Fashion and Costume exhibits for every Clotheshorse IV.

Are you looking to expand your mind and visual costume vocabulary? Why not take a look at some of these amazing museum exhibits that 2017 has to offer!

Costume Couture: Where to buy if you’re simply not a stitcher.

Like any acquired skill, learning to sew takes time, practice, and weathering of both successes and failures to master. Where does that leave someone who adores wearing awesome outfits, costumes and cosplays, but doesn’t necessarily know their way around a sewing machine? Costume Couture is here to help!

Costume Couture: Spruce-up your style!

Did you ever pick a piece of clothing up during a sale or at a thrift store, thinking that it has some promise, but it just needed a little something extra? Or do you already have a garment that would look really great with a cosplay or costume of yours, but it requires a little enhancement or ornamentation to make it truly part of your look?

With a little thought and a little money (or just some skillful scavenging) it can be pretty easy to transform articles of clothing from meh to marvelous! No matter what your style– steampunk, goth, lolita– maybe a few finishing touches is all you need to spruce-up your style. Interested in some inspiration? Keep reading to see how I took an average thriftstore find and kick its interest up a couple of notches!

Looking for a Halloween costume? Try these trios!

We’re heading into October, and that means that Halloween and opportunities to wear sweet costume creations are just around the corner! Some people plan what their chosen costume (or costumes!) will be way ahead of time, but others wait until the last minute. If you’re one of those individuals who is still wondering what it is you’re going to be, maybe this list of popular trios will offer some inspiration not just for you, but for your friends, too!

Terra (Meghan) is not having any shenanigans from Raven (yours truly) and Starfire (Editor-in-Chief Sarah).

Schoolhouse Rock! asserts that Three is the Magic Number, and according to TV Tropes, that rings true for the world of popular visual arts, as well. Does this translate to real-life for you? Have two besties instead of just one? Then consider the following ‘Power Trios’, whether they are fictional or inspired by actual individuals, when you are looking for a Halloween costume:

Vesture Vocab III: Lexical Decorations for your Costumes and Conversations

Are you in the market for something interesting to add to your costume or cosplay? Halloween is practically around the corner, after all. If you’re searching for a costume or design detail to put the finishing touches on an ensemble, or just plain looking for weird words to wow your Scrabble buddies, Vesture Vocab is here to help!

There are two previous installments (I and II), so if you don’t find what you want here, perhaps you could take a gander at the other articles for assistance!

CUT! Costume and the Cinema: A review.

It’s been a busy summer for this costume designer, between mounting shows and traveling to various museums for costume and fashion exhibits. While some shows have been hit-and-miss, I never regret seeing what new museums have to offer!

Most recently, my co-workers and I trekked up to Sandwich, Massachusetts to visit the beautiful Heritage Museums & Gardens to see the CUT! Costume and the Cinema show. It was pretty exquisite– keep reading to find-out more about the exhibition and the museum!

Fashion, Costume and Historical Garb: Museum Exhibits for Every Clotheshorse III!

Museums are magical places of discovery, so I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting exhibits, especially when they pertain to costumes and fashion.

I’ve come across some really great garment and design-based shows across the country in past clotheshorse articles. If you feel the same passion for fashion, take a gander at these current and upcoming shows!

Gothic to Goth: A Review.

If you hadn’t noticed a theme in the type of museum exhibits that I like to frequent, other than costume and fashion shows in general, take a gander at Fashion Victims and Yesterday’s mourning. Thus, the Wadsworth Atheneum’s (located in Hartford, Connecticut) promising exhibit Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era’s Fashion and its Legacy was definitely on my list of must-see exhibitions.

Revenant #2

LGBTQ Makeup: Be Prideful for Pride Month

June is a month of celebration for LGBTQ folks. A community frequently ignored by the mainstream gets to to celebrate who they are and who they love. And although this month has been marred by tragedy, Pride is not over. Inspired by the amazing NikkieTutorials on Youtube, today I will show you how to get this amazing rainbow eye makeup so you can get your own Pride on.

Costume Couture: Commercial Pattern Radness!

Are you into creating your own wearable works on art? Do you not always have either the time, supplies or know-how to pattern or drape a garment from scratch? Luckily, whether you’re a seasoned stitcher or a beginning sewist, there are a plethora of commercial patterns at your disposal for your costuming needs.

Some pattern companies are readily hopping onto the cosplay train, creating patterns that are inspired by current superhero, fantasy and sci-fi themes, while others have always catered to the historical recreationists, providing patterns based off of extant garments and other research. Today, I’m going to give an overview of some of the pattern manufacturers whom you might want to check-out when you’re next in the market to sew-up a new frock, suit or other outfit.