January Update--Worth, Bum Rolls, & Broadway
Where has January gone? We've been busy at the Redthreaded studio, so it's time for a bit of an update. I am so pleased by the response to our stock corset updates and our sale on the old style versions. Those sale corsets are selling out faster than I'd anticipated, and the new 1860's is proving to be quite popular. So, besides sewing mountains of white corsets, what else have we been up to?
The Worth Gown Is Done...Again
I have finally--truly!--finished the Ironwork Gown to my standards. Friend and collaborator Jennifer of Merritt Portrait Studio found this absolutely amazing shoot location in Denver, and that was the final motivation I needed to update the dress. I re-made the sleeves in silk net as they should have been from the beginning, and improved the petticoat so that it supported the weight of the applique properly. This was one of the main mistakes at Costume College--organdy ruffles met their match between the final weight of the skirt and the humidity of Los Angeles. The silhouette is much better now.
We'll have more photos from last weekend's shoot soon, but for now, here's a teaser of the location and my ensemble.
Right?!?!
I am usually so shy when it comes to cameras. I generally dread them. I spend my life making others look fancy. But the combination of that gown which I am so proud of, the exquisite location, expert hair by Lauren of Vintage Hairstyling, and Jennifer's amazing photographic direction made for such a special and fun shoot. It takes a village, but I think the transformation was, dare I say, #worthit. I wore my amazing glass moonstone jewelry from Dames a La Mode once more.
My long overdue write up on this gown will be published at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd in a month or two.
Skirt Supports
I have been developing patterns for our local manufacturing partner Mile High Workshop, and we are almost ready to go into production. We'll start with short lobstertail bustles, 3rd quarter 18th century false rumps, and versatile bum rolls which will work for Elizabethan and earlier 18th century. Hooray! These should launch later this spring.
Anastasia on Broadway
Our biggest project for the first quarter of this year is Anastasia the musical. If that sounds familiar, it's because we made a lot of costumes for the world premier at Hartford Stage a year ago. The show was a big success in Hartford, and so it will transfer to Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre in April (previews start March 23rd). Linda Cho is overseeing the transfer of her costume design to the Broadway production.
When a show transfers to Broadway (or from Broadway to a national tour as was the case recently with Something Rotten!) there is quite a lot of work to be done in all departments. New costumes must be made to fit any new cast members. This is also an opportunity for the costume designer, director, and wardrobe team to address any changes they may want to make from the original production for either design or practicality sake.
So we're back in 1900's Russia for a little while. I just returned from a quick trip to NYC where I fit our costumes for the new ensemble. The theatre world is so small, and one of the best things about this job is that I get to see friends wherever I go!
