I Know It's Early

I realize Halloween is a few months away but lets face it, time gets away from us very easily!   Therefore in order to outdo my costume from last year I've already done some strategizing and sketching.  

The plan this year is to do an ensemble costume of the cast of "The Wizard of Oz."  Seems simple enough but here is the twist!  Each character's gender will be switched and the costumes will be redesigned and pushed to the limit!  

I shall be a male version of the Wicked Witch of the West!  I designed a 1920s cutaway tuxedo jacket with tails extended to the floor.  The sleeves and front panels would be accented by shiny emerald lurex embroidery in vine motifs (I can do some pretty cool stitches on my sewing machine).  Underneath would be an emerald encrusted double breasted vest.  The cravat would be super frilly and be made of a black iridescent fabric with green undertones.  I would sew sequins with beads spaced evenly on the fabric.  The whole thing would be topped off by a black top hat with an emerald sash.  The whole look will come together with my broom that I will be carrying.  That was the original plan, but then something happened...

... The Jubilee Backstage Tour.  After seeing all those beautiful Bob Mackie costumes inches from my face I had an epiphany.  I must, at all cost even death, push my designs to the level of artwork like the costumes of Jubilee.  That experience has been one of the most inspiring things I ever had the benefit of experiencing so intimately. 

The original concept of the costume is remaining much the same, but now the embellishment will be pushed beyond anything I have attempted thus far.  The cuffs are now going to be encrusted in bugle beads and black cup sequins.  The cuffs will extend past the sleeve and emerald and raven color feathers will be inserted into the ends to reference the wings of the Wicked Witch's flying monkies.  The vest will still be encrusted in emeralds, which I'm greatly looking forward to.  The embroidery on the jacket will now be accented with raven black seed beads and wonderful brunished green sequins I found.  They have a matt oil slick quality to them with flecks of yellow and black in them.  I plan on sprinkling the sequins and beads along the embroidery randomly to give it an organic and etherial feeling.  The hat will now have a mass of plumage pouring from it in coordinating emerald and raven colors.  Luckily I found a trim store in the fashion district that has an amazing selection and variety of feathers and I've already begun stocking up.

I think this is going to be a wonderful Mackie-esque Halloween.  I hope you enjoy my sketches, and I will be sure to post many updates of my progress!

-Philip Estrada