Adding Patterns!

Cutting triangles.

My denim jacket has 1 patch and a little extra stitching around it, but since I don't have any other patches at the moment, I decided to add something else to it. Being me I thought a little bit of a pattern would make this denim jacket really stand out. I went through my scrap bin to see if I had any that would work for the under collar of the jacket. Of course the piece that ended up working is a piece from my Senior Collection. The red, black, and white plaid fabric has the perfect amount of stretch to work with the denim (72% Cotton and 18% Polyester). Being me I didn't measure anything out, I just lined up the selvage with the collar, pinned it, and sewed along from the inside of the jacket. 

Pinning the remaining 3 edges.

After attaching the plaid to the jacket I cut a few triangles to give the fabric ease along the neckline. Adding an under collar to an already made piece isn't as easy as doing it in the proper order while making a jacket. Next I pinned the plaid to the collar so I could hand stitch it around the 3 edges. Surprisingly it didn't take very long and it turned out pretty well. You can't see the plaid unless the collar is up or turned wrong but I know it's there and I think it's a pretty great detail to my jacket. 

Finished Collar.

I'm considering adding a different plaid (because I have SO MUCH SCRAP FABRIC) to the cuffs so if I roll the sleeves up and button them you'll get some more pattern and color. Overall I'm pretty happy with the progress of my jacket. Hopefully I'll get some more patches within the next couple of weeks and i can continue adding to the jacket.

Denim Jacket: First Patch Down!

Ironed on, about to start stitching.

First patch on my denim jacket is complete! I started off my denim jacket project with just a vague idea of what I wanted the end result to be but it's already changed multiple times since I've begun this project. After purchasing the denim jacket from work I went to check out the iron on patch selection at Jo-Ann Fabric Store. I was slightly disappointed but ended up purchasing a Wonder Woman patch for my jacket. 

My project has just been in that state until today. That's the funny thing about Christmas time for me, I always get these bursts of energy to finish projects and start new things. So after our Christmas celebrations I figured why not work on the jacket. I ironed on the patch and then, wary of the corners, decided to hand stitch the corners down so it will survive being in the washer. 

Final picture of the patch
with stitching around it.

Originally I was thinking of using thick embroidery thread and stitching a few onomatopoeia words like "POW!" and "BAM!" around it but decided on a simple outline to highlight the patch. I'm putting the comic book references on the back burner until I get more patches for my jacket. I don't think it will be an entirely superhero themed jacket, but it may turn out that way depending on the patch selection when I go shopping. I have found a few online I think I'm going to buy and they're all movie references so it could turn out pretty neat (at least to me).

Denim and Patches

Denim and Patches by brimalotke featuring a denim jacket

I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a theme for my own personal denim jacket & patches project or if I should just whatever patches I like and end up buying. Currently I just have the 1 Wonder Woman patch and I want to do embroidery around each patch. I may just have to roll with it and get any patches I'm able to that I like.

Project Costs so far:
Denim Jacket from 2nd hand store= $7
Wonder Woman Patch from Jo-Ann= $4

A lot of patches I've seen that I've liked are around $8/patch so this may get a little expensive. However, if I get them one at a time over a few months and gradually just keep adding them on it won't feel like I'm spending so much on the project. Plus there will always be coupons, discounts, and hopefully some great end of the year sales!

Dressing Mannequins at Work

When I open at my work I usually get to redress the main mannequin that we use as our "Outfit of the Day." It's what we use to showcase a cool look and then we post it to the Instagram. A lot of the time I do outfits I would wear so it brings variety to the store since each of us that works there has our own sense of style. Mine is a little bit of everything but I think it works pretty well. Most of the time I start my look by picking out the shoes and then going from there to construct the rest of the outfit. If there's something I've been debating about buying for myself I try to include it in the hopes that someone will see it and buy it (thus saving me money and room in my already very full closet). I've been doing this for a while but it's only been recently that I thought, "You know, I should be documenting these looks." I wasn't sure what to do with them, but it is a good idea of visual merchandising and styling so why not take a few pictures for records. The following are all the looks for the Outfit of the Day that I've done since I've been taking pictures of them.

For the first one I loved these black boots even though they're ridiculously tall for me to justify them as a reasonable purchase. I went from there using a two tone denim and a cozy striped top. You can't see the back of it but the back opens up and is a black and white polka dot. Then I chose a grey denim button up and a silver skull necklace to add layers. I really liked the mixing of materials (of course!) and the simple color scheme.

For this look I did choose the jacket first. I saw it, was disappointed it's too small for me, and then proceeded to think up a look that would be perfect for a more casual holiday dinner or party. The look consists of a funky  embroidered jacket, maroon cotton and lace long sleeve, and a pair of boyfriend jeans. For the accessories I chose a shiny black tote, cut out oxford flats, and a multi strand pearl necklace. I figured it was comfortable and casual, but still fun with the colors and printed jacket. 

This look is very me :) I wanted to pull from our "Mad for Plaid" wall and create something that someone shopping might not have considered putting together in a look. I started off with the black and white striped turtleneck and then snagged a pair of grey denim jeans with details on the knees. I paired it with a red and black checkered short sleeve jacket, 90s reminiscent black ankle boots, a BCBG black handbag, and a pair of white rimmed glasses. I really enjoy mixing patterns and I think this is a really good example of that.

Here's a look where I started with the shoes (my size and practical!) and then created a look around them. It's difficult to see the details at the neck but I started with a black and white gingham button up sleeveless top and then layered a sleeveless cotton dress over it that says "Aimer C'est Vivre" (To love is to live). Then I chose a comfy green cardigan for warmth and color and a silver and white necklace to top it all off. I figured someone would pair the look with leggings or tights to stay warm with the winter season.

Lastly, is my most recent look that is a little more funky. The buyers did a mall visit a few weeks ago and we were supposed to be deciding on what trends we saw that we thought would be most popular and what we should be watching for to buy or not to buy. I did start with the red suede shoes for this look but then I decided to go with some of the trends we were seeing in the other stores to create the rest of the look. The boyfriend jeans have a lot of patchwork and embroidery and the top has some sequined patches. I chose the red bomber jacket because we saw them everywhere and I thought the color was a perfect match for the ankle boots. To finish it off I chose a small rectangular cross-body in a neutral brown. It's not something I would probably wear together (I love the boots and jeans) but it pulled the trends we've been seeing together and it's a great color combination. Plus someone bought the jacket too!

I enjoy dressing the mannequins at work and I hope I'll be bale to keep creating some neat looks that work for the store and that I can write about at the same time.

Embroidered & Patch Jacket

For my job as a buyer at my work we needed to do a mall visit, take notes, read the trend reports, take a quiz, and in general just discuss what we were seeing in the different stores. One of the things I loved was the bomber jackets with patches. I like the variety in the different stores and I like the overall idea. It's fun and can work for different styles. However, I just can't find one that really speaks to me. I want to pick the patches and the colors and so now I'm making my own jacket. I am pretty busy at work so I'm not starting from scratch. Also since I prefer the jean jackets to bomber style, I picked up a dark wash jean jacket from work and am ready to transform it into something spectacular...or at least have a lot of fun trying new techniques. 

I snagged a Faded Glory dark wash denim jacket at work and then proceeded to check out what patches Joann's had in stock. I wasn't a huge fan of the selection but they've been having so many sales recently I don't blame them for the low amount. Plus, I really just wanted one to start with because I want to try and snag some online. I plan on distressing the collar and cuffs and potentially adding a lining (at least to the cuffs so if I roll them there's a pop of pattern). Anyone who has seen my work knows I love patterns so obviously I need to add more to this jacket than just patches. I don't want to go overboard, but I plan on adding some hand embroidery (or machine since mine can do that!) around some of the patches. 

I had a Batman patch but I used it for my graduation cap...so Wonder Woman is the start of my jacket progress. As usual we'll see what happens. I'm just happy to start another project and it'll be fun to wear it around and show off my personality with my jacket. I'll post progress pictures along the way and if I do the distressing I'll share the methods and maybe have a step-by-step guide as well. 

Ankle Boot Options

Ankle Boot Options by brimalotke

Defining Me

Defining Me by brimalotke

How do you define yourself verse how others define you can be two very different conclusions. Sometimes it's quite difficult to define yourself on the spot. What makes you the way you are, what are your interests and how do they form your views? I tried to make a little collection of a few of my favorites and see how I would view myself from an outsider's point of view by just seeing these images.

Halloween Ideas: Poison Ivy

Halloween Ideas: Poison Ivy by brimalotke

Halloween Ideas: Catwoman

Halloween Ideas: Catwoman by brimalotke 

Working in the Wedding Industry

Working in the Wedding Industry by brimalotke

I've only been working in the wedding industry for a couple of months but I've been loving every minute of it! Right now I'm currently just handling social media and product descriptions for a stationery company as well as co-writing an article for a wedding magazine. In addition to my other job I'm pretty busy, but I'm really hoping to get more wedding jobs and make it a full time gig. I'm waiting to hear back about sewing wedding dresses, but I love the writing aspect of it! I really do enjoy doing research, reading countless articles, and getting everything together for great posts and drawing inspiration for my product descriptions. Weddings are a time for celebration and I think that oozes into the work aspect of it all. I think this may be the industry for me, but I am still young and anything can happen. I love costumes and sewing and styling but so far the most fun I've had while doing work (no people or atmosphere into consideration) is wedding related. So as usual, we shall see what happens!

Missing Writing

(Stationery Love by brimalotke)
One of the things I think I've been missing in my life recently is just writing for me. I used to write all the time, whether it was my blog, a journal, or poetry. I'd write all the time and whenever I could. Recently between my jobs and starting to get back in shape and stuff I've kind of quit writing for fun.

I started a bullet journal to help pull me back into writing. My bullet journal isn't quite the typical version, it's very much me. It's a lot of collages, notes, pictures, and bits of stories from my days. I'm keeping track of habits and schedules (work, gym, cooking) as well as goals and ambitions. For my goals, I have reading lists and healthy goals (think gym time and food habits). As for my ambitions, they're more long-term goal related and further into the future. If I wasn't limited by location, where would I want to work and if I could plan out vacations and more traveling where could I go in the next few years; just things like that and other ideas. Overall I would say my bullet journal isn't really a bullet journal, but it's more like short diary entries, a lot of lists, a lot of collages, and just ideas and thoughts. In the end, it's something I love and it's definitely helping me get back in touch with writing. 


I'm considering trying to write a book of some kind. At first, I thought poetry, but now I'm thinking short stories or something in French. We'll see what happens! Always an adventure.

Velvet Shoes

Velvet Shoes by brimalotke

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn by brimalotke

Update!

It feels like I haven't posted in forever, but I've been insanely busy with costumes for Oklahoma!

We open the first week of August and we're trying to do fittings with EVERYONE this coming Saturday. However, because of my work schedule I won't be able to be there and since I work Friday as well all of the costumes I've been working on need to be dropped off tomorrow morning...so I'm feeling a tiny bit of pressure. I've had the costumes since Monday morning but I haven't really had a chance to work on them between work and unpacking in my new apartment. I'm sure I'll get it all done it's just a matter of how late I'll be staying up or how early I might need to wake up to finish...

As of now I've seam ripped some ribbon trim, a lace ruffle trim, and 2 sleeves. 

Next I'll be cutting and sewing the 2 sleeves on to the blue dress. Then I'll probably go ahead and sew the purple gingham skirt back together (My boss had seam ripped all the seams so that they could be sewn to make the waistband a little bit larger). After that I will either sew this ruffle thing on the bodice of the 3 look or cut and sew the ruffle for that look. After that it'll just be a matter of closures/trim. So overall I feel pretty good about my time and where I'm at with these projects. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance (probably Saturday/Sunday since I close tomorrow).

Reverie & Shoes

Forever dreaming. Dreaming of sunshine and beautiful places. Dreaming of travels and friends. Dreaming in French of adventures not yet taken and of experiences waiting to happen. Dreaming. Dreaming. Dreaming. Hoping that someday, at some point, they'll come true. Dreaming and hoping that I'll soon be practicing my French with native speakers and sipping coffee while enjoying a fresh baked pastry from a colorful patisserie with friends. Dreaming so much that I'll just have to find a way to make them all true. Forever dreaming.

For the French (hopefully correct in grammar) version of my poem, scroll down and read the red version.

Rêvant toujours.

Rêver de soleil et de beaux endroits.

Rêvant d' voyages et amis. Rêvant en français d'aventures pas encore prises et d'expériences en attente de se produire.

Rêver. Rêver. Rêver.

En espérant qu'un jour, à un moment donné, ils se réaliseront.

Rêvant et en espérant que je vais bientôt pratiquais mon français avec des locuteurs natifs et en sirotant du café tout en dégustant une pâtisserie frais cuit une pâtisserie colorée avec mes amis. Rêvant tellement que je vais devoir trouver un moyen de les rendre tout à fait vrai. Rêvant toujours.

Ghost Adventures Look 4

The fourth look int his ghostly series of posts is inspired by the Lady in White character that is in quite a few haunted stories and episodes. Typically the Lady in White is a woman who was in love and died because of some sort of heart ache. 

For example in one episode of Ghost Hunters there is a Lady in White who haunts these tunnels because she was murdered in them. She had been on her way to meet up with a man she was in love with, but was met instead by laughter from these guys who had actually written the letter to her to trick her. She got angry, threw some pebbles, and they returned by throwing pebbles and rocks. One of the guys threw a rock and hit her head, killing the Lady in White. 

Ghost Adventures Look 4 by brimalotke

This look is a flowy silver dress, metallic heels, and lots of silver jewelry. Long silver earrings, bangles, a moon ring, and a pendant necklace. All of these would make me feel like a modern day ghostly lady in white.

Ghost Adventures Look 3

This 3rd look is a little more funky and features a pair of black overalls and black and white striped tee. With a black and gold watch, red nails, metallic lips, and grey and white doc martins, this look sums up one of the more spookier feelings I've had watching Ghost Adventures.

Ghost Adventures Look 3 by brimalotke 

The overalls and striped tee remind me of a child's ensemble while the metallic lips give a ghastly touch and the dark red nails are like blood dripping down the fingers. Even with all this in mind I'd wear this look. It's comfortable with ease and movement and still stylish and ready to wear out beyond the graveyard or haunted mansion.

Ghost Adventures Look 2

For my second Ghost Adventures look I decided to do a more dark look. During one of the episodes the team visits an asylum (just 1 of the ones they visit) and it's definitely a little creepy to watch. You don't have to believe in ghosts or spirits to get spooked. 

Ghost Adventures Look 2 

by brimalotke

I paired a red and black plaid dress that has a high-low skirt effect with a pair of black leggings that have side zippers. Black doc martins, a "violet goth peony" colored watch, and a red leather backpack complete the look. It's punk yet polished and, to me at least, represents the spooky factor from the episode. 

Ghost Adventures Look 1

Ghost Adventure Look 1 by brimalotke

So I've been really into watching the TV show Ghost Adventures during my days off work and I've decided to do a mini outfit series type section for my blog. It'll be Ghost Adventures looks that are inspired by episodes from the show. They're not necessarily goth looks or looks you might actually wear while hunting ghosts, but they're inspired by the show- the locations, the people who are interviewed or thought to be haunting locations, and more.

This first look is a pair of grey skinny pants, a sheer top, and black lace up pointed toe flats. To finish off the look I chose a red lip for a pop of color, a funky apple watch that has skulls, and a great pair of black sunglasses. It's functional and comfy. I drew inspiration from one of the episodes where there is a "lady in red" haunting a hotel and decided to do the pop of color in red while keeping the rest of the look dim and not too intense (for example I could have made it an all black ensemble). 

I'm hoping to do more of these looks. They'll all be short little posts but I like the idea of doing show or book inspired looks and I think I'll continue to do this sort of thing. Stay tuned!

Okay Oklahoma!

 

Progress Update on Oklahoma!

All the prairie dresses are sized, organized and mostly pulled. The female ensemble's dresses are pulled, along with children and the dancers' prairie dress looks. We still need the dancers' ballet and can-can looks. We also found a great dress option for one of the leads. This week has definitely been eventful and lots of progress has been made for the costumes for the show. The show starts in about a month and I think we're doing pretty well overall. We've sized the cowboy shirts and we've pulled some leather and suede vests and jackets for some of the guys to try. I'm excited to see everything come together.

Summer Look

Summer Look by brimalotke

One of the things I love about summer is all of the bright colors that are always in style. For this look I decided to go for a complete outfit: swim suit, crop top & lace shorts, colorful sandals, and then a kimono for a cover up or just outer layer over the entire ensemble. The swim suit is a 2-piece option that is turquoise, white, & orange with black out lining around the seams. I think it's a great swim suit style and would pair really well with the turquoise kimono. The lace shorts are a vibrant coral orange color (color depends on your screen) and I paired them with a bright yellow crop top featuring a cartoon watermelon slice on the front. These go great with the sandals that are full of colors and pom poms. I love the bright colors and I hope you enjoy this summer look!

Summer Whites & Brights

Summer Whites & Brights by brimalotke

Vintage Inspired Swimwear

Vintage Inspired Swimwear by brimalotke

One of the things I love about high waisted swim suits is how they can look amazing on anyone. They fit a variety of body sizes and they can be really fun and unique swimwear options. The ones I selected to include in the Polyvore picture are swim suits I felt would work for different body shapes, have that vintage and retro charm, and would work great with this summer's trends. 

Pants Galore!

Some of the new donations!

Since I've moved from St. Louis to Champaign, IL I've interviewed at a couple places, unpacked my things, and tried to improve my website and portfolio. I've accepted a management position since here in Champaign the costume design positions are insanely slim and not really paid. I'm about to start working as a costume design assistant for Oklahoma! and I really can't wait. Since Wednesday morning I've been helping (It's kind of like being the Costume Shop Manager Assistant) the Costume Shop Manager (who is also the designer I'm assisting, go through the costume shop and organize everything. Since the shop is also where the costumes are kept it's not in the best shape. People leave stuff on the front tables instead of putting it away, or they put it in the wrong box, or they move stuff into the wrong sections. It's crazy how people put things everywhere without thinking. Next week starts measurements of all the actors and actresses and then BAM we'll be pulling costumes.

Most of the brown pants
ready to be put away.

In preparation for pulling for such a huge cast, we've been going through the shop's costumes. Wednesday I moved all the prom & wedding dresses to a new spot and then shuffled the period section around until it was less chaotic and crowded. Yesterday and today I've been focusing on pants. We both thought it wouldn't be such a huge task...well...the boxes all were labeled but what was inside them was wrong. So I've been going through the new donations and labeling & sizing them. Then I went ahead and went through almost all of the rest of the pants boxes to make sure everything was labeled, sized and would go in the right color box. It's a very time consuming job but it's neat to see the entire stock of pants and to get an idea of options for the show.

One of my favorite boxes to go through is the "Loud Pants" box. It has crazy patterns, colors, and more. It's just a cheerful box and has some great options. I was able to add a couple new pairs to the loud box and if any more need to be included then we'll need another box, which is a great thing in my opinion. I wish we had this many women's pants options, but I may just have to try some of these on for fun! Or somehow bribe my boyfriend to come to the shop and model some pairs for me so I can blog about them and have decent pictures to show off. 

*Side note: I've started a tag on Instagram for whenever I post neat costumes from the shop (or other places) & it's #mycostumefind so check it out for more finds!

Just some of the "Loud Pants."

Summer Vibes

Summer Vibes by brimalotke

Kimono Sleeve Robe

For "Ariadne" my team constructed a blue velvet, blue satin lined, robe with kimono style sleeves and blue floral embroidery details. It's stunning. The picture you see to the right is me trying on the muslin mock up....which I get to keep! I plan on first finishing all of the seams and then hemming it. Next step will be to wash it because I want to try my hand at dying it. I think I want a rich maroon color, but we'll see what happens. I plan on adding some details like the embroidered flowers or some strips of patterns. I might even throw a lining in for the heck of it since we have the patterns still. But I might be starting a different project before doing all of this to the robe.

Projects Update

Since work in the shop is slowing down I've decided to start up a project. Hancock Fabrics is going out of business here in St. Louis so I went and got some cool things to start working on during my last few days. I did buy a dress pattern and I'm think about trying to go ahead and do that, but I might make a shirt instead with a visible zipper down the back and save the dress for when I can just sit down on a weekend and do it all at once. I bought black fabric with red hearts for the dress and a black with deep red roses for a blouse. I of course then caved when I saw a black and white plaid hounds-tooth with thin pink stripes and bought 3 yds to make a skirt & vest combination. I'm pretty excited about getting back into making my own things and I have a LOT of fabric and materials at home that I can use when I get settled in IL.
I plan on starting a project tomorrow so when I do I'll take pictures and do a step-by-step post with tips and such. So stay tuned for actual exciting posts. Work has been unexpectedly busy these past few weeks so it'll be nice to return to blogging and getting new material for my blog and my website!

Quote From McQueen

Quote From McQueen by brimalotke

Wedding Fever

Wedding Fever by brimalotke

Peach Wedding

Peach Wedding by brimalotke 

Success

{A small pastry from when I was in Roanne.}

This post is a little different, it's basically me just contemplating where to go after my contract with the Opera Theatre is over. Am I successful? Will I be successful? Those types of questions and such.

"Être homme, c'est précisément être responsable. C'est connaître la honte en face d'une misère qui ne semblait pas dépendre de soi. C'est être fier d'une victoire que les camarades ont remportée. C'est sentir, en posant sa pierre, que l'on contribue à bâtir le monde." -Antoine de Saint Exupéry, from "Terre des Hommes"

This quote, from the author of "Le Petit Prince," can be translated to:
“To be a man is to be responsible: to be ashamed of miseries you did not cause; to be proud of your comrades' victories; to be aware, when setting one stone, that you are building a world.”

To me, success is really hard to define and put into words. Now you may think this quote has nothing to do with success, but being aware of what's happening around you, how to be a better person, and how to just do something that has an impact on others- that can all be described as successful. Of course, with this then any small achievement can be success. But when you're struggling to see if you've been successful, then it gets tricky because for most, you define your successes based on others around you. For me, I like to think I've been successful so far. I graduated from a big ten college and I landed a great first job after college. The hard part is going from there and trying to feel like you haven't become a one-hit wonder. I'm going to keep pursuing my dreams, and if it takes me a while to become a costume designer then it takes me a while. I'm going to try my best not to define my success against others or against time. We'll see what happens in the future.

What Does A First Hand Do?

The real question is what doesn't a first hand do?
So far with my experience at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis I've learned a tremendous amount and I think I now know what the role of a first hand is in the shop setting. It's a little bit of everything. I do some small patterning (for example cape hoods), a lot of cutting out fabric, I do hand sewing, sew garments together, do alterations, help in fittings, keep everything organized and make sure it's all labeled, and there's a lot more. It's hard to narrow it all down but it really is a little bit of everything- whatever the team needs done.
I'm enjoying my time here with OTSL. It's very fast paced, you're always working, and the people are fun. I'm still leaning towards becoming a costume designer (ideal goal is costume design for movies or TV) but working on operas is pretty wonderful.

Going on Week 3

I'll keep it short this time, but it's been amazing working for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. I'm insanely grateful to my professors who have allowed me to pursue this wonderful opportunity. I am loving working here and I enjoy seeing all of the progress. I've been very busy between work and the extra classes, finishing up my regular classes at Purdue, and then the regular adult life stuff such as grocery shopping, working out, and making sure the apartment is tidy. I'm hoping to post a lot of progress stuff this coming weekend. It's rough to stay up to date with having only 1 day a week off but I shall do it and write some neat posts. 

Opera Theatre of St. Louis: Being a First Hand

I've finished my second day as a first hand for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. It's been pretty great and very busy! For my first day we had orientation and then I spent the next few hours working with my draper at collecting fabrics and getting information on different pieces. I patterned a cloak piece and then cut out 3 of them! Two of the cloaks needed extra pieces so I cut those as well. I did manage to get a hood cut out as well using an already constructed hood as a pattern. For today I managed to get the other cloaks' hood cut out and even the 4th cloak's hood cut out after we washed and dried the fabric (it had majorly shrunk).

Working on Macbeth.

I also pressed and rolled a lot of fabric today since my draper didn't have more patterned. I did mark and cut out a tunic for Macbeth. I also helped cut some other fabric to get ready for our last cloak. We had meetings after lunch so I didn't have a full day's work. I did hand sew some tags in one of the cloaks that have an unattached hood. It was how I spent my last 10ish minutes at work. 

Overall I'm really enjoying working as a First Hand. I don't think I would enjoy being a costume technician as a full time career, but this is pretty exciting and I like working on multiple productions at once. It's fun and keeps things going. I'm excited to participate in the apprenticeship program here as well. It'll be a very busy 2 months and I'm really glad I have this opportunity in my life. It's just a great experience!

Spring

Spring by brimalotke

New Website

One of my classes this semester is Portfolio. For our final project we have to make some type of portfolio combination that illustrates our work and such. I've chosen to take it all digitally and create a new website now that I have some pictures of my senior collection. I'm pretty happy with it so far, but am still making some changes. I don't have all the pictures from the fashion show so I'll be adding a lot more once I have them.

Interested? 

Check it out here: Malotke Designs

Gabby in Action

Gabby wearing my finale piece: 

The look consisted of a black and white plaid dress with a red visible zipper down the back and black rib knit around the armholes and collar. The bottom of the dress is black chiffon that was tied up around her waist until a certain part of the song when she would then untie it to reveal that it's a floor length dress with a front slit. 

The corset has a black visible zipper down the front and a soft grey cotton trim along the top of it. The panels are made from the different plaids from the rest of the collection with black cotton for the front and the black and white plaid from her dress for the back panels. The inside of the corset has black, white, and red ribbon for the taping of the bones. 

I made the headpiece in London at the London College of fashion for my final piece for my Millinery course. It's a black wool piece that I covered by hand sewing black fabric (that has a shine and a ripple texture). I hand glued all of the red swarovski crystals to the veiling and then sewed the veiling on to the piece. I dyed the ostrich feathers red, curled them, and glued & sewed them to the side. For the final touch I added a white and black butterfly I bought at the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the V&A to the side on top of the red feathers.

Picture courtesy of Brian Powell "Fashion Show Freebies." 

Senior Collection: Finished!

Pictured L/R: Tim, Eric, Sarah, Gabby, Brianna (Me), Dairius, Megan, Kevin, Greg.

On Saturday, April 2nd, I showed my senior collection at 11am and 3pm. My song was Lydia by Highly Suspect and my choreography was pretty simple. During the song Gabby would untie her skirt from around her waist transferring her look from a short draped dress to a floor length evening gown look. I have a few really awesome shots of her in action that I will post soon.

Overall I loved my collection. I got really lucky and my models were amazing people. They were always attentive, on time, excited, eager, good listeners, just the whole nine yards of awesomeness. They also all got along really well, which helped me because I was never stressing out about them or their looks. They all had the same eye makeup for the show, but the girls had red lips while the guys had their lips look as though they were sewn shut. I felt that without hair and makeup and accessories, the outfits could go very punk or very prim and proper. Which is one thing I loved about my looks. Drawing inspiration from bands like My Chemical Romance and then from the classic looks of French tailoring. I really liked playing with accessories and makeup to get the full effect. I like to think my models would make awesome characters in a MCR music video.

My aim was to have the guys have really similar styling but they little differences. For example, they all have different patterned socks and Dairius has a hat to add more black into his look. I wanted the girls to all be different with their styling. For the red and black dress I chose a simple gold ring and a men's pocket square to tie around her wrist. She also got black thigh highs with bows and black ankle boots. Gabby's look had a lot of patterns and my head piece I made in London, so I chose simple black triangle earrings and black heels reminiscent of the Spice Girls style. Megan's look has a Harley Quinn feel to it so I gave her one white glove and some black and white striped earrings. Her heels are cutesy with the t-strap and little black bows, but they're covered in gold spikes for a more dangerous vibe. I am in love with how everything turned out and I can't imagine changing any of it. 

When I get the more professional pictures I'll post those, especially the action shots!

Fashion Show Shenanigans in Photos

Close up of Gabby's makeup.

One of my lovely models getting her
hair done in a faux Mohawk style.

 

Some of my guy models waiting
for their pictures to be taken.

A detail shot of Eric's black and white plaid trousers,
 striped socks, and punk shoes. 

Ready for the show!
Makeup inspiration was from the band
My Chemical Romance when they did
their "The Black Parade" album.

Model & Designer 

All lined up and ready for the show to start!
For the runway they would be entering from altering sides (left/right).
So the first 4 models in line enter from the left and
the second group of 4 enter from the right.