but also being open to changing the material and execution depending on changing circumstances. As a result, proper planning includes initial and refined research, contingencies, trial and error, and the possibility of "nailing it". I personally like to get hands on pretty quick once I have something executable in mind... this is not always the best course of action, and often times I find myself in need of what I've heard referred to as "tactical patience". This "patience" resulting from inaction on...

It would be a dream come true for me if frock coats once again permeated fashion. To be honest I've always found standard popular men's fashion to be quite boring (depressed, in fact, at the scant selection I found at most stores when trying to find something nice for my man) and always lauded what I gather many find to be outrageous - anything beyond a department store shirt and tight pants. Kudos to enthusiasts who have made stylized hoodies and such with more to them than a color. And kudos to the more adventurous; it is such a pleasure to just walk around and see a dynamic ensemble. Maybe that's why I love fairs... One of my many ambitions is to bring the fuller frock coats back into a modern world, and hopefully in many different ways: from bridal to period to daily grind. I've seen (and own) renditions of period frocks made by modern popular labels, and it's here and there. But largely the pieces have just enough over-the-top about them that it preclu...

Starting making pirate costumes was an accident. I had streamlined my social media to include mostly arts, crafts, and culture groups, allowing me to see and share what was beautiful about what people were doing with their lives. Six or eight years ago, most of what people were beginning to see on social media at the time were people venting about spats and memes and questionable articles that didn't exactly foster much camaraderie. Many of my friends participated in internal posting movements to bring the sharing of art and comedy back into our daily exposure stream, and I did my part by sharing what my groups were posting that made my day better and not worse. One of those groups allowed persons looking for help or suggestions about costuming, and I answered the call of someone looking to help their friend make their first pirate costume - their first costume of any kind ever. I offered to help. I had not previously gotten into the Baroque or later eras of period garb, but I ...