Scavenging for Anatevka

In an attempt to reduce our workload when it comes to sewing costumes from scratch for our dancing villagers, I have been visiting the Give and Take center on campus to find some clothes that fit into our costumes criteria.

A couple of visits have been fruitless, but during the Thanksgiving break I was finally able to find some things that I believe will or could be very useful to us. We have been talking a lot about our color palette being based on earthen tones so I have been sticking to that concept.

 I have also been on the lookout for floral designs that look tacky and give that peculiar Anatevka look. So far I have found some blouses and long dresses that I feel go well with some other pieces we are already incorporating in our wardrobe. I think that some of the dresses that have short or no sleeves could be turned into a skirt. I am not expert in the matter, but I would assume doing that would be less work than making a whole skirt from scratch.

So far I am afraid most of the things I have managed to find are for women, but I am sure I can get something for our male characters too once we talk more about what we want for them. Along with the clothes I was able to get a couple of accessories (scarfs) for our cast. I also found a box there that is full of sewing patterns. Some of them would definitely not be helpful for the play. For the time being I grabbed only one that is for making skirts and long sleeve dresses.

Lab: Where all the magic happens!

I loved lab this week!
I took on the assignment of making the matchmaker's simple elastic waist skirt. And though the project is not yet finished, I am loving the process. It's certainly not the first skirt I've ever made, but there was something so special about taking someone's measurements, understanding how to apply them in the construction of their clothing, and then creating it! Typically when I make clothing, I take a shirt or skirt that I know fits me and then using it as an outline, trace the generalized structure onto the fabric and begin to attempt replicating the piece. However this time, I was able to take measurements and make something exact and precise to the person who will wear it.
I was so grateful to be in lab with both Carly and Kierrah because we were able to bounce ideas off one another and use each of our own experience and ideas to learn and find success. I have probably been told thousands of times that in sewing you always measure twice, and cut once. And it was such a huge blessing to have Carly and Kierrah there as a checks and balances to ensure little error.
So far the pattern has been cut, the sides sewn together and the edges finished with a zig zag stitch. My next plan to is to create a casing along the top to run the elastic, and then from there have the matchmaker come in for a fitting and measure where the skirt falls and how much needs to be hemmed.
I totally forgot to take a picture, but I will certainly take several this week to catalog the process and final outcome!

Costume Critique: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

I seem to have a thing for Angelina Jolie. This weekend I watched the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and while I originally had zero intention of analyzing the wardrobe for a blog post, I became mesmerized by Angelina's clothing and it's ability to transform her character. In the film, Angelina, or Jane, maintains two identities: the role of a suburban house wife and also an assassin. Unbeknowst to her husband who is also an assassin, she leads this insane double life full of adventure and adrenaline, and I feel it is largely in part of her wardrobe that she is able to maintain this level of mystery.
Michael Kaplan was the main designer behind all costumes and he has worked with well known films including Fight Club, Star Trek, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and many others. It's interesting to me that many of his films don't necessarily require what I would have originally considered "costumes", like in the form of Elizabethian era gowns or other period clothing, but he has an incredible ability to match styles of clothing that we're all familiar with that compliment the characters without overpowering and taking away from their roles.
As Jane Smith the house wife, all of Angelina's clothing is very delicate, which contributes to the idea that her life as a house wife is meticulous, one dimensional and pretentious. She wears a lot of silk materials, classy jewelery like pearls, and she's extremely modest with nearly shapeless silhouttes. Which is all very appropriate within their social network and this front of "keeping up with the Jones'".  However, as an assassin, her clothing is so versatile! Be it a flattering and sexy leather dress with fishnets, or a pair of combat boots and bullet proof vest, her character transforms and as an audience, I was left wanting to know more about her and what she was capable of.
I think my favorite outfit of hers was towards the end of the movie when she and her husband are both assigned to kill each other, and Jane is mourning the death of her husband by eating at the same restaurant where he had proposed. She wears this beautiful black dress. There isnt any adornment to the dress in the form of beading, but all of the detail lies in the silhoutte. From the bodice the dress maintains a conservative level of modesty, but as the dress falls to the ground, there are high slits on each side that give it this classic sexy little black dress appeal. The dress is the perfect combination of her two identities, and Angelina Jolie wears it beautifully.

Downton Abbey Costume Critique #3

Susannah Buxton is the costume designer for the the mini series Downton Abbey. In 2011 she won an Emmy for her work in the same production and right now she is deigning the costumes for the series Christmas Special Finale.

One needs not look far to see why she has been able to gain such recognition in the industry. Buxton is able to take whatever circumstance appears in the show and creates clothing that match it perfectly. This series goes through almost everything probably, from peaceful days as a servant or a wealthy family member to battlefields of war and weddings. The characters are as varied as the occasions too. Set in 1912 after the tragic events of the Titanic, the series follows the Crawley family and their servants team as they try to live through the drama of moving into new and different times.

It must be said, that Buxton is able not only to make costumes that clearly differentiate the different classes that appear on the show, but also when necessary she is able to distinguish the traits and personalities of each character through them as well. Buxton makes sure that the strength and wit of the dowager countess reflect on her formal yet gracious clothes while capturing the cute rebelliousness of Lady Sybil in a more fashion forward look.

Furthermore, in a series that revolves around the differences between classes, costumes play an important to really carry the meaning to the viewer. Buxton makes sure that one does not only see the difference between the Crawleys and their servants, but also the differences in the hierarchy that the servants have. In theclothes one can clearly see the level of authority each character in the servants team has. Butler, housekeeper, valet, footmen, maids, cooks and assistant cooks are all dressed in their own particular way to really show us their place and obligations.

Finally as I mentioned before, this series puts the family through almost every imaginable occasion and the wardrobe follows. It can be easily said that no matter what happened, the Crawleys had something to wear to it.I close this critique with a few extraordinaire examples of the costumes that appear in Downton Abbey.

Hunting Day

Everyday Outing

Military and Nurse

Evening in London

Weddings

CLAMP Costume Critique #2

CLAMP or クランプ  is a Japanese group of manga (comic books) artists that have created celebrated works such as Sakura Card Captors, Magic Knight Rayearth and XXX Holic. The group is comprised of 4 women whose names are, Nanase Ohkawa,  Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi. One of the group's trademarks is the attention and lavishness they incorporate into their work when designing costumes for their characters. In many anime series we normally see very little changes to the clothes that the characters wear, but this is certainly not the case with CLAMP. Even though, the characters usually still have some iconic outfits, we can expect to see them in different clothes sometimes every single episode.


Sakura Card Captors

This series in a main representative of the Magical Girl genre in Japanese Animation. Sakura being the main character is a young girl entrusted with the magical task to fight mystical forces and stop them from creating disasters. Every battle always showcases a new costume for her to fight in. The costumes present a lot of different clothing elements pieced together, shorts, blouses, hats, skirts, dresses, gloves, shoes and socks are brought together every time to really create something that not only embodies a magical girl , but also goes along with Sakura's childish and playful personality. 
Two of my favorite outfits from the series are shown here. These blue outfits are very beautiful in my opinion and really create an ensemble that not only looks magical, but even elegant. I especially like the way the fabric for the skirt moves on the costume that is on the right.



XXX Holic

Although this series deals with magic in a much more adult and serious nature, we can see CLAMP's distinct attention to detail. Also the costumes in this series show a world wide influence. The series takes place in a modern Japan, but the clothes range from Victorian England to Gothic Lolitas styles. The caharacters in this series are much older than Sakura, and this is also shown in the clothes they draw for them. In my opinion, the clothes designed for this series are fashion at its finest, showing real innovation and beauty that compliments the body structure of the characters. However, I am sure everyone will notice that the body construction in this series is very much exaggerated, giving us arms and legs that go on for days. It surely would be interesting to see if these clothes would still look as impressive in a real model.

The clothes in CLAMP's works are certain to be eye catching and they certainly create an intense differentiation between major and minor characters. 
The only real concern that I have is the wear ability of the clothes. It sometimes can be difficult to really imagine someone wearing certain outfits for an extended period of time.

Costume Critique: Maleficent

Growing up, the whole "princess scene" was never really my thing. I felt as though every Princess' character was flat; lacking both depth and dimension, and it bothered me that they were often the victim instead of the heroine. Upon coming home from my mission, I had the privilege of watching Maleficent with my little sister, and I was so impressed! It was refreshing to see a classic tale from both sides and to gain greater understanding of each character and what experiences led them to who they are.
In the movie, Maleficent is a fairy with great strength and the ability to both love and lead. But unfortunately, her tender heart places trust in a greed stricken man, and she in a sense loses her identity after he betrays her and cuts off her wings. It is in this moment that we see her character shift as she literally builds walls to shut people out, and becomes sinister in her attempt to cope and obtain justice.
I absolutely loved all the costuming in this film. The project design was spearheaded by Anna B. Sheppard, however Rob Goodwin, Manuel Albarran, and Justin Smith also played a large role in the development of Maleficent's character through wardrobe. While the  movie was set in a very Medeival time, Maleficent's costumes were each given a modern edge and incorporated a lot of metal, animal skins and even animal bones. I loved the varying textures and the exaggerated structure that gave Maleficent a powerful demeanor but didn't overshadow her beauty. It's obvious in the film that although much of her behavior is that of a villian, it's not true or natural to her character- but more that she is hurting and in need of healing.
I think my favorite costume is in the final battle scene where Maleficent dons this edgy leather bodysuit. It was very catwomanesque, and in comparison to the King who was covered head to toe in armor, her costume allowed her to move freely and with precision. Everything was black, with the only colored accent being her red lipstick, and she looked fierce. Angelina Jolie truly was the perfect person to play this role, and her strength as an individual was only enhanced by her portrayal of Maleficent and each meticulously crafted costume.

Costume Critique: Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is my favorite mother-daughter show. It's about a teenage daughter and her single mom, who both go through many relationships and the daughter goes through high school, then college. They are best friends and both have a quick wit. Very witty show.
The show started in 2000 and has 7 seasons. The first costume designer, Caroline B. Marx, was designer for only one season, the second, Robin Lewis West, for two seasons, and finally, Brenda Maben, was costume desginer for the last four seasons. Brenda was also key set costumer, with Valerie Manahan as key costumer. Also there were many hair stylists and makeup artists.

 Lorelai, the mother, usually wears sleeveless dresses with a cardigan. Mostly they are short with a deep V neck. I don't usually like what she wears, but it is consistent and matches her character. Her warmer/winter clothes are much better.
Lorelai's mother, Emily Gilmore, wears suit jackets and suit pants or pencil skirts. This matches her expensive, proper, and uptight personality.

Luke, the diner owner, always wears plaid shirts with a backwards baseball cap. It is his trademark look. I love his look. He wears the blue baseball hat that Lorelai gave him every day. He does things his own way and doesn't care about what people normally do. He focuses on what matters, not trivial things or things just for show. He owns one suit, which he wears only to formal events.

Lane, who is Rory's (the daughter's) best friend, hides her love of rock bands from her very religious, Christian mother. She hides band t-shirts under the cardigans and plain shirts she wears at home. Lorelai, an excellent seamstress, is given the task to alter Lane's mother's wedding dress to fit Lane. She adds a few changes. 

When Lane's mother goes to bed and everyone else stays up to party, Lorelai rips off the skirt of the dress to reveal a cute mini skirt.

I love watching this show with my mom and sister. My little brother hates it, but my friends (even the boys) love this show, due to the wit. It is very funny, fast talking, and interesting show to watch. I hope you guys check it out.

Introducing: Meg Stricklin

My name is Megan Stricklin, and I am a new student here to BYU Hawaii studying Biochemistry. I am from Huntington Beach, California and my mom is my best friend. There is nothing I love more than the feeing of progression, and I aim to learn something new each day. Be it how to sew, how to surf, to better love, to communicate, the list is endless. I love my Savior and I know He lives. I recently returned home from serving the Spanish people in Nashville Tennessee, and the experiences I gained from my mission mean everything to me.
In my spare time I love to run, practice yoga, read, explore the Sierra Nevadas with my mom, eat lots of sushi, and pretend to Latin Dance.
I am so excited to be in costume construction and can't wait to take part in creating something beautiful.

Nomura Fashion in Kingdom Hearts

Movies and other live action theatrical production most normally have a single person that is in charge of the Costume Design, but videogames and animation do not work the same way. Tetsuya Nomura who is the director of the Kingdom Hearts videogame series is also the creator of the series original characters and he designs their outfits too. In videogames and animation I feel that the costume is not something you put on a character, the costume itself is part of the character creation.

Although there are several characters that are original creation in the Kingdom Hearts series, I will spend this blog post discussing about the evolution of the main character, Sora. This character starts as a young boy in his early teens that resides in a tropical place called The Destiniy Islands.However , Sora ends as a hero of light that travels through worlds in order to fight the dark forces that are plotting to extinguish the light.

This is the evolution that Sora's outfit has gone through in the game installments. 

The first thing that you can appreciate is how as Sora seems to grow older, his costume changes. The clothes that Nomura has designed for his character help the players see how the character is growing not only in age, but also in strength. As Sora's travels and quests develop and grow from game to game, his outfit lets us see how much harder and intense the tasks ahead will be. The costume goes from being a simple beach outfit for a boy, to a complete battle ready adolescent outfit.

My favorite costume design is definitely the third one (Kingdom Hearts II). The design really portrays Sora's youth and playfulness while at the same time making him look older and more battle appropriate. Another important thing is that Sora's journey takes him through many worlds that are part of the Disney Universe. The bright colors and fit of the outfit allow him to look not so out of place in the different worlds he visits.

The last costume that will be featured in the yet to be released Kingdom Hearts III, also has the same evolution treatment, The design still has some bright colors but it is definitely a more sober young adult look to show again that Sora is getting older. However, it still gives him that ready for battle feeling. I like almost everything in this new outfit, except the gloves. Outfits in the past also feature gloves, but this is the first time we see gloves that are that long. Even though the gloves match well the rest of the ensemble, for some reason they look unfinished to me, Other pieces such as the neckline and the shoes look more detailed, which makes the gloves look out of place in my opinion.

Introduction: Carly Willes

My name is Carly and this is my second semester at BYUH. I am from Highland, Utah. The temple behind me in the picture is the Timpanogos Mountain Temple in American Fork.
I love making and learning new things. My major is psychology, because I love learning about people. I enjoy the piano, ukulele, and reading.
I am excited for costume construction and I can't wait to see what we accomplish with the play.

Gamer, Cosplayer and Food Lover

Hello fellow classmates. My name is Luis Miguel Arredondo Casas (In Mexico you get two last names), but you can all call me Luis (not Lewis and definitely not Louise). I am a senior majoring in political science and minoring in Japanese. My desire to learn Japanese comes from my love of anime, Japanese animation, and the culture of this wonderful country. I was able to visit Japan some weeks ago and those days were some of the most beautiful and lovely days of my life.

I view anime and video games like art that goes one step further. Its music, drawing, writing and designing all combined to tell a beautiful story that not only is pleasing to the eye, but also transcending into someones life and soul. This view of mine transfers into the way I see cosplay. Many anime fans do cosplay for the fame or the beautiful clothes. I personally do cosplay to pay homage to those characters that I feel have earned a special place in my heart and that I feel I have something important to learn from.

I love eating, but due to the fact that my mother has worked as a chef and is always learning new things to cook, I am a very picky eater. I do not eat food just because is there, I try to eat things that I really like and can enjoy. An easy example of this, is the fact that I normally do not eat any common brand chocolates, because I prefer dark chocolate. So, no matter how many snickers I receive during a day, I will most likely throw them away or give them to my roommate at the end of the day.

I am excited to help in this semester's theater production and I look forward to learn and have fun with all of you.
Nice to meet you and see you around.

Introducing: Sister Dooley!

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Mother, Learner, Surfer. Introducing Sis. Dooley!

Bro & Sis Dooley at Makapu'u Lookout

I can't believe I am the mother of 4 children ages 12-19! Time has flown by so much faster than I ever imagined it could. My oldest son is on mission in Nova Scotia and my baby is in 7th grade, her first year at Kahuku High and Intermediate. Growing up, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I said, "a mother". I have thoroughly enjoyed this lifelong career.

I love learning. I am always trying new things and my favorite thing to read is non-fiction. Yep! I know I'm weird. Some of the things I have taught myself to do over the years include: baking perfect chocolate chip cookies and home-made bread; maintaining roses, grape vines, and now tropical flora; remodeling houses and refinishing wood floors; budgeting and pinching pennies. My newest foray in learning is graduate school. I am studying at University of Arkansas--online of course--and my course of study is Apparel Merchandising and Product Development.

Some other things I enjoy are running, biking, hiking, and surfing. Surfing is a new skill I learned just a few years ago. It took me 2 months of dedicated strength training and practice to ride my first wave unassisted. This year I made the goal of surfing everyday. I don't go on Sunday's and I was gone for 6 days to take my son to the MTC but I have otherwise met my goal. I am up to 261 days of surfing so far!

I am looking forward to working with ya'll on costuming Fiddler on the Roof. It is my 13th production here at BYU--Hawaii.  Help me make it the best one yet! I hope you enjoy your semester in the Costume shop.  See you in class!