this is what happens when I get the afternoon off.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
I'm making... TOAST!
Surprise update - I found my camera, behold, toast:
this is what happens when I get the afternoon off.
this is what happens when I get the afternoon off.
hips! Hoops!
I just discovered new ways to make bread unhealthy yet colourful:
this courtesy of the blog Sunday Hotpants. Coloured milk, painted on bread, and then you toast the bread. Simple really. I'm fighting a powerful urge to make Fairy Bread now. I wasn't really exposed to these sorts of things as a child, so I rather enjoy the wonder of it now.
I picked up my red-and-white hula hoop for the first time in a while today. The weather's getting sufficiently clement for me to start making an ass of myself outdoors again, and I'm under a strict injunction from the doctor to not be such a goth and get some Vitamin D in me.
Exploring the new and frightening world of hotpants, I came across some merino wool short shorts online. This is all very new to me - the idea of wool around one's bottom seems perilous but apparently it's not. I'm trying to ascertain whether one wears these as actual shorts or as undies, either way they seem like they'd make acceptable shorts for warm days. Very tempted to make these the garments for my Show Your Damn Legs challenge...
I picked up my red-and-white hula hoop for the first time in a while today. The weather's getting sufficiently clement for me to start making an ass of myself outdoors again, and I'm under a strict injunction from the doctor to not be such a goth and get some Vitamin D in me.
Exploring the new and frightening world of hotpants, I came across some merino wool short shorts online. This is all very new to me - the idea of wool around one's bottom seems perilous but apparently it's not. I'm trying to ascertain whether one wears these as actual shorts or as undies, either way they seem like they'd make acceptable shorts for warm days. Very tempted to make these the garments for my Show Your Damn Legs challenge...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
playing with shapes
So on a windy and uncouth weekend, what do I do with myself?
I start to think about shapes. This makes a bit of sense because I'm in the middle of a fiddly sewing commission. Some of the people who want me to make stuff are very keen to get something made to measure because they think it will 'fix' an aspect of their body they don't appreciate so much. The last show I did was interesting but I realise the clothes I had the most fun making were those that followed or amplified bodies. It was very interesting to be working alongside a corsetier but I at the same time, perhaps I would have preferred to let my models have more freedom of movement. Perhaps it's all down to personal preferences; I happen to like clothing that shows a bit of shape - especially bellies and hip-curves. I get a little sad when I see somebody who has pleasant, youthful curves squash their figure down flat in front and behind with bodices or those horrible elastic trousers they sell at Farmers. I have a corset but seldom wear it; to me, it's a piece of symbolic fashion (tip of the hat to a particular era and its politics or aesthetic) but wearing a corset is kind of the entry-level phase of dressing. I want to break past that and do something better with my shape on the days when I sport a little belly. It only seems fair to my commissioners that I try to work out, okay, what is going to look good on curves without compromising mobility?
So here is a little photo essay that follows my musings about how to treat curves and curvy people. I'm still not even close to understanding what to do for boys; it's an entirely new world to me. So starting with a less challenging task, here are different treatments of one very nice looking model, Crystal Renn.
Rrrar. *ahem. Picking this lady as an example is problematic for a bunch of reasons - for one, she's a normal size, maybe even a little smallish compared with the average New Zealand population. She's also proportionate - you know, she has a waistline, there's an hourglass figure going on there so it's difficult to conceive of someone like Ms. Renn wanting to conceal one particular attribute like a lot of shoppers seem to. To counter that, I'd remind readers that the shoppers I encountered in retail, as well as the people expressing an interest in my garments, have been all sizes, many of them have been skinny. Skinnier than I am that's for sure. I'd wager that insecurity is far more of a factor than actual measurements.
Here's a treatment I like. I can see a much bigger person in this outfit and looking even better. It's taken me a while to realise that real-woman thighs actually look quite fetching in short garments - maybe a throwback from my slightly puritanical style of dress as a child, who can say really? I'll toss that notion aside first chance I get this year, I promise! Bring on the short pants!
I also like the fact that the top's sleeves aren't disguising the arm but instead mould to it. Arms like this are lovely. I get very sad when women worry that they have big arms - it just doesn't make sense to go through life with stick-like limbs. though I can appreciate an older lady who's been out in the sun a lot wanting to put her upper arms away and be more safe in the NZ climate, I don't see why that should stop people from wearing form fitting tops.
Again a yes to the bare legs... I'm in two minds about adding more fabric to boobal regions, sometimes it feels like a misguided attempt at disguise, but I think this texture is compact enough that it works. At first I thought I preferred Renn in her more glamorous shots but then I saw this:
-oh that's nice... and this:
asfgaskfgjkagn! Daaaamn.
I think we've got proof here that a less obviously put-together look can net some astonishing pictures. and that dress (or even the one above it)? Simple! Not put together with dozens of panels or distressing froofy cling-ons. I can see not just me wearing these outfits, but plenty of people I know. I do like the theatrical stuff but maybe a bit of adipose tissue does its own job of adding interest to a look....
... also this post makes me want to eat more pies.
It's my intention to erect a photoscreen in the sewing room, get a decent light source and do a few shoots. This means I can also take some pictures of myself - oh dear. I'm a bit terrified about the prospect of being on the intertubes, in short pants, but if the Fatshionista can do it then so can I, dangit.
I start to think about shapes. This makes a bit of sense because I'm in the middle of a fiddly sewing commission. Some of the people who want me to make stuff are very keen to get something made to measure because they think it will 'fix' an aspect of their body they don't appreciate so much. The last show I did was interesting but I realise the clothes I had the most fun making were those that followed or amplified bodies. It was very interesting to be working alongside a corsetier but I at the same time, perhaps I would have preferred to let my models have more freedom of movement. Perhaps it's all down to personal preferences; I happen to like clothing that shows a bit of shape - especially bellies and hip-curves. I get a little sad when I see somebody who has pleasant, youthful curves squash their figure down flat in front and behind with bodices or those horrible elastic trousers they sell at Farmers. I have a corset but seldom wear it; to me, it's a piece of symbolic fashion (tip of the hat to a particular era and its politics or aesthetic) but wearing a corset is kind of the entry-level phase of dressing. I want to break past that and do something better with my shape on the days when I sport a little belly. It only seems fair to my commissioners that I try to work out, okay, what is going to look good on curves without compromising mobility?
So here is a little photo essay that follows my musings about how to treat curves and curvy people. I'm still not even close to understanding what to do for boys; it's an entirely new world to me. So starting with a less challenging task, here are different treatments of one very nice looking model, Crystal Renn.
Rrrar. *ahem. Picking this lady as an example is problematic for a bunch of reasons - for one, she's a normal size, maybe even a little smallish compared with the average New Zealand population. She's also proportionate - you know, she has a waistline, there's an hourglass figure going on there so it's difficult to conceive of someone like Ms. Renn wanting to conceal one particular attribute like a lot of shoppers seem to. To counter that, I'd remind readers that the shoppers I encountered in retail, as well as the people expressing an interest in my garments, have been all sizes, many of them have been skinny. Skinnier than I am that's for sure. I'd wager that insecurity is far more of a factor than actual measurements.
Here's a treatment I like. I can see a much bigger person in this outfit and looking even better. It's taken me a while to realise that real-woman thighs actually look quite fetching in short garments - maybe a throwback from my slightly puritanical style of dress as a child, who can say really? I'll toss that notion aside first chance I get this year, I promise! Bring on the short pants!
I also like the fact that the top's sleeves aren't disguising the arm but instead mould to it. Arms like this are lovely. I get very sad when women worry that they have big arms - it just doesn't make sense to go through life with stick-like limbs. though I can appreciate an older lady who's been out in the sun a lot wanting to put her upper arms away and be more safe in the NZ climate, I don't see why that should stop people from wearing form fitting tops.
Again a yes to the bare legs... I'm in two minds about adding more fabric to boobal regions, sometimes it feels like a misguided attempt at disguise, but I think this texture is compact enough that it works. At first I thought I preferred Renn in her more glamorous shots but then I saw this:
asfgaskfgjkagn! Daaaamn.
I think we've got proof here that a less obviously put-together look can net some astonishing pictures. and that dress (or even the one above it)? Simple! Not put together with dozens of panels or distressing froofy cling-ons. I can see not just me wearing these outfits, but plenty of people I know. I do like the theatrical stuff but maybe a bit of adipose tissue does its own job of adding interest to a look....
... also this post makes me want to eat more pies.
It's my intention to erect a photoscreen in the sewing room, get a decent light source and do a few shoots. This means I can also take some pictures of myself - oh dear. I'm a bit terrified about the prospect of being on the intertubes, in short pants, but if the Fatshionista can do it then so can I, dangit.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
a shadowy figure flits past
The flat cap's on the 'at stand, the whippets 'ave bin fed
-Bela Lugosi's Dad
I itch to play a set of often-disregarded 'soundalikes' - sounds like the Cure, sounds like Sisters, etc - that've gotten a little obscure to the ears of the EBM generation. If they can field Project Pitchfork clones on goth night then I can play the Damned with impunity (distressingly, the Damned sound a lot more decent than I ever gave the buggers credit for. Time to haul out the whiskey and lament recent developments in deathrock?) Hence the Mission quote above.
An essential part of the whole lousy, motheaten Goffick culture is self-parody; and that's a good thing. How else could the shambling beast have survived this long? I've been taking stock after the riotous mess of a show that was Black Circus 3 - a fun mess! - and I've realised that what makes me enjoy the alternative creative scene is the ability to not be all serious all the time. So we can field culturally sensitive garments made from harakeke and at the same time joke about robbing starmart wearing the stocking masks that come with the outfit. Or run a retro-inspired, vaguely jazz-age set in a mansion, under chandeliers, in the middle of a recession and using thrift-store materials. The pleasure's in the perversion.
I'm going to start up with the blog posts again, and associated artistic nonsense, now that the all-consuming clothing nonsense is over, the carnival's closed down for Christmas, and the whippets have been fed. On the horizon lurk amusing possibilities and more complex ones. I'm rueing my decision to put up my hand for a bit of storyboarding for a mate's project. And delighting in the possibility of taking a small theatrical turn in a very, very peculiar Fringe festival production in March of next year...
... if all goes as planned I shall be portraying a psychopathic armoured muppet crustacean. I don't know about you, dear readers, but doesn't that sound like an invitation to something sublime in its dementia? I am all over this... ALL over it.
http://theseductobot.blogspot.com/ is the link to the fledgling production site. I'll post a little more when I have more news to relate. The whole thing's the curious brainchild of Rose Deschamps, an expressive and witty singer/songwriter and all around Good Person. Nor is she the only friend of mine trying to rehabilitate the reputation of the Musical Theatre genre! Truly I know some amazing and funky people - who also happen to have an excellent sense of humour.
-Bela Lugosi's Dad
I itch to play a set of often-disregarded 'soundalikes' - sounds like the Cure, sounds like Sisters, etc - that've gotten a little obscure to the ears of the EBM generation. If they can field Project Pitchfork clones on goth night then I can play the Damned with impunity (distressingly, the Damned sound a lot more decent than I ever gave the buggers credit for. Time to haul out the whiskey and lament recent developments in deathrock?) Hence the Mission quote above.
An essential part of the whole lousy, motheaten Goffick culture is self-parody; and that's a good thing. How else could the shambling beast have survived this long? I've been taking stock after the riotous mess of a show that was Black Circus 3 - a fun mess! - and I've realised that what makes me enjoy the alternative creative scene is the ability to not be all serious all the time. So we can field culturally sensitive garments made from harakeke and at the same time joke about robbing starmart wearing the stocking masks that come with the outfit. Or run a retro-inspired, vaguely jazz-age set in a mansion, under chandeliers, in the middle of a recession and using thrift-store materials. The pleasure's in the perversion.
I'm going to start up with the blog posts again, and associated artistic nonsense, now that the all-consuming clothing nonsense is over, the carnival's closed down for Christmas, and the whippets have been fed. On the horizon lurk amusing possibilities and more complex ones. I'm rueing my decision to put up my hand for a bit of storyboarding for a mate's project. And delighting in the possibility of taking a small theatrical turn in a very, very peculiar Fringe festival production in March of next year...
... if all goes as planned I shall be portraying a psychopathic armoured muppet crustacean. I don't know about you, dear readers, but doesn't that sound like an invitation to something sublime in its dementia? I am all over this... ALL over it.
http://theseductobot.blogspot.com/ is the link to the fledgling production site. I'll post a little more when I have more news to relate. The whole thing's the curious brainchild of Rose Deschamps, an expressive and witty singer/songwriter and all around Good Person. Nor is she the only friend of mine trying to rehabilitate the reputation of the Musical Theatre genre! Truly I know some amazing and funky people - who also happen to have an excellent sense of humour.
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