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Bellatrix LeStrange
This costume is a recreation of the one worn by Helena Bonham Carter in her role as Bellatrix LeStrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My client requested that the costume should be accurate to the original, except that she didn’t want it to be distressed like the one in the movie. The dress is made of translucent crepe over a knit under dress. I hand-stamped all of the silver paint details in two shades of silver textile paint. The stamping process took me just as long as the actual construction of the dress, but I was very pleased with how it turned out. The corset is made from black leather, and lined with canvas. Unfortunately, this costume was only shown in the movie for about 45 seconds!
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Bridal Cloak
I was commissioned to make this cloak for a winter wedding. It features faux fur trim and a detachable hood. It is made of crepe with a satin liner. It reaches the floor in the front, and has a flowing train in the back. The bride planned to wear it down the aisle, so I felt it had to match her beautiful dress in quality. She used the cloak without the hood while wearing her veil, and then attached the hood for pictures outdoors. This cloak was created as a set with the bridal muff also in this gallery.
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Bridal Muff
This muff matches the bridal cloak also in this gallery. It is made of faux mink fur in an ivory color, and lined with satin. The bride chose a hand strap instead of a neck string because she felt it would be too difficult to lift something over her head with her veil and tiara.
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Bridesmaid Cape
This bridesmaid cape is one of six that I made for a winter wedding. It is made from the same fabric as the bridesmaids’ dresses, which the bride special-ordered from her bridal shop. The outer fabric is bridal satin, and the liner is crepe-backed satin. My client requested the tapered shape for a unique look.
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Bridesmaid Muff
This muff is one of six that I made to match the bridesmaids’ capes, which are also in this gallery. It is made from bridal satin and lined with crepe-backed satin. I segmented the muff with cording to add extra flare, and also to help it match the shape of the bride’s muff.
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Elizabeth Dress
This dress is a recreation of one of the dresses worn by Cate Blanchett in the movie Elizabeth. The dress is made from dupioni silk, with a paprika-colored taffeta underskirt (not shown) and organza oversleeves. The undersleeves are made from batiste. My client chose the fabrics and colors and requested that I make the bodice from silk instead of velvet, which the dress in the movie had. The bodice is fully boned in front and back, and partially boned on the sides. It laces up on the side-back seams for a unique look. The sheer partlet is detachable. The overskirt has a short train, and can be tied up into a bustle for dancing. The dupioni silk sash is hand stitched, and detachable. It snaps onto the back of the bodice, and then ties around the front of the dress with satin cords. When the sash is not worn, a small decorative silk flap fits into its place to cover the snaps.
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Heralds of Valdemar
These costumes are based on the one worn by Vanyel Ashkevron on the covers of Mercedes Lackey’s “Last Herald-Mage” series. My best friend and I are huge fans of the series, so I made these costumes for us to wear at an autumn Renaissance Faire. The jerkins are made of silk, lined with cotton, and interlined with needle-punched cotton for warmth. The shirts are cotton, and the breeches are suedecloth. The belt buckles were hand-sculpted, and then cast in resin and painted. The cloaks are suedecloth lined with flannel, and interlined with heavy wool for warmth. We had so much fun in these costumes- people were attracted to them because they were so bright! It was funny hearing people guess as to what we were supposed to be, and a few fans actually recognized us! The only downside with a costume like this is the constant struggle to keep it from getting dirty… In the near future, I plan on recreating these costumes in leather for more durability, and also I plan on making us thigh-high boot spats to wear over our lower white boots.
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Renaissance Rose Girl
This costume was created for a lady who sold roses at my local Renaissance faire. She requested the color scheme, and asked that I create an outfit within the acceptable rules for Faire working attire. The shirt is made of textured cotton, and had an elastic neckline so it can be worn at different levels of modesty. The underskirt is a cotton blend herringbone weave, and the overskirt is a textured cotton blend. I created the different tiers of the overskirt to represent the leaves on a rose. The bodice is made of a textured green denim, and finished with cotton bias tape. The tabs on the bodice serve two purposes- they help cover the gap between the skirt and the shirt that often occurs with period clothing, and they make the bodice more comfortable by preventing it from digging into the waist. The hat is made from the same herringbone fabric as the underskirt, and lined with satin.
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Fantasy Pageboy
This costume was quite a challenge in design for me, since it was for a faerie-themed fantasy costume party, but the wearer didn’t want to dress as a faerie. We finally decided he should dress as a sort of upper-class servant character. The coat is made of dark blue upholstery fabric, with cuffs and appliqué work of a decorative tapestry fabric. The puffy shoulders have an inset panel of the tapestry fabric. It is lined with mustard yellow cotton. I couldn’t find frog clasps that I thought were appropriate for this costume, so I made the ones on the front of the coat from gold cording. The shirt is made from cotton broadcloth, and has a jabot, which buttons behind the neck. The breeches are made from a woven chenille upholstery fabric, and fasten in front with a square flap closure.
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Knight of Malta
This client sent me reference pictures of a statue that he liked, and asked me to recreate the statue’s costume for him with a few changes. The surcoat has ¾ length sleeves, side slits, and a detachable cloak. It is made of eggshell colored linen and lined with heavy weight crinkle cotton. It is trimmed in red cotton bias tape to match the Maltese cross appliqués on the front and back. The cloak is made of crinkle cotton and lined with cotton broadcloth. It has a white Maltese cross appliqué made of linen. The cloak buttons onto the surcoat at the shoulders. The pants are made of linen, and lace at the calves. I also made leather bracers to match this costume, which are also in this gallery.
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Maltese Cross Bracers
These bracers were created to match the Knight of Malta costume in this gallery. They are made from leather, and hand-tooled and dyed. I applied an antiquing stain to the leather after dying them to darken the recessed areas, and then finished them with a glossy leather sealer.
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Pirate Hats
I have made a number of these hats, but these are the only ones I have pictures of. These two were created to match the gold and blue pirate costumes in this gallery. The green hat is made of wool felt, and trimmed with a wide woven trim to match the gold in the jacquard of the coat. The blue hat is made of the same jacquard as its matching coat. Both hats are lined with satin.