If you like to sew or want to learn how to sew and have a girls getaway, there is a huge sewing expo happening September 26-28, 2014 in Michigan! Three days of interesting sewing classes for all levels of stitchers including costume classes on cosplay, refashioning, fit, fabric, and costume design careers. Here are the costume class descriptions:
*Costume Magic by Bernadine Vida
Join professional costume designer, Bernadine Vida
as she demonstrates fast and easy costume making
without breaking the bank! It’s fun and simple to cre- ate a multitude of costume pieces using thrift store
garments or even clothes from your own closet.
Watch her as she performs this costume magic right
before your very eyes. Be inspired by
A Facebook friend from my college days at Brigham Young University is the associate producer of a new Broadway musical opening in March called “Bullets Over Broadway.” He shared this clip of Bullets’ costume designer William Ivey Long who designed costumes for more than 60 Broadway shows over the last 30+ years including The Producers, Hairspray, Nine, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, Cinderella, and Young Frankenstein.
Mr. Long shares a glimpse of the theater costume design process in under 3 minutes:
Here’s a summary of his words and some basic steps for the costume designer:
1. Get a copy of the script
2. Meet with the director and ask lots of questions:
I discovered this company (chasing-fireflies.com) a few years ago when my mom passed along their print catalog she had received in the mail. My girls loved to look through the pages at all the fanciful and interesting costumes. I was relieved that I could trust my girls with this company’s catalog of modest costumes because so many costume resources display the cutesy “adult” costumes right alongside the costumes for kids.
Wow–was I hooked! Chasing Fireflies’ costumes look incredible. They have a 75 page catalog showing a large assortment of family friendly, age appropriate boutique costumes. Prices range from $29.50 for an infant pirate costume to a wickedly gorgeous evil queen costume that goes from a girl’s size 6 ($98.50) up to a women’s size 24/26 for $148.50. This may seem like an investment, but that’s exactly what it is. These costumes are built to last well past the first Halloween party and depending on the costume, many include 2 to 6 pieces, such as a mask, cape, belt or leg warmers so you get big bang for your buck.
Though I have not purchased a costume from Chasing Fireflies it seems that they are much higher quality costumes because of the attention to detail and design. They have trims, embellishments, and fabrics that are not available on most costumes from typical retailers. The hems look properly folded over and finished which keeps them from shredding and running. Many of the girl costume hems are even finished off with feathers, lace, or sequin trim. Some costumes such as the police office, knight, and firefighter include personalization. Multiple accessories available including shoes, jewelry, or treat bags really take the costume over the top!
I ran across the following two Chasing Fireflies Videos on YouTube and though they are from a few seasons ago, it shows a sampling of their product in action. I love the behind-the-scenes look at things, so it’s kind of fun to sneak into their photo shoots…
My Top 5 Costumes From Chasing Fireflies (though I have many favorites)
A friend recently asked on my Facebook page if I had any ideas for a Frankenstein Halloween costume for girls. I immediately went to Chasing Fireflies, one of my favorite costume resources for inspiration. They have amazing looking costumes, though they may seem a bit pricey. However, they are very detailed and often come with numerous pieces. This “Green Monster Girl” costume retails for $89.50, but you get the purple top, the textured green shrug, tiered skirt, the furry boot covers, and the SO fun Frankenstein hat & headband. If you are running out of time to put it together yourself or don’t feel crafty, Chasing Fireflies is a good online resource for boutique costumes and they have really unique costume accessories that I haven’t seen at other retailers. It’s getting close to Halloween so if you want a costume from Chasing Fireflies, you will need to get right on it and pay attention to the delivery date in case you need rush shipping.
If you love this girl Frankenstein, but would like to recreate your own version, this is how I break it down:
Retail stores abound with Halloween costume ideas! Think “outside the box”, or outside of the Halloween section. These ideas aren’t the typical “costume-in-a-bag”, but the really awesome thing is that you have clothing that is wearable afterwards, trendy, and not relegated to the dress-up box. These photos are meant to inspire you as a starting off point, so rev up your creativity engine…
A little lamb with black leggings, black long sleeve tee, cream leg warmers, and a cute lamb hat
I recently wrote 3 different posts using a faux fur vest as a starting point for Halloween costume ideas. I was out shopping today and it’s not just available at JC Penney. Apparently this faux fur vest look is hot this year because I saw similar vests at H & M and Target . H & M even has a version in their adult sizes. Justice has a version you can purchase online here. So not only do you or your kids get something cozy and warm to wear as part of a Halloween costume, but you get something trendy for fall and winter! Who doesn’t love that?
The fashion districts in Los Angeles and New York City are incredible resources for finding materials used in costume making. You may be needing fabric to sew a
