I follow movie costume designers like other people love movie stars! One of my favorites died this weekend. Miss Theoni Aldredge passed from this life. She designed the wardrobes for a wide range of movie genres proving her enormous talent... a short list:
Addams Family Values, Annie, The Great Gatsby, Moonstruck, Ghostbusters, The Rose, Rich and Famous, Semi-Tough, Network....
a few of her creations...Yes, the penultimate goth comedy...Addams Family Values....
The steampunkian Victoriana Charles Addams drew...translated in the second movie about my favorite fake family....
And look...the contrast is striking eh? The dark Wednesday in her turn-of-the-century inspired bathing costume contrasts very well with the sappy happy middle class "normal" girls in orange. Even if you don't know the story, you get it just with costume design.
And of course, Wednesday explains American History, Addams Family style.......
The Great Gatsby...aw...the 20s...Miss Aldredge won the Oscar for this magnificent effort. It set off a fad for 20s style clothing in fashion during the mid 1970s. (with a bit of help from some guy named Ralph Lauren)
Annie !
this bit has Carol Burnette, Bernadette Peters, and yes, that's Tim Curry.
here's a blurb from DePaul University Art Museum
" She received an Academy Award for The Great Gatsby in 1974, designed the original A Chorus Line costumes in 1975, as well as for Annie in 1977, 42nd Street in 1980, and La Cage Aux Folles in 1984. ...In 1984, she worked with Jane Fonda to develop more than 200 designs for the original line of Jane Fonda Workout Wear. She currently lives in New York City. "
In the next 2- 3 days the last of my Halloweenie things will get listed...and then I'm off to get back to Middle Autumn...
More vintage men clothes and shoes.......
more tweeds, more sweaters, more wools, and lots of lingerie...new armwarmers and a few hats.
The next collection of thatyountvillegirl tote bags will be ....some tweeds and plaids with a bit of glitter.
As the days get shorter and cooler here, they get summery-er down under...so pretty dresses and a few swimsuits will appear.
I'm designing the December collection right now..collecting the fabrics and trimmings, and putting together the winter vintage clothes to list come early November...
...Edwardian Bayberry is my Muse....shades of green and white and all the ivories....
These 2 things are in my head, & are what my late autumn and early winter will look and feel like...........
something like this...... a picture of Bayberry Inn, New Jersey....pretty...Victorian....
and surely this....Townes Van Zandt.... particular song that Nanci Griffith introduces.....
As I was outside on Thursday afternoon, burning holes in my camo pants, soon to be skirt......of course anyone who walked by was darn curious about what I was doing. Picute this: a lady (me) sitting in the driveway in front of my shop burning her laid-out pants, lighting wooden matches and holding the flame to folds of fabric.
I simply explained I was working on my costume...I was doing an art project... Ron said: "hot pants!" Which honestly, I hadn't thought of! Others said "Burning Man Pants"..."Burning pants not bras"......I have some funny neighbors !
While I'm sure folks don't see this sort of activity everyday, I like to think that I'm doing my part to Keep It Weird. Mark was watching me, and asking why I didn't use his propane torch. I explained that I wanted to use a flame-making device that I was familiar with, since I didn't know how quickly the fabric might flame up. Standing off to the side was a young man, tossing a football between his left hand and his right. He was nervous, as he watched me make holes, & pat out the small fires.
He finally asked me what I was doing. I explained. He told me that seeing camo pants being burned was very upsetting to him, since he was recently discharged from the military and he had buddies that died in the muck, in the war.
I was surprised that my art project, my afternoon fun, had caused such a strong reaction. I told the man that I understood his feelings..that seeing camo being burned would have an emotional effect on him.
We chatted some more about camo, burning, why was I using camo. I said that I'm making a costume for an Apocalypse-theme party here on Broadway on Saturday night. My thinking, I told him, was that after the war or devastation that might happen to plunge us into a post-apocalyptic world....that there would be lots of camo and military clothes around, and if I was to make clothes, which is what I do with my real life, I might use what is most plentiful and just keep on creating. And since I'm going to a party, I was going to make a party dress. Post-Apocalyptic Finery from bits of whatever is left ..........
I think he thought I was nuts and disprespectful to the military. He told me so. (that last part, anyway) I've heard this line of thinking many many times before. I am, after all, a flower child that grew up in the SF Bay Area, and was a war protester. I also spent my childhood growing up next to the Veterans Home in Yountville. I know veterans. I know the cost of war.
I told him I wasn't disrespecting the military. I don't know if he believed me. I do know he was quite emotional about watching me. It struck me that ......here was a young man who had received military training. He is capable of many brave acts. And, I saw that he was somewhat afraid, apprehensive at least, to talk to a tiny middle-age woman who was sitting on the concrete burning her camo pants.
Mark asked him what he does in the office next to us. He replied "We help people refinance their mortgage rates down." Well,neighbor, that's a good thing, I told him. Helping people stay in their homes.
Here's what I didn't tell him, because he had used up all his bravery and now just wanted to get back to his office, with the amazing view of the Tideflats and Tacoma industriousness, and the Cascades........
I know from decades of living with America's military presence all around me that I know exactly how to love the veteran, the soldier, the men and women who think they are protecting me from the Bad People. I love the military people, but I hate war. I think the best way to show respect to those who pay the ultimate price, who sign up to give the ultimate if asked to do so.... is to work for a world that has a smaller chance of creating wars.
To oppose war is to honor the military. I would love for the world to train soldiers, for Generals, and Admirals and Presidents and Captains of Industry, on whose behalf we fight war, to look at young, oh so very very young men right straight in the eye, and tell them that our most fondest wish is to equip them with what they need in battle and to work harder to make sure they never really have to use it.
I also learned that cotton camo pants require about 6 seconds of direct flame before catching fire, and one or 2 pats will extinguish a 3 inch high flame. This information made me feel better for the soldiers who had to wear these pants in the year they were made, 2001.
And I don't mean just the economy.....Now is the time for all good Tacoma folks, my friends, look, funkoma vintage is your creepy hdqtrs....for Pirate, Steampunk, Romance, EGL, Lolita, Gothic.....and 50s 60s & 70s vintage wear and other fun stuff.....here's some pics..... Saddle shoes in various sizes....
Party dresses.....corsets.....and costumes too..... Boots..... Corsets, Victorian style blouses and full skirts.....
My neighbors are Promtastic! I've giving a 20% discount in my shop for Prom Ticket holders........Here's a few things....lots more is coming out in the next 2 days.....
There are no other holidays worth celebrating..... Halloween is it Baby! ah yes ! I hate that women/girls dress like tramps and sluts.... I mean is that really all you got going on for H'ween...and you had 364 days to plan ahead ??.....Do something more creative than trading on your boobies and stuff girlfriend. Here......read this...... Now that we're all over that.....funkoma has stuff.....I still got some pirate stuff here and neat things.....but don't forget to visit the Halloween Store up by Michael's crafts over by the mall...... ewww........ Here's some in the store right now !
