"Hairspray" at the Chanhassen!

   I know I usually reserve Mondays for wedding gown related content, but I went and saw "Hairspray" at the Chanhassen Dinner Theaters this weekend.  I helped build the costumes for this show and let me tell you, completely unbiased, this show was amazing! I think everyone would enjoy it, even if you aren't usually a theater fan.

   I already did post a short blog about some of the costumes that I worked on for the show, but there is something about seeing them alive on stage that shows them in a whole new light. 

   All the the colors and costumes together, in each scene, mesh and blend amazingly.  This is something designer, Rich Hamson, has a knack for.  Occasionally, while working on one of his shows, I look at some of the outrageous patterns he chooses in his fabric and think, "How is this ever going to translate on stage?"  My eye is getting better, I am noticing, as I ask this less often.  However, each piece looks perfectly poised and meant to belong in each scene, on it's chosen character, nothing ever looks over the top unless that is it's purpose.  He often layers shears over his outrageous patterns, to dilute them somewhat, and it actually makes the garment more exuberant than before.  The color palette in each scene and throughout the entire show is clearly defined, but not overwhelming and often cleverly done by mixing colors you would think might never go together.  Rich is a natural when is comes to color and style and shows this well in CDT's current production.

   Above is the preview for the show, take a look! If you are a theater, music, dance or costume fan, this show will definitely keep your attention!
  

Tulle!!!

 

  Matrimony Monday::

   I love tulle! I had an abundance of it in the skirt of my own dress.  One thing I love about just a single (or possibly double) layer of tulle, is it adds a lovely halo around the skirt of your gown. It also makes for lovely straps or sleeves to add a new touch of style for a strapless gown.

   Tulle adds volume and flair appropriate to the day.  The only problem with this fabric is that it is fragile and tears easily.  I ripped my skirt at least three times the night of my wedding.  However, being learned in fabric manipulation, I laid out the hole on a table and evened it out by trimming the excess away.  Remember, your wedding is one day and you will probably never where your gown again. Yes, make it special, splurge on extravagance and design, but if you are reluctant for tulle because of its fragility, don't be! Tulle is great and if you make a hole or two during the night, it only means you danced just that hard, had a great time celebrating on your special day and looked fabulous doing it!

To Renaissance or Not to Renaissance

   Thursday Threads: To Renaissance or Not to Renaissance

   The Minnesota Renaissance Festival has finished another season of comedy, dancing, music and lots of dusty air.  The MN Festival is well known and often called one of the best in the country, mainly because of it's stationary location and actual buildings instead of tents.  I, too, have had a lot of fun out there and have long dreamed of being part of the magical realm, though, recently, I have been coming out of the magic of it, having gone so often, seen all the shows I want and eaten all of my favorite foods numerous times.  Sometimes, I don't know how they all do this every weekend, especially the women in the large, upholstery gowns.  Heat stroke, anyone?

   This year, there was an article in the Star Tribune about the historical accuracy at the Renaissance Festival.  Costume wise, the festival does present more of a Tudor period in the Royal Court Costuming, but the overall festival is really all over the place.  From Medieval, to Renaissance, to Tudor and Elizabethan, the garments present among the festival employees and volunteers can vary greatly (not to mention the pedestrians who go in costume, such as myself).

   Now, I know my costume is not historically accurate.  I often go as a "gypsy" and participate in the middle eastern dancing, when really, in the Middle Eastern Renaissance, the women would have been covered from head to toe for modesty, just like many women in the area still are today.  We parade as "gypsies" so we can get away with our eclectic ensembles and avoid most criticism.

   In light of the variety of eras and the variety of creatures (Fairies, satyrs, etc..), this festival in my mind is hence forth re-dubbed the Fantasy Festival.  It's far more appropriate, considering, and many, if not most, fantasy stories contain fragments of real history.  If you go there expecting a good time, full of fantasy and magic, you'll have a good time. Though, one thing real history and the Renaissance festival have in common, no indoor plumbing.  I wish the festival were more contemporary in that aspect.

   The inaccuracy has never really bothered me, I highly enjoy the variety of people and creatures I see out there every year.  I would like to comment on my very favorites this past year.  She may have overshadowed the famous Twig the Fairy, but the new Satyr is both creative and adorable.  Her hooves are magnificent.  Metal heel backs, hooves jutting out in front (must be crazy difficult to walk in), and a mass of freckles on her face, a new great character to add the fun of the festival.

A 1950's Wedding

   Matrimony Monday: 1950's Wedding  

   It sounds as if the wedding went off without a hitch. At least, she loved her dress which makes her dress-maker ecstatic! She sent me my first testimonial, which, not to be braggy, I would like to share.

"Hi, Ally

   
  I can't tell you how many compliments I received on my beautiful dress! Everyone wanted to know where I got it, and I was happy to tell them it was hand-made for me(....)

  Thank you again for your willingness to work on this dress. It came out perfectly--I couldn't be happier!


~Erin"


   I love wedding gowns and I like, in a small way, being part of someone's special day.  I love how a little color adds a whole lot of splash to this lovely frock and I love working on so many different styles and this one was very fun!

Fashion!

Thursday Threads: Fashion

  I am not much of a fashion designer, however, I do love fashion anyways.  I like to think I am fairly decent at picking out my clothing when I actually try (There are some days where I just don't really care).

   I set to looking about for blogs on fashion that might interest me.  Through Networked Blogs I found one that at actually inspired me to go shopping today.  This outfit is what did it. I really want this sweater in red.  Apparently though, red is not in fashion right now.  I had a hard time finding anything of a loud, bright color. 

  Things I noticed that are definitely in fashion right now:  frilly shirts, pale colors (like purples, pinks, some yellows), A LOT of greys, blacks and dark muted colors.  I may just not have ever noticed before, but almost the entire Ladies section was dark and a little drab as far as color.  It's getting cold out and soon it will snow and the weather will be drab enough for everyone.  Color is definitely needed during the colder months to bring in a little bit of brightness.

   During my shopping spree (I had a gift card from my birthday), I ended on only two items.  A pair of new wedge heeled winter-ish boots (which I could wear FOREVER! So cute! So comfy!) and an amazing blanket sweater of greys, oranges and yellows and generally out of my budget.  Also, this sweater was only left in the size XL, apparently popular, and I can see why.  It is luxuriously soft, it reminds me of a soft blanket I passed up in Ireland.

   I will be comfortable all fall and winter in this.

   In final news: Come and see the MN Princesses & Co. in the Anoka Halloween Parade! Main Street in Anoka, 1:00 pm Saturday, Oct 29th!

Matrinmony Monday: Illusion Necklines

  A popular look for the Spring 2012 wedding line is the Illusion Neckline.  Sheer, elegant and modest, this look could revolutionize the wedding gown industry for the next year, eliminating the strapless gown or at least providing a wider array of options for a more elegant look.

  Brides.com has an article on the wave of Illusion Neckline dresses throughout the Spring 2012 collections, the photo above being just one example (Designed by Reema Acra) of the collection of dresses they chose to advertise.

  As a designer and dress maker, I love what this addition does to a very simple design. I had something similar with my wedding gown last year with my sheer v-neck tulle straps. 

  The best word I can think of to describe the Illusion Neckline is Elegant, which is what I believe every wedding gown should be.  A wedding gown, in my opinion, should not be too showy, revealing or sexy, save that for the wedding night.  Shine in your wedding gown and embrace wearing something you can't every day, and take a chance on a unique, elegant design, you might find a feeling of luxuriousness that you didn't expect.

Thursday Threads: 5 Hands, 1 Hem

Is it weird that today I got sort of an adrenaline rush when there were 5, yes 5, of us all hand sewing around the hem of an evening gown to get it finished in time for the dress rehearsal? I felt a little giddy afterward.

The MN Opera's Cosi Fan Tutte opens this weekend. It will hopefully be a fun, smooth run. The costume shop has been down to the wire, finishing hems and fixing ballgowns for opening night, when the two leading ladies will literally shine and sparkle on stage. The costume designer for this has also designed some gowns for Disney World, of which I am completely jealous. The fabric that my team used to create the blue ballgown for Fleurdiligi is the same fabric that Cinderella dons at the park to greet many a Disney fan.

Fun Fact about this show: one of the 4 main characters is named Guglielmo.