costumes:   gothic   fantasy   LotR   characters   16th century   18th century   19th century   20th century   science fiction

The Pin Posse Mostly costumers I know, online or off. They're some of the nicest people around, and many of them have been helpful and/or inspirational to me because of their knowledge and skill. These folks clearly have fun with their art. Also, a couple sempstresses I just admire! Demode - Kendra's historical costumes are stunning and very well documented. Plus, her site has interactive comments, updates about the costuming world, and more. Mode Historique - Check out the Dress Diaries for tons of detail about Sarah's exquisite gowns. Don't miss her Pictures of the Things I Love for great event pix. The Exploits of a Kamikaze Costumer - Lisa's work is proof that concept and vision, not just the skill with a needle, make a great costumer. The Costumer's Closet: Kevin Roche - Kevin has incredible sense of both style and humor. Check out his hilarious latex outfits, realistic drag ensembles, and wild scifi creations. La Bricoleuse - Updated journal of a professional costumer and amazing artist, featuring tips, techniques, and theater reviews. Check out her portfolio too. Katherine's Dress Site - Many divinely detailed historical gowns, plus some nifty fantasy recreations too. Don't miss her collection of antique garments. Jenny La Fleur's Costumes - Lovely work spanning many periods, most costumes with detailed dress diaries and construciton photos. Celefinniel's Web Site - Wonderful photos and how-to information about Kathe and Phil's elaborate Lord of the Rings costumes and armor. Also shows some of their other costumes (both historical and fantasy), plus their trip to Middle-Earth. Buckland Blues - Kel has tons of enthusiasm about costumes. Her Merry Brandybuck alter ego has undergone many incarnations, and she's also into anime, pirates, and more. Glitter Sweet - Michaela de Bruce creates exquisite costumes for her own pleasure, as well as for theatrical productions. Fine work with amazing detail on both historical and fantasy garb. HCC Cosplay - Judy, AJ, and the gals are cosplay goddesses. I don't know what any of their anime characters *are* but the costumes are freakin' fantastic. Plus they are friendly, generous costumers who share their knowledge and encourage others. The Work of Jwlhyfer de Winter - Jwlhyfer creates beautiful historical and fantastical costumes based around fully realized characters. Festive Attyre - Not only Jen Thompsons' own excellent costumes, but check out the archives of Featured Attyre for fine costume pix from other people. Moo Harpist - A great portfolio of Anya's beautiful Elizabethan costumes. Costuming Resources I won't even try to create a definitive list of costume site. These are merely my essentials. Start with the GBACG -- they link to everything worth linking too! Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild - The SF Bay Area's chapter of the International Costumer's Guild, and the largest and most active of all ICG chapters. I'm proud to have been involved with this stellar group of people almost since its inception. If you're in the area, Guild events are the single best places to dress up in funny clothes and have a good time. If you're not local, their website is still chock full of useful info. The Great Pattern Review - Part of the GBACG site, this is a fabulous collection of reviews for patterns, mostly historical. I always consult the GPR before buying, especially if I'm looking at one of those pricey historical reproduction patterns. LotR Costume Research - The only website you'll ever need if you're interested in costumes from these gorgeous movies. Constantly updated and expanded. Has a very lively Yahoo! Group about it too. Real Women's Clothing, 1600-1919 - Part of Kendra's site, this is an extensive list of links to extant garments in museums and historical societies. Very useful for historical research. La Couturière Parisienne - Massive resource for costume history from Medieval to the 1930s and ethnic. Tons of original pictures, plus lots of how-to info. In English and German. The Elizabethan Costume Page - Plenty of links to portraits, how-tos, and essays on the clothing of the period. Handy tips for making undergarments as well. The Costumer's Guide to Movie Costumes - Nice resource for flick frocks like those in Marie-Antoinette, Shakespeare in Love, Titanic, Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Carribean, and Ever After (on another of Maggie's sites). Costume Events Some of my favourite places to dress up in funny clothes. Or learn more about making funny clothes to dress up in. Or both. BayCon - This is the regional science fiction/fantasy convention. I have attended almost every year since the early 1980s and have been a panelist since the mid-'90s. I've also been a masquerade judge more times than I can remember. This is my old reliable venue for wearing costumes, and it's a very enjoyable, mellow con. Costume College - Annual late-July/early-August symposium in Southern Californi, full of classes on everything from making a bustle petticoat to what historical pirates really wore. Class offerings change every year, and it almost always sells out. Highly recommended for historical costumers. Fabulous socializing opportunities as well. SCA Kingdom of the West - The Society for Creative Anachronism's local branch (though my super-local group is Crosston Shire). I've been dabbling in the SCA since 2007, mostly as an excuse to indulge my lifelong passion for 16th-century costume. I can also be found on the West Kingdom Artisans Network. CostumeCon - The convention just for costumers. The event is in a different U.S. city every year, and it has panel discussions about various kinds of costuming. Features two highly competitive masquerade competitions, one for science fiction and fantasy, the other for historical. I mostly go when it's on the West Coast.