Phantom costumes - real and replicas 1

::drumroll::

I am actually going to be working on my costume for Phans week this weekend!! My mom's coming up to lend a hand, 'cause I'm sure I'll need all the help I can get! I'll take some photos of my work in progress for you guys to laugh at for your entertainment

PS - Bryan, I can see you not believing me! I REALLY AM going to work on it! LOL!!!

I believe you! Especially once I see pics of it. Actually, video--it's easy to pose with things that are being made.

Rebecca, I can't wait to see those photos! I wish you a very fun and successful weekend!

I was originally making a Meg Masquerade for my sister for the same event where I want to wear Red Death, but then my sister moved away. Still, it was too much research and fabric-buying and work to give up on it! So, I've continued making it, now with the assumption that I will just do double duty costume-wise. I got some progress pics, so I'm sharing them! Actually, it's pretty far along.



It has a very strong Brazilian influence. Also, I will definitely be shortening the jacket, as it's much too long. It just hasn't happened yet. Here's a close up of the faux frog closures. I found many beautiful frogs of every shape and color, but I couldn't find large enough ones to satisfy me anywhere. So, I ended up making them myself. They don't look exactly professional, but they do resemble the Brazilian ones a lot!

I agree that the jacket is a tad long, but the colours/fabrics are lovely, and I think the frogs look great!

phantomfett wrote:I believe you! Especially once I see pics of it. Actually, video--it's easy to pose with things that are being made.

Okay, okay... I'll see what I can do, but I'm not promising high entertainment value! More likely you'll see me and my mom surrounded by fabric and muttering with Jeff laughing at us from behind the camera.... But we shall see

Rebecca, I can't wait to see those photos! I wish you a very fun and successful weekend!

Thank you! And your jacket is lovely!!!! Really gorgeous work!

Elissa V02, since last time:

*The gold on the tassels is fraying beyond words. Merde!
*Been struggling with the beaded belt/girdle. Just doesn't look right. Needs big beads, and more gold. But the big "brooches" are starting to look cool.
*The apron trims now have golden studs. They were originally silver, and came from a cheap, campy "punk" belt I bought on sale. I unpicked them, painted them golden, and put four on each "point" of the apron trim. Will do something similar for the hem trim, but not as many as in the apron.

It is great seeing your progress, Anéa (sorry to hear about the fraying tassles!), and I'm really liking your coat, Loettchen! I look forward to more pictures in the future, as you go along. I'm nearly ready to start on my costume; I'm hoping it'll be next week!

Thanks, everyone! There should be some more progress pictures soon, since I've been hard at work this last week.

I'm so impressed by all the detail work you do, Anéa. It takes a lot of love to go to all that effort!

So, I finally started working on my costume for Fans Week this weekend (thanks to LOTS of help from my mom):







I decided to go with making a replica of the wedding gown because I already had something to work with... and also wasn't really feelin' wearing the Hannibal costume in front of a bunch of people! Bravery fail... But I'm really happy with how this is turning out so far. We still have to work on the back (add the bow and train), and ruffles to the sleeves, satin to the waist, and some trim to the front, but overall I think I can say it's at least recognizable now!

Sweet!

Looking good so far, Rebecca!

Anea, that is some insane detail work you're putting in to the skirt. Should be awesome when finished!

ETA:

Did some reshooting of my Raoul Act I costume.



~Madame~

Looks beautiful, Rebecca! And it's great to see some more Wedding Gown replicas. Nice work.

Edit: Ok, I just had to edit to also say again how great that Raoul outfit looks, Madame. You've totally pulled off the whole character.

I forgot to address Loettchen!

Your Meg Masquerade costume looks wonderful so far. The patterned pink fabric is especially nice. I've always loved those 18th century frock coats so this particular costume appeals to me very much.

Keep it up!

~Madame~

Anea - you have crazy, crazy amounts of patience to do such detailed work! I'm always beyond impressed!!!

Mme. Giry - I love the character shots! They are so spot on! Nice work!

ETA - thanks for the kind words guys It's been fun so far!

So many great costumes on the go in this thread! Loads of talent. Can't wait to see them all when finished.

Madame Giry, great Raoul ensemble you put together. You have an awesome closet to have great items like this hanging around.

Thanks, ladies!

Lol, I feel like I get to cheat compared to you when I do the male costumes because it's basically just a question of finding the right pieces to make it work. You girls get major props for actually constructing your costumes - all those little details and trims! It's you who should be applauded *clapclap*



~Madame~

Hey Rebecca!

I figured out what Jeff can go as for Fans Week! He should be Raoul from final lair! That would be a piece of cake to make! And it would go with your outfit too!

This thread is so eye-candy these days! *does a happy dance*

Rebecca, that wedding dress is gorgeous. I love the lace you've used on the skirt, reminds me both of the Canadian versions and the one Rachel Barrell used (current UK versions use a crazy lace I'm not digging). It'll be a gorgeous piece when finished.

And I SO agree about Jeff going as Final Lair Raoul!!

I spent a whole day on attaching more trims to the pleated hem. Originally I searched for a green trim with black stripe in the middle for the X ribbons, like in the US versions. But it was absolutely impossible to find. I could have bought a green one and attached a black trim in the middle, but problem is that it had to be reversible, so making it would be both expensive (30 meters of trims instead of 10) and time consuming. It just wasn't worth it. Instead I bought a funky green/golden trim with "arrows". It looks very nice on the hem, but... it could not be machine sewed. That made the golden threads wrinkle and break. So everything had to be done by hand. *insert cursing*



I don't think I'll attach studs all around the hem, as I did for the apron. Whereas it would be a more exact replica with studs, I need to keep the costs down. I also think the green/golden ribbon, which already depart from what they use in the stage costumes, used will be glittering enough.

I will pick up some red gems today, to attach on this ribbon. Hopefully I'll find a spray or *something* to stop the fraying of the tassels (the green ones are still looking nice, but it won't last long once attached...). Everything will be attached to the hem before I sew it to the skirt, to make it easier to alter the length of the skirt later on.



THIS REMAINS:
*Add more glitter and stuff to the tabs
*Line the tabs
*Stop fraying of tassels on apron and hem
*Add red gems to hem
*Attach tassels on hem
*Attach the actual hem
*Make black base for the "bead belt"
*Attach bead belt
*Make and attach bodice continuation on top of the skirt
*Make backdrape
*Make netting underskirt

The last two demands a lot of fabric. Won't happen anytime soon, to put it like that...

Possibly a picture for the "Rare pictures" thread, but I post it here instead...

A gorgeous picture, showing both front and back, of a US "Star Princess" costume. Tthe skirt hem still unfinished, and with less deco at the neckline, which is interesting to see:

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Phantom-of-the-Opera-A/408826

"Christine Masquerade"
Dyed tutu- 16 individual layers, top 8 layers are all different colors, ranging from periwinkle to violet to pink. 3 layers are ombre dyed.
Persons-meares, Ltd Phantom of the Opera
Costume Designer: Maria Björnson

operafantomet wrote:

THIS REMAINS:
*Add more glitter and stuff to the tabs
*Line the tabs
*Stop fraying of tassels on apron and hem
*Add red gems to hem
*Attach tassels on hem
*Attach the actual hem
*Make black base for the "bead belt"
*Attach bead belt
*Make and attach bodice continuation on top of the skirt
*Make backdrape
*Make netting underskirt

The last two demands a lot of fabric. Won't happen anytime soon, to put it like that...

Well, that should only take you about a day, right?

phantomfett wrote:Well, that should only take you about a day, right?

Well... sure... And I assume you're done with the Red Death remake long ago?

But there has been progress. I've understood the basic construction of the back drape, I've come up with an idea for the fraying tassels, and the tabs are now über sparkly. Plus, I've decorated black velvet with golden ribbons, for the belt base.

*Add more glitter and stuff to the tabs
*Line the tabs
*Stop fraying of tassels on apron and hem
*Add red gems to hem
*Attach tassels on hem
*Attach the actual hem
*Make black base for the "bead belt"
*Attach bead belt
*Make and attach bodice continuation on top of the skirt
*Make backdrape
*Make netting underskirt

yeah, uh....about that....

operafantomet wrote:This thread is so eye-candy these days! *does a happy dance*

Rebecca, that wedding dress is gorgeous. I love the lace you've used on the skirt, reminds me both of the Canadian versions and the one Rachel Barrell used (current UK versions use a crazy lace I'm not digging). It'll be a gorgeous piece when finished.

And I SO agree about Jeff going as Final Lair Raoul!!

LOL! Not sure I'll be that successful in talking Jeff into going as Raoul... but I'm sure we'll come up with something! Eventually. We have a few ideas we're tossing around, though we really should do more than 'tossing' very soon!!!

I was actually really lucky with the lace I used. It was harvested from my mom's old wedding dress, from her first wedding. She was married for a few years before she married my dad, but she never got rid of the dress because, well, it's a wedding dress, right? It was white, but since it's been aging since 1975 the lace was a perfect match for my ivory dress. So now the dress is a combination of my dress and my mom's! With a lot more work still to go...

That Elissa skirt looks AMAZING!!! I am so impressed! It's already gorgeous!

Some actual research...!

In lack of endless meters of black netting (underskirt) and lush red brocade (backdrape), I'm working on finishing the apron/false bodice. But it was easier said than done to get an idea of what is going on in that area. In most of the large Christine/Elissa pictures I have, the area is hidden by the shawl. But luckily the Carlotta and Christine Elissa costumes is nearly identical in the US. After studying tons of pictures I finally understood the construction (I think...), and also the differences in various versions.



PART 1: The Carlotta costumes:
In the costume design there is an area with big "brooches" with a beaded belt hanging in between. This is seen towards a dark surface. Underneath the red apron is hanging. For the US Carlotta costumes this is solved in three different ways:


1. Black fabric with gold details is sewn to the apron. Three brooches with the beaded belt is placed on top of the black fabric, a bit down. The bodice is pointed in front. In some costumes it looks like the beaded belt is a continuation of the bodice, in others (like Anne Runolfsson underneath) there's a big gap.



2. Same as above, except an ornamental, golden ribbon with gems is attached to the end of the bodice. In many costumes it "fills out" the gap between bodice and bead belt, and it seems to be more common to have it than to NOT have it. I actually remember being puzzled first time I saw Runolfsson's costume, without quite knowing why. The black fabric used vary from highly gold decorated to almost-only black. In some costumes it is also almost hidden by the bead belt.



3. Version number three seems to be unique to Vegas. It looks the same, but the black fabric with bead belt and brooches is attached to the end of the bodice instead of on top of the apron. It also has the gold trim at bodice end. Benefit of this version is that it minimize the gap between belt and bodice, and it always appear to stay in place (as it follows the movements of the bodice rather than the skirt). The bodice is also constructed with a green and red front panel, like the slavegirl costumes, instead of one red panel split by a zipper.

PART 2: The Christine costumes.

The Christine aprons seems to have the same construction as version 1 + 2 of the Carlotta ones: black fabric with golden details, bead belt + three brooches. An addition is the false bodice, which is made of the same materials as the Hannibal slavegirl bodices. Unlike in European (and other) versions, the bodice is only continued in front, and is slightly rounded instead of pointed. The rounded false bodice ends right above the beaded belt, similar to the Vegas Carlotta costumes.

The Christine bead belt seems to have the brooches at the side closer to the front compared to the Carlotta ones. I love how it's solved in the versions Sandra Joseph (B'way) and Marni Raab (tour) wore, so I'll try to come up with a similar placement. I'm very happy with my "brooches", which I've made of Bollywood earrings and appliqués, but I've tried out two different bead belt versions, and I like neither. I need larger and bolder beads, and more gold. Always more gold...


1. Sandra Joseph, 2. Marni Raab, 3. Replica, current version


Now, I needed very little black/golden fabric for the belt area. I first looked for scraps in local shops, then for fabrics by the meter. But I didn't find anything ornamental enough. There were lots of brocades, but not with the deep black base I wanted. But since I needed so little, I decided to use scraps at home and decorate it to get the effect I wanted. I had a decent piece of black velveteen, and elastic golden ribbons. The ribbons were stitched down in an ornamental fantasy pattern, as seen in the pictures underneath, and then shaped into two "half moons". These will be attached on each side of the apron, then the bead belt/brooches and then the false bodice.

I was surprised by how quick it was to stitch down the golden trims! I've known how it's done, I've just never tried it... Without copying it exactly, I used a Carlotta costume Kimilee Bryant wore (in the US tour, I think) as inspiration. I's picture number three in the "version 2" gallery. I liked the spirals.


I used a deep black velveteen as fundament, and elastic golden ribbons (which I had tons of) as deco.

I have always really liked this little black section on the US apron. It's one of the reasons I chose to make a US version dress. There's just something about it. Great to see all this research about it, too!

Glad you liked it, Loettchen! The black area is a bit hit-and-miss for my taste. I like when the gap isn't big, like in the Christine + Vegas costumes. If the gap is big, it looks like the apron is "sagging". But yeah, if done right it's a cool feature. I like the distance in your version, for example.

PS - latest progress of the Meg!Masquerade costume is gorgeous! Don't think I ever got around to comment it on LJ.

I've really been enjoying all the various costume pics. So many great costumes on the go. Can't wait to see the final items.

I thought I'd share some pics of the progress of my own Hannibal Slave Girl costume. Still a few things (crotch tiara etc) to fix plus the dressing gown.






Click on the images for a bigger view.

MasqPhan wrote:I've really been enjoying all the various costume pics. So many great costumes on the go. Can't wait to see the final items.

That is unbelievable. I honest to goodness almost asked you why you posted that here instead of the rare pics thread.

MasqPhan wrote:I've really been enjoying all the various costume pics. So many great costumes on the go. Can't wait to see the final items.

I thought I'd share some pics of the progress of my own Hannibal Slave Girl costume. Still a few things (crotch tiara etc) to fix plus the dressing gown.

This is absolutely gorgeous!!! Amazing work! It's beautiful!!!