Punk 3 1/4 Bondage Shorts

Punk 3 1/4 Bondage Shorts 

These are what I made in the early stages of GCSE. I was going though a punk rock phase and had just discovered Vivienne Westwood and of course the Sex Pistols, hence I was influenced to construct these. The pattern was commercial and adapted to the desired length, size and to allow for the bondage straps in the design. The pattern was a basic pair of unisex shorts with a fly zip fastening, waistband and side seam pockets. You may notice on the patch pocket on the back of the shorts there is a black ball motif: This was machine embroidered using CAD.The straps are sewn into the side seams and held together via a metal accessory. 

"Goths Fashion Fix"

(I'd like to start by noting I did not pick the title of the event, this is all down to the marvelous realm that is Scarborough Museum)

Reasoning for this little workshop is an event that shall be hosted by Myself and 3 other Costume students on the 7th of May at Scarborough's Gallery. Therefore, the Gallery organised for us to style a journalist (from the Women's column in the Scarborough evening news) into a Goth.

For more info on the event  http://www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.org.uk/news/?edid=7103  Don't be shy if your in the area pop in and treat yourself to a new look - or a laugh at least

This is the result: Out of cheap resources i.e. plastic bin bags and poundland trimmings we manages to create the vast majority of this look. The skirt is made entirely out of the bin liners which compliments the luster of the PVC corset and give the look a fetish vibe. I had previously made the PVC corset as an item  for a Tim Burton inspired project and it lends itself to the Gothic Aesthetic well. We asked that the model bring something that we could revamp, this garment is the black Turtle neck jumper that we trimmed with black lace trim. Overall, with the little girl silhouette, long socks and makeup we manage to produce a Gothic Lolita look on a woman who had never even her of the style before. Job's a good one

 

Leather Masks Workshop - a brief "how to"

I will admit when I first signed up for this workshop I had gimp masks in mind. Luckily the masks were much less explicit, despite the option to make “sci fi” inspired pieces. 


Anyway,  time to talk leather. The type of leather used to make these  masks comes from the shoulders of a cow. A note about leather in general is that you can’t buy it in metres you have to buy it in skins - and the price of cows shoulder leather is about a couple of pounds per square foot, so the price of a skin depends on the size of the cow. 

To make these masks you start by making a paper pattern ( make sure the eye holes are in the correct place - if you wear glasses like me they do make great guides ). Using a Stanley knife cut around the template into the leather.  Now boil the kettle, slap the mask in a basin and pour boiling water in and over the leather. It may bubble but just wait for the colour change as it will turn a few shades darker with the water, then take the mask out - this will burn so be careful.

Onto the fun part, surprisingly you do not need a mould you just shape the leather with your hands. This will take a while and the flamboyance of the design is all down to you so go wild. Once you’ve had enough or the mask looks as you intended it to leave it on radiator to dry.

The final step is to paint. High concentrate acrylics are the best for such raw leather, but normal acrylic and mat varnish will also work. The trick of painting masks is to exaggerate the curves and shapes of the item though light and dark colours. so darker in the crevices and lighter on the highlighted bits, like on the ridge of the nose, cheek bones and just above the eyebrows. Of course if your prefer to create a texture this also seems to work well. Further more feel free to hot fix any embellishments onto the mask or add glitter ect, it is leather and it can with stand pretty much anything!

So end result and I have gained a new skill in prop and costume which will most certainly be used for future theatre projects. And I made a mask that resembles Tree Beard that I will probably give to my mum for her Birthday!