JASON WU FALL/WINTER 2011/12

Check out Tommy Ton's photos of the behind the scenes Jason Wu Fall/Winter 2011/12 show. The work on these garments are just unreal!

IN THE STUDIO: JASON WU FALL/WINTER 2011/12

Ruffles

I have a current obsession with ruffles. They just make everything so dramatic and "rococo," and I love my rococo and infatuation with Marie Antoinette. The two current corsets I'm making are ruffle-tastic for a little touch of feminine.

The official definition of a ruffle "in sewing and dressmaking" is a strip of fabric, lace or ribbon tightly gathered or pleated on one edge and applied to a garment as a form of trimming. There are many synonyms, such as frill, furbelow and flounce, but ruffle seems to be the most catching. It's the most girly, and really, any girl likes ruffles, bows and sequins! Unfortunately, the two corsets on the go don't have sequins, but they're abundant in the other two girly goodies. I do hope they are popular, as they both are my favourite so far. Photos will be up next week as I still have to do the eyelets.

 "What do you like better, with ruffles or without?" 

Always with!!! 

Lady Portraits

I have hit a gold-mine when it comes to corset designs - printed fabric panels! They'd make a beautiful accent to any simple corset, and be one-of-a-kind. I ordered this Marie Antoinette panel off of Ebay from Carolines Handmades. She custom prints images onto different fabrics primarily for quilting purposes. It's a full body portrait of Marie wearing a stunning apricot dress dolled up to the nines. I'm so excited to make a corset out of it, I'm just trying to find the right one.

This little wall hanging I found in the Newtown Vinnies, and I'm now kicking myself that I didn't get the partner to it (which really wasn't as pretty, but would come equally handy). It's a portrait of a young Baroque girl in a grey dress. She's so delicate with her long neck and tiny waist. This "cameo" can easily be reshaped to sit onto the breast of a corset. This corset is currently in the making and a photo shoot will be up next week.

Mermaid Green Edwardian Corset

This is my new favourite corset out of the three I just made. It's a gorgeous green/blue taffeta that reminds me of a mermaid's tail. It's an edwardian pattern with plastic 9mm boning and a steel busk. A pretty lace detail adorns the top. This corset is also listed on Etsy.

Find the listing HERE.

Tie Dye Satin Corset

Here's the first one of many more corsets to come that will be up for sale on Etsy. It's an amazing handmade underbust riding corset in a designer tie-dye satin. It ties at the front with cream cording and cinches the waist into 23 inches! Spiral steel boning is used throughout the corset, the only one of my corsets at the moment that has spiral steel boning (because it's expensive to buy). Overall, it's a beauty!

Find the listing HERE.

Silk Robe

I had a job interview last week and I was DESPERATE for something to wear. My lovely new friend Betty works at the Clearance Store of Sarah Jane, and this gorgeous royal blue silk robe caught my eye. It was a bit out of my price range, but who cares? It's gorgeous! It's made in Indonesia and everything is hand finished - even the 3D flowers! I'm in love.

Oh, L'amour!

I'm on Etsy!

Check out my shop on Etsy. There isn't much at the moment (only the pink Swarovski Crystal corset), but I'm making a few more corsets this week that will be listed ASAP.

My Etsy Shop

Corset Photo Shoot

FINALLY! The photos are in. Remember back in December when my good friend Tim took me out on a photoshoot around Sydney in my Marie Antoinette costume and my sparkly corset?

Here are the results.

Photos by Tim Dennis.

www.timdennis.com.au

Mardi Gras!

It's been just less than a month since my last post, but I have a VERY good excuse. I was asked to be the costume designer on Canary and was given 2 weeks to do the job. Canary is a beautiful show on at the New Theatre (it opened Wednesday the 2nd of Feb) about the change in the acceptance of homosexuality since the sixties. The script is heart-wrentching; I highly recommend it.

As I said, I was given 2 weeks to pull this show together. When I got the gig, I was so excited to work on a Mardi Gras show - sequins and feathers! But no, it's much more serious, but still as beautiful. There are only 8 actors, but there are at least 30 characters! So lots of costume changes and lots of characters to think of, making my job a lot more difficult than I thought. But I believe it worked out really well.

Canary is on at the New Theatre in Newtown until the 5th of March.