TheLadyNerd
Well-Known Member
For all the threads I've started on these forums, it's high time I show something finished for once! (I'll confess, lack of funds usually keeps me from finishing most costumes or biting off way more than I can chew.)
Shortly after the Avengers film came out, a bevy of fan art started circulating around the web. Some friends of mine liked one of the femme-venger sets consisting of character themed cocktail dresses. I was going to pass on it due to having too much to do and I'm not a big fan of small body-con dresses myself. A couple hours later, one friend popped up to tell me, in no uncertain terms, that I would be doing Loki. After a few rounds of debate, I finally relented on the condition that I got to design my own dress. While there was nothing wrong at all with the artist's design, my own artist mind just couldn't quite see Loki in a short body-con dress. Loki has a flair for theatrics, so I figured if everyone else showed up in cocktail dresses, Loki would show up in a full-fledged gown. Why? Because she could.
So I quickly sketched out a two-piece gown inspired by the film versions of Loki. I didn't do an exact representation as I wanted to keep a high fashion element to it. That way I could get away with wearing it outside geek circles. Here's the basic turnaround...
Then coloured...( I am NEVER doing a costume design with coloured pencils like this again. I should've just stuck with my usual marker rendering, but I was hoping to get a more subtle gradient in the body of the dress. Ah well, I learned something!)
I found a beautiful psuedo-silk dupioni fabric at Joann's and used the wrong side of it for the bodice and skirt (which had more texture and brilliant sheen). The original intent was to ombre dye the fabric from black to the green. Unfortunately I didn't realise that it was not a silk blend, but 100% polyester. I learned very quickly that polyester repels dye. (The fabric was left sitting overnight in an entire tub of black dye and it didn't dye a smidge!) :facepalm
Unfortunately I can't sew to save my life, but thankfully my incredibly talented seamstress friend, Angelica, came to my rescue. I gave her the drawings and the fabric (we also used a polyurethane psuedo-leather skirt from the 80s for the fabric of the leather parts of the costume) and let her do her thing. Also, the brass parts on the shoulder are one zipper that's been pulled apart to make separate strands.
(Funny sidenote: I hardly consider myself tall, but apparently I was taller than the mannequin at full height, so Angelica had to stick a box underneath it to make up for the difference!)
I had a major stroke of luck finding a decently accurate bib necklace and geometric bracer at Forever 21 (Finding fairly accurate AND cheap materials - major win!). I had debated on distressed the jewelery, but decided against it so I could wear the pieces with other outfits. (Funnily enough, I've worn the necklace with other clothes and inevitably someone says, "Hey, isn't that kind of like Loki's bib/collar thing?")
I debuted the finished costume at Dragoncon 2012, followed by a subsequent photoshoot last month. I'm still waiting on the last batch of photos, but here's the final costume! (Makeup inspired by female Loki from the comics.)
Photographs © Kyle McLaughlin 2012 - nashville, tennessee photographer studio kgm, inc.
Makeup - Aisha Daly
Shortly after the Avengers film came out, a bevy of fan art started circulating around the web. Some friends of mine liked one of the femme-venger sets consisting of character themed cocktail dresses. I was going to pass on it due to having too much to do and I'm not a big fan of small body-con dresses myself. A couple hours later, one friend popped up to tell me, in no uncertain terms, that I would be doing Loki. After a few rounds of debate, I finally relented on the condition that I got to design my own dress. While there was nothing wrong at all with the artist's design, my own artist mind just couldn't quite see Loki in a short body-con dress. Loki has a flair for theatrics, so I figured if everyone else showed up in cocktail dresses, Loki would show up in a full-fledged gown. Why? Because she could.
So I quickly sketched out a two-piece gown inspired by the film versions of Loki. I didn't do an exact representation as I wanted to keep a high fashion element to it. That way I could get away with wearing it outside geek circles. Here's the basic turnaround...
Then coloured...( I am NEVER doing a costume design with coloured pencils like this again. I should've just stuck with my usual marker rendering, but I was hoping to get a more subtle gradient in the body of the dress. Ah well, I learned something!)
I found a beautiful psuedo-silk dupioni fabric at Joann's and used the wrong side of it for the bodice and skirt (which had more texture and brilliant sheen). The original intent was to ombre dye the fabric from black to the green. Unfortunately I didn't realise that it was not a silk blend, but 100% polyester. I learned very quickly that polyester repels dye. (The fabric was left sitting overnight in an entire tub of black dye and it didn't dye a smidge!) :facepalm
Unfortunately I can't sew to save my life, but thankfully my incredibly talented seamstress friend, Angelica, came to my rescue. I gave her the drawings and the fabric (we also used a polyurethane psuedo-leather skirt from the 80s for the fabric of the leather parts of the costume) and let her do her thing. Also, the brass parts on the shoulder are one zipper that's been pulled apart to make separate strands.
(Funny sidenote: I hardly consider myself tall, but apparently I was taller than the mannequin at full height, so Angelica had to stick a box underneath it to make up for the difference!)
I had a major stroke of luck finding a decently accurate bib necklace and geometric bracer at Forever 21 (Finding fairly accurate AND cheap materials - major win!). I had debated on distressed the jewelery, but decided against it so I could wear the pieces with other outfits. (Funnily enough, I've worn the necklace with other clothes and inevitably someone says, "Hey, isn't that kind of like Loki's bib/collar thing?")
I debuted the finished costume at Dragoncon 2012, followed by a subsequent photoshoot last month. I'm still waiting on the last batch of photos, but here's the final costume! (Makeup inspired by female Loki from the comics.)
Photographs © Kyle McLaughlin 2012 - nashville, tennessee photographer studio kgm, inc.
Makeup - Aisha Daly
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