Opening Day of the South Florida Renaissance Fair 2011

Good day and well met to all Ren folk and fellow Bloggers

  We opened here in South Florida to a cold and very rainy,wet morning , not what the weather guys promised. My day started at 5am as a normal fair day does with any show I do. The truck was packed last night and everything was set. So all I had to do was make the coffee and pack the grazing kit that I now carry. Our days can be as long 13 hours. It can be harsh on the eating schedule. I arrive at fair site at 7:30 and the hard part of the day begins, since I don't leave stock in my Tent, it requires setup every morning, all of my clothing is packed in the big blue tuppers, as to keep it clean and neat for my clients. So the staff comes in about 7:45 and 8:00 am, which means that the stock must be put on hangers and put on the racks, each day and all of this must be done by 9:30. We have to be fully dressed by 10am, try putting a big dress on and being on task in that time frame it is quite the rush. Our Canoneer fires our Canon at 10am every morning, sort of a off the the races salute ,it gives us a heads up. So here are the pictures of our setup, to give a behind the scenes look at the before canon that most patrons never get to see

Skirt and Bodice Rack

I have been designing and creating Renaissance Clothing for this show for 17 years, trying to achieve the highest quality clothing for my clients. I have always put quality before price, and now with the jobs going to China, I try even harder to produce the Best clothing on the Renaissance circuit, regardless! I have had the pleasure of seeing some of my pieces 12-15 years later and that make me feel really good knowing that when a client buys something of mine, it will be around a long time. I make many friends this way and very happy clients. It has become very important to me to know that my clients are getting the best clothing they possibly can.

Derek is my manger, and yes He really is a aerospace engineer. He has been with me now for 2-3 years, a great salesman and bodicelacer. Rocketman

This is Kell, I have had the pleasure of watching this lovely young lady grow up in to a beautifully woman , she knows the booth as most as well as I, great with colors and people.
This year Zak has joined us for setup, breaks and tear down, Derek's Younger brother and quite the personality.

So this is The Needle Fairy crew for the South Florida Ren Fair 2011, I think they are the best team on the fair site but I might be bias, but that's me.They kept the banter up even through the rain and wind, and made it a really good day for all of us. Our Patrons were game and came out to have fun, some chose to add to their garb,and others began new outfits.  And so you have now seen behind the curtain so to speak and I hope you will come out and join the fun. Perhaps stop and say " hello in there"

weather,wimpering and custom designs

Okay this week has been full of just about every Disappointment, a costumer,student,and a customer could have . My  Steel Boning is somewhere in Phila, My Grommets are some where in Chicago, My New School Books are in the wind, and my new Beige pumps are still in New York!  I have spend the day casing what boning I had left, cutting cases for the next group of a hundred. And now I have just been told that the bolts of Egyptian Linen will be 6 to 8 weeks behind schedule, if it makes it at all.
   What did we do before the tec era? I know the weather has had alot to do with this, however I am just bothered that in a week my work load has dried up and next week has just become a LONG week of Catch up!!!!! With a show opening on the 12th. This is gong to be very interesting, Sleep may not be an option. I really wish the Snow would stop and Customs would go back to work so My linen would get here!!!!!!!!! Will keep you posted as this insanity continues and I maintain mine.

A day with Needled Fairy Studio's

The day begins with a blank sheet of paper, a series of measurements are laid out as the base grid and square up or down as needed. I use a alot of design tools, from French curves to a right angle ruler. The creation process take 4 to 6 hours based on the level of difficulty. As the pattern is slowly created, ease is added for wear comfort and the ability to move in the garment comfortably. There is no seam allowance, and it must be added after the pattern is complete. When drawn it is checked by measurement ,your math must be correct or it can create a Real Pain when it is  transfer to the muslin. The mock up is the next stage for accuracy, This is how the creation of the pattern is done. 

                                                     

Now the tailoring skills come in. On the Muslin, before moving to the fashion fabric, to create the piece a bias cut summer dress in this case. Once the alterations to the Muslin is done it is now on to the fashion fabric and layout, Which in this case, is different due to using the natural stretch of the fabric as a design aid. Bias work was popular during the twenties, it allows fabric to cling, much like spandex today. The art of bias work is not used so much today due to the difficult of sewing a bias garment.  Many examples of Bias work today carry a larger price tag due to the work required.



base radial design with measurement chart



  Bias work must hang for 24 or 48 hours in order to grow,allowing for stretch.

Homework Submission

Okay so the new Books came in and I think I have met my match. The Master Tailoring course is Tough! Each of the lessons build on the last one, no skipping over any page. All of the math problems are as complex as some engineering problems. And I for one was never big on Algebra or word problems. The Radial drafting program, helped however it was a plug in, and no word problems,which might be why I was moved in to this class. 

 Now for the first time since Sept I have to think. Mom taught me a hell of alot more that I ever dreamed!! So now I have spent the last week reading and going over the diagrams in the book. This is going to be quite the challenge for me. So I did the standard Bodice sloper, it was a general sloper however being an American taught to work in inches not centemeters, oh crap!!!! Thank God for a Smart phone Yeah Apple!!!  So away I went with pencil, paper, and a tape measure and conversion app, Boy was I shocked when the Math threw me across the room and step on me! Oh No not happening. I am a Tailor in my own right. This isn't happening... centermeters or not>>> Shoulder way off, neck line just way to small, so what did I do? I got up this Morning AND  started again, yep from scratch. Had a friend redo my measurements, and this time I thought I had it until I went to the shoulder line. Crap here I go again. So no panic this time, I reread the instrutions out loud yes, out loud to my self and then it hit me, There are word problems in the word problems, that when speeding though the instructions I missed them or should I say hints, since it did not come out and ask for the shoulder measurement. Okay so I go back and add the unask for measurement and Sucess is staring me in the face 4 hours later, I could have drafted a standard sloper in a half hour on my own, but not in centemeters and not so well fitted,  there were no alterations what so ever. Okay so where does does this lead, to the next lesson which is now adding 4 blanks, that should become the skirt. Did the measurements again and sewed the seams, laid it into the bodice, to a Perfect and I do mean Perfect fit. Okay so the math is tough and that is because this is a total new system to me , however I am total amazed at the accurancy of this method and the fit. Mom would be proud and fusssing at me for not expanding my mind on the math, but that will take awhile.  So the other lesson was: Define where you live by a skirt of any styleline, I really enjoyed this one and yes I had the fabric which was to be something else, but I went a little further by matching the top from my everyday wear and then went hunting for matching accessories. I hope you will find inspiration in the photos.


Linen Sheath Dress



Fashion Trends for 2011

So here we are in 2011, wondering  where we are all headed, and since Money and stress affect fashion,  I thought I would share what caught my eye out of Milan and Paris. The first thing I notice is the influence of  a past eras 1940 and 1950. The gowns shown here are quite apparent by the draped lines in blue and in the skirting styles and the elegant Feminine accents as well as the fuller skirting. Lace is showing up to this party as well,gloves anyone?

So Vintage is really begining  to show up in all kinds of designers styles. From the shirt dress to swing , it is good to be a women again, I think there has been a lot of rediscovering not in a bad way

The Jewelry this season is very vintage in style, metal makes a come back and bangles are back. Bright colors are quite apparent on the runway including, Orange Lip Stick, yes Orange is showing up in many ways

The shoes are just as eye candy as some of these others, however when shoes are your weakness,

 Who can say NO to these , and of course the pumps are to die for.

I think fashion will be fun again,

 yet very Lady-ish, allowing some real fun for a day to day

       colors for the season hmmm...................

So this is what I have seen and I am excited about the possiblies of this New Year.

so with excitment for the coming year, Dress Darling Dress.....................

Travis Banton- The Golden Age of Design-Paramount Studios



Edith Head



Travis Banton (August 18, 1894 – February 2, 1958) was the chief designer at Paramount Pictures. He is considered one of the most important Hollywood costume designers of the 1930s.

He was born in Waco, Texas. Travis moved to New York City as a child. Banton was educated at Columbia University and at the Art Students League where he studied art and fashion design.

An early apprenticeship with a high-society costume dressmaker earned him fame. When Mary Pickford selected one of his dresses for her wedding to Douglas Fairbanks, his reputation was established.

He opened his own dressmaking salon in New York City, and soon was asked to create costumes for the Ziegfeld Follies. In 1924, Travis Banton moved to Hollywood when Paramount contracted with him to create costumes for his first film, The Dressmaker From Paris.                                                                             
Beginning with Norma Talmadge in "Poppy," Banton designed clothing for Pola Negri and Clara Bow in the 1920s. In the '30s and '40s Banton designed for such stars as Kay Francis, Lilyan Tashman, Sylvia Sidney, Gail Patrick, Helen Vinson, and Claudette Colbert. Ultimately, Travis Banton may be best remembered for forging the style of such Hollywood icons as Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, and the inimitable Mae West.
Glamour, understated elegance, and exquisite fabrics endeared Travis Banton to the most celebrated of Hollywood's beauties and made him one of the most sought-after costume designer of his era. As a viewing of such films as The Gilded Lily (1935) and Desire (1936)reveals, his clothes were marked by simple but stylish cuts (often on the bias), rich fabrics (such as satin and lame), and extravagant decoration (beads, fur, and feathers).
When Designer Howard Greer left Paramount, Banton was promoted to Head Designer and was responsible for dressing the studio's most illustrious stars. Because of his alcoholism and reputedly also at the instigation of his subordinate Edith Head, Banton was forced to leave Paramount. He started his own business and also designed for Twentieth Century-Fox from 1939-1941 and Universal from 1945-1948.

 Actresses he designed for

Clara Bow in It, 1927

• Mae West in I'm No Angel, 1933 and Belle of the Nineties, 1934
• Claudette Colbert in Cleopatra, 1934
• Loretta Young in The Crusades, 1935
• Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express, 1932, The Scarlet Empress, 1934 and The Devil is a Woman, 1935
• Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey, 1936 and Nothing Sacred, 1937
• Alice Faye in Lillian Russell, 1940
• Linda Darnell in The Mark of Zorro, 1940
• Linda Darnell and Rita Hayworth in Blood and Sand, 1941
• Betty Grable in Moon Over Miami, 1941
• Rita Hayworth in Cover Girl, 1944
• Joan Bennett in Scarlet Street, 1945
• Merle Oberon in A Song to Remember, 1945
• Joan Fontaine in Letter from an Unknown Woman, 1948

The Golden Age -Howard Greer

1. Howard Greer (16 April 1896 – April 1974, Los Angeles^[1]) was a Hollywood fashion designer and a costume designer in the Golden Age of American cinema.

Greer began his fashion career at Lucile in 1916, working in both her New York and Chicago branches before serving in France in World War I. After the war, he remained in Europe, working for Lucille, Paul Poiret, and Molyneux, and designing for the theatre. He returned to America in 1921, and through his theatre work was hired as chief designer for Famous Players-Lasky studios,^[2] which was later to emerge from several reorganizations and mergers as Paramount Pictures.

Greer left his post at Paramount and opened his own couture operation in Hollywood in December 1927,^[2] where he designed custom clothing for the stars until his retirement in 1962. He also continued to create costumes for films into the 1950s, and designed mass-market clothing.

His best known film work includes the Katharine Hepburn films Christopher Strong (1933) and Bringing Up Baby (1938), and the gowns for 1940's My Favorite Wife.                                                                   

Greer published an autobiography, Designing Male, in 1951.