Thursday, November 19, 2009

BE ITALIAN



NINE, this holiday season's soon to be blockbuster, boasts an all star cast that includes the likes of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Sophia Loren, and Marion Cotillard. Directed by Rob Marshall.



Watch the theatrical trailer now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_5_lzags3I

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Great Pattern Companies and Websites

My favorite costuming and pattern sites for historical and retro-patterns.

Ageless patterns – This site provides costume designers withAlign Center an array of beautiful patterns specializing in the late Victorian era; however, ALL of these patterns are extremely difficult and come with little or no instructions. People attempting to make any of these garments should be well versed in an array of sewing techniques and should first make all appropriate undergarments for each dress in order to give the finished product the proper look. These outfits are reconstructions of actual Victorian clothes and will not fit or drape well unless supported by corsets, bustles, petticoats, etc.




http://agelesspatterns.com/

Folk Wear- This is a great pattern company for novice to intermediate sewers. It provides the seamstress with a wide selection of different looks for not only different eras but also for different ethnicities. There’s even an entire section dedicated to early European garb! These garments also mesh well with the styles of today’s fashion and can be altered to be either a historically appropriate costume or a valuable garment in your wardrobe; however, they were not meant to be placed over period undergarments. Be aware that while you may get a relatively accurate historical look, it won’t be dead on.

http://folkwear.com/

Truly Victorian- This pattern company specializes in the Victorian era and has an array of easy to make, historically accurate clothes. They also supply costume designers with patterns for corsets, draws, chemises, petticoats, bustles, and corset covers! Easy to follow directions and good results!

http://trulyvictorian.com/

Past Patterns – ONE OF MY FAVORITE SITES! This company has a huge selection of patterns from a variety of different eras and comes complete with easy to follow, step-by-step directions!


http://pastpatterns.com/

Simplicity and McCall patterns-BE CAREFUL! For the most part, these companies produce inexpensive, easy to make garments but they aren’t always historically appropriate and can sometimes end-up looking like a costume instead of an article of clothing. Remember, the goal of costume designing is to make your costumes look like actual articles of clothing, not like things purchased in a Halloween costume store.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Single and Serious?

Two films featuring big names, similar trailer formats, and told in the same time period tell two vastly different stories.

The Coen brothers new dark comedy, “A Serious Man”, tells the story of a frustrated middle aged husband and father who must find peace with both his family and himself whereas Julianne Moore’s new drama, “A Single Man”, tells the story of an English professor’s struggle to carry on with his day-to-day life after the sudden death of his partner.

While both films share similar characteristics, they promise to be vastly different from one another in not only content matter but also narrative style.

Below are links to both trailers.
Notice the distinct parallel between the two previews (they both use quick, rapid shots with very little or no dialogue edited to a pulsating music track).

A Single Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eafJ4jvf-sY

A Serious Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcUTv3LH3ss

Thursday, November 5, 2009

I GOTS ME A JOB

So…today I finally decided to be productive.

Now, I know some of you must be cross with me due to my serious hiatus from the internet; however, I have a good excuse for it. In addition to my hectic school and work schedule I have recently landed a costuming job!

I will be the head costume designer for a short film based off of Frank Beddor’s beloved graphic novel series “Hatter M.” This project will take a good deal of my time and energy and I’m thoroughly looking forward to every second of it!

I don’t want to give away too much of what I plan to do but let me just say this: I’m thrilled at the prospect of meshing eras together. Beddor’s take on the enthralling world of Wonderland is unlike any other I’ve encountered. Various costumes from an array of different eras are going to be meshed together to give a new look to the world of Alice. Basically, picture a high court of Royalty gathered at a table dawning Tudor garb while the peasants of Wonderland roam the streets draped in Regency inspired gowns and so on and so forth.

I plan to have a few of my renderings viral within the next week or so… but we’ll see.

I’ve listed a few links concerning Beddor and his novels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqab6c6VHIk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9gcGQeHAwI