Tablewear

This was my Tablewear (original costume design), or, as I also called this project elsewhere, my Teacup Girl, which I had sent to Costume Con 32's Future Fashion Folio. Unfortunately, due to the lack of time, I had to change some of its details at the very last minute, mainly concerning her hairstyle and accessories. However it still looks very good, if not better than the original idea I had, so I'm happy to have made those changes. 

The idea came from looking at Elizabethan dresses. I though that Queen Elizabeth's dress looked like a nice table with a white tablecloth. Her dress looked so wide and well-placed she could almost have had dinner on it! So what was originally a silly idea and sketch turned out to be my first original design. Add a sprinkle of inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and you obtain this dress! I've also finished it off with a bad pun - because everything is better with bad puns. 

I've made the patterns for the bustier, the main shirt and the bloomers (you can't see them in this picture, but the dress was so wide that they were a necessary addition). The main fabrics were all home-decor fabrics, which gives this project a much more realistic look.

The structure of this costume was both the most challenging and the easiest part of this costume. It was challenging because I've had to go through a lot of trial and error to make it right; however, the final solution was so simple that I felt a bit dumb for not thinking about it before. It's basically a HUGE circle of foam board, on which I've added strips of corduroy to make sure that the skirts wouldn't slip around. It's cheap, light, stiff and extremely effective, however it isn't as durable as I would want it to be. I'll have to find a better solution!

The teacup hat is composed of a tiny silicone teacup (the kind you get for cupcakes), a tiny plastic plate (which came with the teacup I had) and leftover fabrics. The cup is glued to the plate, which is glued to the fabric; the hat stays by pinning it on my head. There is also a tiny blue cookie right next to my hat, which my younger sister made for me. I am extra grateful to her because this tiny thing added just what I needed to complete this costume on time! The wig is from Arda Wigs. I had purchased a short wig and a curly clip in Warm Brown, but I didn't like the color for this costume, so I decided to dye them using brown sharpies. The color is not a lot richer than it was; however, the dye does come off a lot and it constantly dripped from my wig, which made some kind of ombré effect on my wig. I still like the results tough!

My mother and my aunt were responsible for all the confection and sewing parts of this costume -  and they did it in about one week. There are both incredible and supportive persons, and without them this costume would have never seen the light of day. I am extremely grateful to them! I wish I could have done more on this project, but school always comes first, and everything ended on a good note.

This Tablewear was basically a huge teamwork effort; I designed and structured the costume, my aunt and my mom made most of it's confection, and my younger sister added it's final touch. There is a lot of things we wish we could have done better (which would have involved having more time), but it still turned out to be a great costume and one of my favourites!

Designer and Model

Awards: Hall Costume Award from Costume Con, Hall Costume Award from NJ/ NY Costumer's Guild 

Confection and final touches were all possible with the help of my mom, my aunt and my younger sister. The Picture was taken by my mother in the hotel!

Did I ever mention how much I love my mom?  

From now on I'll try to make more original designs as well!