keepcalmcostume
Well-Known Member
WandaVision snuck up on me in a big way. I was glad to see Wanda get more screentime, but I hadn't seen much promo material before the show aired and I had no expectations of getting invested in it, let alone recreating any costumes from it. Then Agatha happened. While I had some problems with the show, I immediately fell in love with Agatha. I initially planned to do just her 1950s dress from the first episode, but I quickly found myself theorizing and researching *all* of her costumes. So this is going to be a build thread for *all* the Agatha.
On mostly a whim, the first I ended up doing was the most gratuitous—it only has about 30 seconds of screentime, if that—but also the easiest: her 1990s purple velour tracksuit from the opening credits of the seventh episode.
I myself used to have an edgy velour rhinestoned tracksuit, so it was super relatable. And as I'm still in a costuming rut, something easy to make and comfy to wear was also appealing.
Because the costume felt so indulgent and was meant to be a laid-back project, I didn't want to invest a lot of money in it, so I got a tracksuit second hand and some cheaper resin rhinestones. The lettering could really be done with any uniform size, and that may be how they made hers, but with only blurry references it's hard to tell. So I got 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm to give it some variation.
I made a digital template of the lettering from screencaps and tweaked it to account for perspective. I don't do much digital work in costuming (or at all, really), so it was fun to use a new tool, even for something basic. I sized it based on standard 8.5x11" printer paper and did some (awkward) mock-up tests, and it ended up being pretty perfect.
Using the template as a stencil, I lightly painted the letters onto the pants with silver Jacquard fabric paint. Referring to both the template and screencaps, I started gluing the largest 6mm rhinestones in the places that looked the most prominent, then went down in size filling in more of the letters. I mostly used the larger sizes for the bulk of the letters, and used the smaller sizes to fill in gaps between them and smooth out edges. This gave the letters a really nice shape. I used E6000 for the gluing based on tutorials by the shop I got the rhinestones from, and it worked great. A wax pencil was also very handy.
This was my first time rhinestoning (?) fabric and it was so much fun. I'm already thinking about doing a second Agatha tracksuit but experimenting by filling in the letters with just tiny 2mm or 3mm rhinestones for a more uniform look.
There are a few wonky spots where I painted outside the lines or had to remove and reglue rhinestones and left some residue, so I might try to disguise that with some purple paint. The tracksuit I bought also fits a little odd—despite being a matching set, the pants are just this side of indecently tight but kind of perfect that way, but the jacket is a good size too big in comparison. So I may take the jacket in so it fits a little more tightly like hers. But it's completely wearable and overall I'm so, so happy with how it turned out.
I already have a white t-shirt to wear under it, and I'll likely improvise the shoes with some generic sneakers (I do have an old pair of Reeboks that might fit the '90s aesthetic). This would be a great opportunity to skip a wig because my hair is the perfect color, but it's also too short right now. I'm in the process of growing it out so I may wait and see if it's long enough by the time I have a reason to wear this (I don't know when or where that'll be, but at least for a photoshoot with a friend who does an amazing Wanda).
I've already started collecting materials for the 1950s dress, so that'll be the next thing I tackle unless I can source more pieces for another costume that doesn't require so much construction from scratch. I'm not sure if I'll really get around to *all* the costumes. I kind of want to on principle, and my friend is doing a bunch of Wanda's costumes from the show so I want to keep pace with that for photo opporunities. But it'll all come down to how much interest I can muster for each individual look. Aside from the 1950s dress, for now I'm researching the 1960s dress and the villain supersuit from the finale. I really like her 1970s outfit so that might make the shortlist too, and I'll probably do the 1980s daywear outfit just to match my friend's 1980s Wanda. Agatha's 2000s/modern outfit is almost too easy not to do it, and I can justify that one by wearing some of it in Real Life too. And there's the slippery slope. So we'll see!
On mostly a whim, the first I ended up doing was the most gratuitous—it only has about 30 seconds of screentime, if that—but also the easiest: her 1990s purple velour tracksuit from the opening credits of the seventh episode.
I myself used to have an edgy velour rhinestoned tracksuit, so it was super relatable. And as I'm still in a costuming rut, something easy to make and comfy to wear was also appealing.
Because the costume felt so indulgent and was meant to be a laid-back project, I didn't want to invest a lot of money in it, so I got a tracksuit second hand and some cheaper resin rhinestones. The lettering could really be done with any uniform size, and that may be how they made hers, but with only blurry references it's hard to tell. So I got 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm to give it some variation.
I made a digital template of the lettering from screencaps and tweaked it to account for perspective. I don't do much digital work in costuming (or at all, really), so it was fun to use a new tool, even for something basic. I sized it based on standard 8.5x11" printer paper and did some (awkward) mock-up tests, and it ended up being pretty perfect.
Using the template as a stencil, I lightly painted the letters onto the pants with silver Jacquard fabric paint. Referring to both the template and screencaps, I started gluing the largest 6mm rhinestones in the places that looked the most prominent, then went down in size filling in more of the letters. I mostly used the larger sizes for the bulk of the letters, and used the smaller sizes to fill in gaps between them and smooth out edges. This gave the letters a really nice shape. I used E6000 for the gluing based on tutorials by the shop I got the rhinestones from, and it worked great. A wax pencil was also very handy.
This was my first time rhinestoning (?) fabric and it was so much fun. I'm already thinking about doing a second Agatha tracksuit but experimenting by filling in the letters with just tiny 2mm or 3mm rhinestones for a more uniform look.
There are a few wonky spots where I painted outside the lines or had to remove and reglue rhinestones and left some residue, so I might try to disguise that with some purple paint. The tracksuit I bought also fits a little odd—despite being a matching set, the pants are just this side of indecently tight but kind of perfect that way, but the jacket is a good size too big in comparison. So I may take the jacket in so it fits a little more tightly like hers. But it's completely wearable and overall I'm so, so happy with how it turned out.
I already have a white t-shirt to wear under it, and I'll likely improvise the shoes with some generic sneakers (I do have an old pair of Reeboks that might fit the '90s aesthetic). This would be a great opportunity to skip a wig because my hair is the perfect color, but it's also too short right now. I'm in the process of growing it out so I may wait and see if it's long enough by the time I have a reason to wear this (I don't know when or where that'll be, but at least for a photoshoot with a friend who does an amazing Wanda).
I've already started collecting materials for the 1950s dress, so that'll be the next thing I tackle unless I can source more pieces for another costume that doesn't require so much construction from scratch. I'm not sure if I'll really get around to *all* the costumes. I kind of want to on principle, and my friend is doing a bunch of Wanda's costumes from the show so I want to keep pace with that for photo opporunities. But it'll all come down to how much interest I can muster for each individual look. Aside from the 1950s dress, for now I'm researching the 1960s dress and the villain supersuit from the finale. I really like her 1970s outfit so that might make the shortlist too, and I'll probably do the 1980s daywear outfit just to match my friend's 1980s Wanda. Agatha's 2000s/modern outfit is almost too easy not to do it, and I can justify that one by wearing some of it in Real Life too. And there's the slippery slope. So we'll see!
