costumes:   gothic   fantasy   LotR   characters   16th century   18th century   19th century   20th century   science fiction

The Pin Posse Costumers I know or like to think I do (reading their LiveJournal counts, right?). They're some of the nicest people around, and many of them have been helpful and/or inspirational to me because of their knowledge and skill. These folks clearly have fun with their art. Demode - Kendra's historical costumes are stunning and very well documented. Plus, her site has interactive comments, updates about the costuming world, and more. Mode Historique - Check out the Dress Diaries for tons of detail about Sarah's exquisite gowns. Don't miss her Pictures of the Things I Love for great event pix. The Exploits of a Kamikaze Costumer - Lisa's work is proof that concept and vision, not just the skill with a needle, make a great costumer. Sam Gamgee - Leah has built the best place online for obsessive detail about hobbit costumes, even for non-sewers. The Costumer's Closet: Kevin Roche - Kevin has incredible sense of both style and humor. Check out his hilarious latex outfits, realistic drag ensembles, and wild scifi creations. The Work of Jwlhyfer de Winter - Jwlhyfer creates beautiful historical and fantastical costumes. Go to her "contact" page and peek in her Yahoo! directory for more lovely pix. Buckland Blues - Kel has tons of enthusiasm about costumes. Her Merry Brandybuck alter ego has undergone many incarnations, and she's also into anime, pirates, and more. Tattered Wings - Judy is a cosplay goddess. She's obsessively recreated Gimli, the Easterlings, and countless anime characters. Celefinniel's Web Site - Wonderful photos and how-to information about Kathe and Phil's elaborate Lord of the Rings costumes and armor. Also shows some of their other costumes (both historical and fantasy), plus their trip to Middle-Earth. La Bricoleuse - Updated journal of a professional costumer and amazing artist, featuring tips, techniques, and theater reviews. Check out her portfolio too. Katherine's Dress Site - Many divinely detailed historical gowns, plus some nifty fantasy recreations too. Don't miss her collection of antique garments. Wearing History - Lauren's growing site showcasing her beautiful historical costumes, as well as some fashion history resources. Historically Dressed - Jenni's pretty historica costumes, plus event pictures, fashion references, and pattern reviews. Jenny La Fleur's Costumes - Lovely work spanning many periods, most costumes with detailed dress diaries and construciton photos. Glitter Sweet - Michaela de Bruce creates exquisite costumes for her own pleasure, as well as for theatrical productions. Fine work with amazing detail on both historical and fantasy garb. Costumers Around the Web These are folks I may not personally know, but I admire their work. Their websites showcase fabulous and fantastical creations that I find are worth repeated viewings. Festive Attyre - Not only her own excellent Medieval-Renaissance costumes, but check out Featured Attyre, updated with neat costume pix from other people. Anya's Documentation Site - A great portfolio of beautiful Elizabethan costumes. Costuming Resources I won't even try to create a definitive list of costume site. These are merely my essentials. Start with the GBACG -- they link to everything worth linking too! Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild - The SF Bay Area's chapter of the International Costumer's Guild, and the largest and most active of all ICG chapters. I'm proud to have been involved with this stellar group of people almost since its inception. If you're in the area, Guild events are the single best places to dress up in funny clothes and have a good time. If you're not local, their website is still chock full of useful info. The Great Pattern Review - Part of the GBACG site, this is a fabulous collection of reviews for patterns, mostly historical. I always consult the GPR before buying, especially if I'm looking at one of those pricey historical reproduction patterns. LotR Costume Research - The only website you'll ever need if you're interested in costumes from these gorgeous movies. Constantly updated and expanded. Has a very lively Yahoo! Group about it too. Real Women's Clothing, 1750-1919 - Part of the Kendra's site, this is an extensive list of links to extant garments in museums and historical societies. Very useful for historical research. La Couturière Parisienne - Massive resource for costume history from Medieval to the 1930s and ethnic. Tons of original pictures, plus lots of how-to info. In English and German. The Elizabethan Costume Page - Plenty of links to portraits, how-tos, and essays on the clothing of the period. Handy tips for making undergarments as well. The Costumer's Guide to Movie Costumes - Nice resource for flick frocks like those in Marie-Antoinette, Shakespeare in Love, Titanic, Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Carribean, and Ever After (on another of Maggie's sites). Costume Events Some of my favourite places to dress up in funny clothes. Or learn more about making funny clothes to dress up in. Or both. BayCon - This is my little local science fiction/fantasy convention. I attended almost every year since the mid-'80s and have been a panelist since the mid-'90s. This is my main venue for wearing costumes, and it's a very enjoyable, mellow con. The costume masquerade has been undergoing a renaissance in the past few years too. Costume College - Annual late-July/early-August symposium in Van Nuys, CA, full of classes on everything from making a bustle petticoat to what historical pirates really wore. Class offerings change every year, and it always sells out. Highly recommended for historical costumers. Fabulous socializing opportunities as well. CostumeCon - The convention just for costumers. The event is in different U.S. cities every year, and it has panel discussions about various kinds of costuming. Features two highly competitive masquerade competitions, one for science fiction and fantasy, the other for historical. I've only been to two West Coast editions of this con, but I loved every minute of them both. And it's coming back to town in 2008! Creative Miscellany Just some sites that inspire creativity in me, often on a budget too. Many of these principles apply to costuming and dressing funny, others are just good stuff to know. alt.gothic.fashion.faq - Classic goth style info., advice, and store listings. Now with a spiffy new faq.mistress. Silks and Velvets - The only business site I'll list here, both because Yosa's a friend and her creations are always a thrill to look at. Guide to Synthetic Hair Extensions - Even though I'm not a fan of the Big Fake Hair look, I'm always impressed by the thoroughness of this site. This is the ultimate resource on ponyfalls and all kinds of wacky hairdos. Unsolicited, but Useful, Advice for LARPers - an amazing collection of resources, rants, and links about gaming, including lots of costume help.