"It's only a flesh wound...

...I'm not dead yet!"
Still here, still costuming, though I've been feeling decidedly detached from life in general lately. Since I'm 99% sure that nobody from my current job knows the URL for this blog, or even knows that I make costumes in my spare time, I think I can say here that it feels like work has been gorging itself on heaps of my time lately, even though I know I don't work that many hours a week. This job is so far removed from my ultimate goals in life in just about every way, I don't think it's a huge secret that, although I do the best work that I possibly can while I'm there because I was raised (by karate) with the mindset that slacking off should be physically impossible, I'm only there because it pays for my vocal lessons and a bit of fabric and nice togs on the side. 


But back A good friend of mine just sent me (cross-country!) some lovely green fabric with gold stripes. I think it's acetate, but it looks like jacquard, which makes it the perfect candidate for:

My first corset! I need to purchase the fancy bit of machinery that puts in eyelets for you, but I think I know where to find it. Aside from the eyelets and lacing (also easy to obtain), I have everything I need. Main fabric, check; lining/reversible main fabric, check; leftover interfacing from frock coat, check. Oh, duh, I just remembered (silly, forgetful me) that corsets need boning as well. I'm going for the tried-and-true modern whalebone substitute: thick cable ties. I hope the interfacing I have is thick enough to hold its shape with the "bones" in, but if it's not, at least I won't be wasting any expensive fabrics. I do hope it stays together, though. I love the way the striped fabric looks even when I can only see the different cutout pattern pieces lying flat together on the cutting board.

And a quick room design update: 

As  I keep adding things to the room, more pictures of things will be added to the blog. I desperately want to paint soon, hopefully I'll be up for that once the AC is fixed. 
(Painting + 90-degree weather = not the good)

All that glitters...

...Is table lamps and shoes.
Or is it "are table lamps and shoes"? Either way, I have a pair of both in wonderful gold hues, and they do wonders for my room designing and costuming efforts, respectively.


A few days ago I schlepped a few items into a huge furniture consignment warehouse that just opened a few blocks from my home, and I plan to schlep a few more as soon as I can. From the same warehouse I purchased a vintage brass tea cart that I'd been eyeing since Thursday, and yesterday I spent a good 3+ hours polishing it. It looks gorgeous, but with some particularly stubborn tarnish that I think gives it character. Everything seemed to fall into place yesterday; I had been thinking about getting some new lighting for my room and, walking home from work, I found a pair of table lamps sitting by the curb as if they had stepped out of their previous home promptly at 8:30 to wait for me to walk by. They're a simple, elegant shape, and seem to be hollow metal that almost matches the tea cart in color. Sitting with them were shades that can easily be re-covered to match my design. I don't know yet if the wiring works, but if not it should be easy enough to replace. Hooray for street treasure!

And remember my shoe-covering efforts? 

Well, now I have a perfectly good excuse reason to abandon that effort, at least for now. From a thrift store in the city that was serendipitously holding a 50% off sale when I happened in, I found an absolutely gorgeous pair of gold brocade shoes in a very interesting style that looks like a variation of fancy 18th century shoes.

(They look a bit whiter in the photo than they actually are, but you can see the pattern really well here.)

I think I'll be able to wear them when I sing in the NJAVO chorus in October, depending on what the rest of my costume is. I shouldn't need an excuse to wear them, and believe me I'd love to have them on my feet every single day, but New York transit system and exhaust dirt would all too quickly change the beautiful gold to the ubiquitous grimy city brownish-sludgey color. Urk. So, they'll sit under my "mannequin" for a while.

Until I can secure a French Baroque estate for myself, this will have to do.

I have a flair for opulent, French Baroque-type interior design, with a color palette taken partly from that period but mostly from my continued, semi-subconscious favoring of modern goth style. When we moved into my current house, I was given the larger of the two non-master bedrooms. It's a plus for space, and at least it isn't covered with obnoxiously 80's wallpaper, but I swear my room has the worst carpet in the house.

See for yourself here, see also the rolls of fancy paper which I plan to turn into elegant wall art and possibly use to wrap around and cover things like frustratingly modern pencil cases.

Within the last 2 years or so my style has shifted drastically from modern (bold colors, simple shapes) to baroque/Victorian/1700s (jewel tones, flowing lines, and ubiquitous floral patterns), which is why this vintage tea cart I found at a vintage furniture consignment warehouse is holding my jewellery in things from the Container Store.

Did I mention that the walls in my room are stark white? That makes them easy to paint over, but horribly boring until I do. Here's a dramatic sample I painted behind one of my Venetian carnival masks. I'm hoping it will go on more evenly, and perhaps even look a bit darker, once I start on the real paint job using a roller.

Little pillows I bought from Ikea years ago, during my first, modern redecoration. I used scraps of old curtain fabric from the living room, which had a custom made set of gorgeous, sweeping drapes until my roommates got to them and decided they collected too much dust. I might try to make drapes for my window out of the remaining fabric, once I finish the other major things I have to get done in the space.

(Also, that tiny cube in blue floral fabric was once one of a set of fuzzy foam dashboard dice I bought on a whim - why waste the foam? The other die awaits re-covering.)

Fancy frame that I previously found way too feminine, but now fits my style very well. Nothing wrong with a bit of femininity.

You may note that in the frame is a photo from Forbes Life magazine of a few months ago.

It's a peach frock coat by Sete-Cento, an Italian couturier. Just by looking at the name you should have some idea of how much I love this company. I didn't find this image until I'd already started on my frock coat, but from now on I'll use this style of design as my inspiration.

This was supposed to be about interior design, but I can't stop my mind wandering back to costuming. I want to make a pair of stays or corset next, either in plain linen or with an outer covering of green fake-shantung leftover from my frock coat. Another idea I'm longing to get to before the summer is over is an odd mix of frock coat, jacket, and light summer dress in a white cotton knit that would keep me cool in the summer while staying true to my oddly nostalgic fashion sense. More on all of this when life allows.