The Piecing Process: No. 2 - Ruby Rag Doll

My current temp job is categorized as “data entry” but the job description is really more along the lines of “stare at the wall for seven hours because we don’t have the forms in yet for you to enter.” It’s pretty mind-numbing. That’s why it’s really nice to get out of work, crack open the Cherry Coke, and start stitching.

So…progress? Yes. There has been progress on the project at hand. I’m somewhat loathe to post progress pictures because not everything has been worked out and the edges are still raw…but the point of this is the process, so I can’t not document the less glamorous stages.



The bodice needs a bit of help yet. That cinching problem needs to be fixed or masked. I’ll probably end up doing something in black ribbon…but that involves finding some black ribbon. I’m also probably going to be needing to add shoulder straps to this thing...or some other means of holding it up.

I'm using a more industrial zipper than the average cocktail dress might have. I think the hardware adds something to the look of the thing, and since I'm highlighting the seams, why not bring out the zipper?



I will say that I’m pretty satisfied with how this is working out so far. I’m using a couple of unconventional methods here, including laying out pattern pieces and cutting on my lap (instead of a flat surface), guesstimation, and completely ignoring every bias ever. I think I can get away with ignoring the bias because the material is so thick and doesn’t really flow. This project would not result in good things if it involved chiffon. However, because I’m using a heavy fabric that doesn’t really drape too much one way or the other and because the chunks of fabric are small enough that they don’t have the chance to flutter or flow or go wild, I think we’ll be ok. The skirt is flowing decently, and that’s the big indicator.



I haven’t entirely decided how to hem this thing yet. I was noticing a certain effect achieved by putting a solid strip of fabric along the bottom, but I’m not sure it’s the effect that I want for this particular project (though it’s been duly noted for the future). I want it “raggedy” yet stable. I’m more concerned about stability. I’m trying to keep my edges uneven, with a shorter skirt in the front and longer in the back. Under the skirt I’m inserting almost a petticoat of black tulle, so that ought to add a bit more oomph.

Opulent Opportunism: An Introduction to No. 2 - Ruby Rag Doll

Wonder of wonders, I’ve actually started working on a dress. A planned dress. Remember the Ruby Rag Doll that started off as No. 3 and then got bumped to No. 2? Yup, so that’s what’s up.

So far I’ve actually accomplished the bodice of the dress. I’m still working out a few kinks in it, but for the most part it’s actually looking pretty good. The really scary thing about this one is that I’m basing off a pattern that I’ve never actually used before (seeing as how I can’t find the pattern I prefer to use as a basis) so I’m not exactly sure how well it will turn out in the end. I’ve already run into a little bit of trouble in the bust since I tried to get around the cinching they have patterned in, but instead ended up with a slightly awkward lump where the cinching should be. I think I’ve got a way to fix it and mask it…but we’ll get to that.

Let’s start at the beginning: the inspiration.

You’ve all seen the rough sketch for this (under the above link), so I wont repeat that. I’ll elaborate on the inspiration a bit more and the concept.

There are two sources of inspiration, really. The first is one of my all-time favorite costume pieces: the scarlet dragon robe from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I love the material, I love the look, and I’m distressed that there’s really no great picture of it on Google images. The vibrancy isn’t really done justice in any of these screen caps, and unfortunately there’s no good overhead shot of it…because this thing extends to crazy lengths. I’ve actually heard it called the Romanian Wedding Dress by some fellow Dracula fanatics. And I’m so dedicated to doing this thing proper justice that I even went to YouTube to look for a clip of it in action…but tragically it looks as if any clip that might involve it might also entail listening to a terrible angst-ridden emo love song, so I’ll spare us all that misery…oh, someone’s dedicated their life to putting the entire movie in parts up on YouTube. Here's a tiny snippet.





If you love costumes and visual awesome, it’s well worth the two hours. And there’s the added bonus of Keanu Reeves as the world’s most unperturbed Jonathan Harker and a graphic vampire bride encounter that will be parodied until the end of time. Netflix it.

Anyway, the point is that the color and sheen play a huge role in this project. I’m also looking to achieve that strange degree of elegance. The robe doesn’t have what I’d call a conventional elegance, as it drags behind him as he sort of slithers about with his shadow, but there’s something weirdly fluid about it as it slides heavily, yet handsomely.

The second source of inspiration for this number is from one of my all-time favorite movies. This one I’ve loved since I was a small child and will continue to love for as long as I live: The Nightmare Before Christmas. The method of assembly for this dress is based on Sally and her whole…vibe.




I love the piecing in her dress (and the piecing of her) and am looking to emulate that. What stands out to me is how it seems as though she really pulled her dress together by using little scraps and making what she could out of what she had…which is also the challenge behind making a Frankenstein-type creature, or so I’m told. That’s the driving force behind this project, actually…using what I’ve got to get a result.

Also, while she’s a bit more delicate than Dracula, her hair sort of moves in the same way as Dracula’s robe train. Yes, her hair is made out of clay…but still, it’s the same principle of motion in a sense.

So, the concept here is I have a ton of this brocade which is cut into a bunch of pieces that are not necessarily conducive to making a regular dress from a regular pattern without massive amounts of piecing. So instead of going to lengths to hide the seams, I’m going to bring them out and really make them central to the dress. The idea is to combine the elegance and richness of Chinese brocade with utility and practicality. Hopefully the two will work well together and make something notable. And so far I’m liking my results…here's a preview:




Tomorrow we tackle the skirt...

No. 5 - An Homage to the Cape

I remember when standard Undead attire was the high-necked red and black opera cape; the sort that Bela Lugosi made infamous in 1931 for his screen portrayal of Dracula which has lived on, keeping the opera cape industry afloat during the Halloween rush long after wearing a cape in public to anywhere but a costume party was considered socially acceptable.



Originally the bat-like opera cape was chosen for costume-effects purposes. The high black neck made it easier for the actor playing the vampire to disappear down a trap door. It's fitting that the cape would be associated with Dracula, since Bram Stoker wrote the book intending it to be adapted into a play. He was Sir Henry Irving's manager at the time and hoped that Irving would play the part of the vampire. Irving allegedly read the book and dismissed it, claiming that it would soon be forgotten. Well, it certainly hasn't yet...nor has the cape, which resurfaces now and again, from the blatant black-and-red of the Hammer Films starring Christopher Lee:



...to the more subtle rendition worn by Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows:



That's not to say that the vampire is confined to the good old black and red, or even the cape. In 1992, Eiko Ishioka famously clad Gary Oldman in a red dragon robe and a powder blue suit, among countless other stunning pieces featured in Bram Stoker's Dracula:



In 1994, Sandy Powell went in a different direction with Tom Cruise as Lestat and combined historical with rock-hard glamor, including a swallowtail coat with spangled pineapples and a simple yet lovely violet ensemble to pop the trademark eyes and hair. The silk, velvet and sequins combined with candlelight makes for a combination nothing short of beautiful:



But there has been a sort of revolution in recent years. Around 1997 Joss Whedon introduced his far-famed television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which featured among its characters a vampire named Angel. Unlike Dracula or Interview, this series took place in the modern day, thus necessitating that its characters, including any vampires expected to wander through teenage night club hot spots unnoticed, wear clothing from the 1990s...with perhaps a hint of justaucorps here and there to drive the point home. And so, at some point, the costume crew came up with this look for Angel, which is fairly standard throughout the series:



I'm sure that crew had no idea that they were laying down the standard for the modern-day teen vampire. Apparently that style would become the new black and red cape for the vampire who hangs around with high school students. We've moved to gelled-up hair and a rather plain ensemble. Gone are the glory days of the Scarlet Dragon Robe and the Spangled Pineapple Swallowtail. Behold, Edward Cullen:



To my (amateur) eye, these two outfits are...rather same-like, bland and not really comparable to those wistful days of yore. I was unaware that Angel and Edward were twins. I guess both of them shop at Banana Republic and H&M. Together. I get the impression from these photos that the designer for Twilight saw the renderings for Buffy, snatched them up, made a photocopy, and added a do-hickey to the collar of the coat. Other than that, the hairstyle, the outfit, even the face shape (before David Boreanaz beefed up) are very much the same. So I suppose this answers the enduring question, "Where did they rip this new teen sensation off from?" Was the designer too busy doing something else, thus leading him or her to forget that there was a design meeting in about twenty minutes and necessitating the use of the photocopy machine? Was there some sort of budget cut on the set, thus making it so that they had to raid the Buffy storage closet to create a wardrobe for this guy? Or is this simply the product of un-creativity and the need to avoid risk by sticking with the completely familiar? After all, the main fan-base of this movie was what...7 when Buffy ended? Why would they recognize any of this?

(For the record, I'm going with the uncreative, studio churn-out explanation.)

Even the future-set Daybreakers, a shout out to several landmark vampire flicks, managed to make their crowd interesting in a subtle way. There's a hint of gentility and sleekness present without going so far as to actually flip up any collars or show any fangs.



Sure, the black-and-red is a bit overdone and corny at this stage in the game. However, before it is smothered completely by the underwhelming look, and before the vampire genre loses its visual trump card thanks to this Twilight drivel, I propose a toast to the Bela cape in the form of a cocktail dress.



Why yes, that would be pen and nail polish...no paints in the new apartment, yet.