This was a sweet little festival short written by Elissa Bouillion and Jayson Oaks. Directed by Jayson Oaks. I found it streaming online some time ago, you might find it with a search. I was the Costume Designer and had a part-time crew of 1 (Rio Shirey). I love the story and I love these actors' portrayal of those characters. A tiny shred of hope in the piney woods of darkness that is sometimes our lives. IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4396502/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm

These dresses were designed by Michael Raiford for Ballet Austin's "Belle Redux" production (2015). After I patterned and built them, they were distressed by Alexey Korygin. You can catch a glimpse of them onstage here: https://www.google.com/search?q=ballet+austin+belle+redux&oq=ballet+austin+belle+redux&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg8MgYIAhBFGDzSAQg3MTI3ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:249f3fd9,vid:K_Q2sMJorL4,st:0

Very often - I would say regularly - we face a costume construction issue that requires significant reconstruction.  In the following gallery, you are looking at such a situation.  The original mock-up was made in cotton muslin, the usual fabric for mock-ups, but the actual fabric was made of what I think is an upholstery fabric with zero stretch.  This lead to a blow out of the fabric when the dancer attempted to perform some of the choreography. 
The following things needed to be done to address this issue:
1. The short invisible zipper needed to be replaced and the fabric repaired.
2. Gussets had to be added under and behind the sleeves/armscyes.
3. The armbands around the bottom of the sleeves had to be expanded.

We were moving quickly, so I don't have a finished image of the zipper or the gussets - that will come after Tuesday.
In the meantime, check out the links to media coverage from "Women's Wear Daily" and "The Wall Street Journal" and the Ballet Austin website:

https://balletaustin.org/performances/grimmtales-videos

https://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/constance-hoffman-artist-natalie-frank-grimm-tales-ballet-austin-1202937375/

https://graphics.wsj.com/glider/balletcostumes0327-b4359a51-a2b7-4e49-973f-786c44192ac0

Update on the Dallas Fashion Field Trip: we're announcing the itinerary and priority deadline!  The trip includes round-trip chartered bus travel from Austin to Dallas, transport to all planned events, 2 nights in a boutique hotel and 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, all entrance fees ~ and of course, great people and inspiring designs!
https://travefy.com/trip/6yw9rqk294hwqz2aevszhfpgnhuwr5q

In the Ballet Austin Costume Shop last week: COLOR!  Ben Ridgeway working hard for BA II.  I especially love the purple!

This week in the Ballet Austin Costume Shop: the fabulous Constance Hoffman and her team - Lily, Collin, and Eric. She created the designs for our next production, 'Grimm Tales'.  Here's an article on the production: wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/constance-hoffman-artist-natalie-frank-grimm-tales-ballet-austin-1202937375/ and photos of the original drawings: wwd.com/eye/people/gallery/ballet-austin-stages-grimm-tales-1202933621/#!9/grimm-tales-7 

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Dallas Fashion Field Trip
Update:
 
Join us and The 4 Winds Travel on a 3-day Fashion Field Trip to Dallas!
 

 
We're getting closer to the weekend of June 7-9 and in anticipation of our trip, I have interviewed Annette Becker, Director of the Texas Fashion Collection.  Read the interview here: http://the4windstravel.com/interview-with-annette-becker.  The 4 Winds Travel has also officially announced the trip on their website: http://the4windstravel.com/dallas-fashion-tour.
 
Included in the price is round trip transportation from Austin to Dallas, transportation to all planned daytime activities, entry to all activities, speakers' fees, 2 nights in a boutique hotel, and breakfast and lunch for 3 days.  Our weekend begins with a champagne toast and breakfast tacos on the ride to Dallas!  The full itinerary will be posted soon~
 
 

I have imagined this trip for years.  Inspired by my time living in the DFW area as a freelance stylist and artist, I wanted to share the special fashion secrets - AND PEOPLE - I found on the way.  Join us!