Re: Dance of Thrones, Part Two

I had initially intended my first Game of Thrones-inspired bellydance number to a be a one-off, but when the character of Melisandre was introduced, I knew that I absolutely had to do a fire/candle dance as a Red Priestess. I’m pleased to report that my dance partner, Christina, and I, performed a successful candle duet to “Valar Morghulis” at this year’s spring recital.

Christina and I worked on the piece for the better part of a year and we went back and forth on different concepts for both the dance and the costumes. We finally settled on making the dance about the candles moving through space and we stuck to a Northern India look (kameez, narrow legged pants, and veil) for the costumes. We had a tray of battery-operated candles in front of us and we each danced with two candles, one in each hand. The Red God bless the maker of battery-operated candles! I remember the old days when candle dances were done with real flames and real wax candles and were usually the occasion for hot wax burns.

Christina and I made our red tunics with printed cotton from my fabric stash. The tunics were very simple with no extra decoration. We supplied our own purchased yoga pants (black) and we wore red veils with gold metallic dots, wrapped around our heads Indian-fashioned. The veils were special occasion fabric (polyester chiffon) that I got on sale at our local Jo Ann’s Fabrics. We used hairpins to fix the veils in place on our heads, wrapped them the way we wanted, and then used safety pins to keep the veils from moving out of alignment.

Having watched the recital DVD, I am very happy with how the dance came off. It was one of those rare moments when the mood and the movements we envisioned in our heads looked as cool on stage as it did in our imagination. Our candle duet actually looked as if it could have been a scene in the Game of Thrones TV series.

Re: What the Fitch

Ellen Degeneres has perhaps the best take on the Abercrombie & Fitch controversy making the rounds on the Internet right now.  You go, girl!

Re: Hairdo Archaeology

Hairdo archaeologist isn’t a job title you hear very often–or ever–but it’s the one bestowed on Janet Stephens, a professional stylist, whose work re-creating the hair styles of the ancient world earned her publication in the Journal of Roman Archaeology–only the second non-archaeologist to be published in the journal in its 25 year history. Here’s a link to an article about Janet and her work in the Wall Street Journal and here’s  a YouTube video showing her stylin’ re-creations:

The elaborate multi-braids reminds me of how North African women did their hair–another reminder that Ancient Rome looked towards the Meditarrean and the Near East, not towards Europe or the New World.

Re: All You Really Need to Know About Body Image ….

….in one easy graphic.

Re: Quotes about Costumes

Tom Hiddleston rocks a fashionably skinny maroon suit. The New York Times refers to suits of this cut as a major sea change in men’s fashions, but to me it has a 1950s-60s retro vibe. Regardless, the tasty Mr. Hiddleston still looks good.

Actor Tom Hiddleston talks about costumes and fashions in this 2012 UK GQ Magazine interview with Oliver Franklin. Click here to read the full interview:

You’re a stylish guy. What’s your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
I have a couple. I’m very partial to a leather jacket. There’s a particular Armani leather jacket, which it fits me so well and is itself such an elegant piece of tailoring, that the combination of the two is just great. It’s somehow perfect in every weather, so I can wear it in the summer and it’s not too hot, and I can wear it in the winter and it keeps me warm. It just feels great. However, I’m very partial to a suit – and Giorgio Armani made me a three-piece suit for for the release of War Horse. I was going to wear it to the premiere, then I found out it was black tie because the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were attending! So I ended up wearing it another time. But on the inside pocket it’s inscribed to Captain Nicholls, my character from War Horse. I think it’s really special.

Your War Horse co-star Benedict Cumberbatch walked for Spencer Hart last season.
I know – Benedict and his braces! Actually Benedict is a friend of mine and I know he’s talked about it, but I do think it’s a really creative industry. Maybe both of us a little bit later in life are starting to understand style. I think it comes hand in hand with having a visual imagination. When you work in film, you begin to understand that how people construct themselves is fascinating, and can often tell you a lot about who the person is. Benedict talked about working on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and the tailoring of that particular time [being an inspiration] but it’s also simply that if you work with great filmmakers and cinematographers and costume designers, you start to understand there is a delight in the beauty of a beautiful shot or a beautiful picture. If people look good in the picture then it helps!

Re: Quotes about Costumes

Got that right, sister!

Can I get an amen? True dat.

Re: Halloween Roundup 2012

With Halloween falling on a Wednesday this year and Halloween celebrations either falling the weekend before or after –or, in the case of Hurricane Sandy–being put off altogether, I thought I would wait a couple of weeks to allow Halloween photos to be posted. I didn’t intend it to be January of the new year before I posted again, but time just got away from me, I’m afraid. Nevertheless, below is a round up of what I’ve come across on-line that I felt was especially noteworthy.

One of the difficulties of creating a family Halloween costume is finding a theme that works for everyone, from the grownups to the youngest kids. This Scooby Doo family group works on all levels. I particularly liked the “Mystery Mobile” golf cart behind them for when young (and old) legs get tired of walking. Posted by tbarella on Instructables.

Occasionally, there’s a historic re-creation costume that really floors everybody and I really liked these Czar Nicholas and Czarina Alexandra Romanov costumes. The dress is a re-purposed wedding gown, the fabulous rhinestone jewelry was cobbled together from several necklaces, and the crowning glory, the tiara, was fashioned from wire and Fimo pearls. Posted by mandanak on Craftster. Click here to see the whole post.

The tower of crocheted blue hair really makes this Marge Simpson costume pop. Posted by stephany719 on Craftster.

You gotta love a dragon rider and I like the way this standard creature riding costume was given a Game of Thrones spin. Posted by Katusha on Instructables.

Craftster poster eakarink called her pink, feminine version of men’s combat gear, “Feminist Rambo”, but I think that “Feminine Protection” is a better title. Check out her tampon “bullet” bandolier below.

Pulling off Psy-Ops “Gangnam” style outfit is surprisingly easy to do and very recognizable. I saw several versions of this costume. This one was posted by fullinception on Instructables and only cost him $15.00.

Here’s a case where one great prop–in this case, the giant, fake check–really makes the group ensemble work. This Publisher’s Clearing House Prize Patrol get-up was posted by aujbrown on Instructables.

I saw several “50 Shades of Grey” costumes, but I thought this one was the easiest to pull off. The skirt, tie, and accessories are all made from paint sample cards that are free for the taking in the department store paint section. Posted by laurenhun on Instructables.