ALL WASHED UP!

HERE WE HAVE THE FABULOUS CHRISTIAN DIOR "VENUS" GOWN FROM F/W 1949 . . . IN AN OLD METAL WASH TUB. 

I SAW A PICTURE OF THIS DRESS THE OTHER DAY AND WANTED TO MAKE A COMPANION PIECE TO MY EARLIER DIOR 'FARM GIRL'. I SHORTENED THE FLOOR LENGTH GOWN SO WE CAN SEE OUR FANCY LADY STANDING IN HER BATHIN' TUB. HAIR AND MAKE-UP INSPIRATION WAS TAKEN FROM DIOR'S SPRING 2011 COUTURE SHOW FEATURING DESIGNS AND STYLING INSPIRED BY THE GREAT FASHION ILLUSTRATOR, RENE GRUAU 

(if you don't know who he is, go look him up now! you won't be sorry!)

I'VE ALSO INCLUDED MY ORIGINAL SKETCH. I TWEAKED IT A BIT IN PHOTOSHOP TO GET THE PROPORTIONS I WANTED. 

RETURN OF THE SPICE

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW BEYOND THRILLED I WAS THAT MY FAVORITE BAND OF ALL TIME THE SPICE GIRLS REFORMED FOR THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES. THE SIGHT OF THE FAB 5 ALWAYS BRINGS ME SUCH OVER WHELMING HAPPINESS!
I WAS SO INSPIRED BY THEIR PERFORMANCE (done atop 5 decked out British black cabs no less!) THE I HAD TO PUT PEN TO PAPER STRAIGHT AWAY AND DRAW THEIR COSTUMES A.S.A.P. WHO KNOWS WHEN WE'LL GET TO SEE ALL 5 SPICERS TOGETHER AGAIN, BUT I HOPE IT'S SOONER THAN LATER!

PRINTS PLEASE!!!

THOUGH THE COLLECTION ITSELF WASN'T MY CUP OF TEA ( a tad TOO vintage for me), THE PRADA F/W 2012 COLLECTION DID FEATURE SOME AWESOMELY RETRO MAKE-UP AND PATTERNS. THE WHOLE THING WAS SERVING BRADY BUNCH REALNESS. THE MODELS HAD THREE LAYERS OF COLOR IN THEIR FLAT IRONED HAIR; A COMBINATION OF BLACK, RED, ORANGE, AND/OR BLONDE.  FACES HAD LOOSE WHITE POWDER DUSTED OVER OTHER PALE SHADES OF PINK AND CORAL. EYES WERE DARKENED W/ BLACK AND THEN LINED IN YELLOW OCHRE TO MASK THE BROWS.

THE PRINTS BROUGHT TO MIND A MISH-MASH OF LATE 60's MALIBU CHIC. WE CAN'T ALL PULL OFF MULTIPLE RETRO PATTERNS, BUT IT'LL BE FUN TO TRY!

STRAWBERRY FIELDS

NOTHING MAKES ME HAPPIER THEN FUN FASHION. AND NO LABEL DOES THAT BETTER THEN MY FAV MOSCHINO! THE MASTERS OF CHEEKY ITALIAN FASHION SHOWED A PRODUCE THEMED SHOW FOR THEIR CHEAP&CHIC S/S 2012 LINE AND STARTED OFF THE CATWALK WITH THIS ADORABLE STRAWBERRY SUN DRESS. THE GREEN BOW ON THE NECKLINE IS EVEN QUILTED TO LOOK LIKE LEAFS!!!

I WANTED HER PARASOL TO LOOK SORTA LIKE A SUN, SHINING DOWN ON THE STRAWBERRY PLANT. ANY EXCUSE FOR ME TO ADD DOT PATTERNS  TO SOMETHING.

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THIS BERRY DRESS WAS SHOWN IN THE WINDOW OF THE NYC MOSCHINO STORE IN A GIANT BLENDER! GENIUS! SEEING WHAT WACK-O THINGS MOSCHINO IS GOING TO PUT IN THEIR WINDOW NEXT ALWAYS BRINGS ME JOY.

LADY SIF: MARVELOUS MAIDEN OF MIGHT!!!

ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME KNOWS I LOOOOOVE COMIC BOOKS, AND OF COURSE THE FEMALE SUPER-HEROS ARE MY FAVORITE. MARVEL COMICS HAS REALLY BEEN KNOCKING IT OUTTA THE PARK LATELY WITH ALL OF THEIR FEATURE FILMS. 'IRON MAN', 'CAPTAIN AMERICA', 'THE AVENGERS' AND, OF COURSE, THE MIGHTY 'THOR'!

THOR HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE OF MARVEL'S "BIG THREE" HEROES (Iron Man is my least fav). I ESPECIALLY LIKE THOR'S TWO FEMALE FOILS; THE ALLURINGLY EVIL ENCHANTRESS AND THE STOIC SHIELD MAIDEN LADY SIF. I THOUGHT ACTRESS JAIMIE ALEXANDER DID A GREAT JOB PLAYING SIF IN THE 'THOR' FILM. IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY HARD FOR ME TO FIND ANY CLEAR IMAGES OF HER FULL COSTUME. SO I SENT OUT TO HOBBLE TOGETHER AN IMAGE OF HER LOOK. MUCH OF MY COSTUME RESEARCH CAME VIA PICTURES OF HER MOVIE ACTION FIGURE. I ALSO GOT SOME NICE SHOTS OF HER FROM A 7-ELEVEN CUP BARING HER IMAGE.

 I DID A SKETCH OF HER (shown below) A WEEK OR SO AFTER I SAW THE FILM, BUT IT'S TAKEN UNTIL NOW TO FIND TIME TO FINISH IT. I USED SEVERAL TEXTURED OVERLAYS IN PHOTOSHOP TO GET THE FEELING OF CHAIN-MAIL ON HER COSTUME. I THEN USED A SCAN OF ASGARD FROM "THE MAKING OF THOR" BOOK FOR THE IMAGE IN THE BACK GROUND. I'M NOT SO GREAT AT DRAWING WEAPONS LIKE SWORDS AND SHIELDS, ETC., SO I USED THE WEAPON SIF'S ACTION FIGURE CAME WITH AS A MODEL FOR MY FINAL PIECE.

I'D REALLY LIKE TO FIND TIME TO DO MORE OF THE MARVEL MOVIE LADIES, LIKE PEGGY CARTER FROM "CAPTAIN AMERICA" OR SCARLET JOHANSSON'S BLACK WIDOW. WITH MY SCHEDULE, CHECK BACK IN A YEAR AND MAYBE I'LL HAVE THEM FINISHED.

 *p.s. movie makers: ENCHANTRESS HAD BETTER BE THE VILLAIN IN THOR 2!!!! 

COLORS OF THE WIND

I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHERE I GOT THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS ONE. I DREW IT YEARS AND YEARS AGO, AND FINALLY FINISHED IT TODAY! I TRIED TO DO A SEMI LIKENESS TO MY FAV SUPER MODEL LINDA EVANGELISTA. I THINK IT SORTA LOOKS LIKE HER, AND THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

FOR ONCE, THE OUTFIT I DREW IS NOT FROM DESIGNER IN PARTICULAR. IT'S JUST A FUN QUICK DOODLE I DID OF SOMETHING CHIC I'D WANT TO SEE MIZ LINDA IN. THIS WAS A GREAT EXERCISE FOR ME IN ADDING COLOR BLOCKING TO EMPTY SPACE.

IT CAME FROM BEYOUND THE STARS!!!

NO ONE WORKS ROBO-CHIC LIKE Mr. THIERRY MUGLER. GIVE THIS 80's & 90's DESIGN ICON SOME OLD TIN, A YARD OF SILVER LAME' FABRIC AND A COPY OF THE MOVIE 'METROPOLIS' AND YOU HAVE YOURSELF ONE HELL OF A FUTURISTIC FASHION SHOW!

WHEN I SAW THE SILVER LAME' GOWN FROM MUGLER'S SPRING 1987 COLLECTION, I JUST KNEW I HAD TO PAIR THIS LOVELY LADY WITH THE CAMP ROBOT ICON OF THE 1960'S: ROBBY THE ROBOT FROM THE FILM 'FORBIDDEN PLANET'. ROBBY IS A GIANT MENACING ROBOT WHO WAS BUILT TO . . . COOK AND CLEAN FOR A MAD SCIENTIST??? A GROSS MISUSE OF POWER. WHEN HE FINALLY REBELS AGAINST HIS DOMESTIC DICTATOR, I SEE IT AS A LEAP FORWARD FOR REPRESSED DOMESTIC GODDESSES EVERYWHERE. I WONDER IF THE JETSON'S ROBOT MAID WILL BE THE NEXT TO RISE UP?