Dahlings, welcome to Teagan’s “Reinvention Series”! I am honoured to be her third guest.
One thing about gathering the reinvention pics is one does go back over a part of a life. Lots of reflecting ensues. For me this has been a positive experience. So head over to Teagan’s and check it all out!
To kick things off, Teagan’s Reinvention Androids put on a fashion show for us. One good show deserves another! So, here’s a retro collection of Art Gowns drawings – just for fun!
A storm of uneasy was roiling within me.
All of the AGMs had a dedicated Art Gown, except Dale.
The only way to quell the turmoil was to whip up a gown. I figured four, five months tops.
Seven months later, Lilac Fan Dance was dreaming out of the Art Gowns atelier window.
The ruffly lace tail had become a total diva during its construction. What figured to be done in 3-4 hours took 3-4 weeks.
It was the same time consuming issues I’d encountered making the fans for Diane Lane in “The Big Town”.
It began with an 80’s floral print fabric draped on Judy. Surrounded with acetates, a sheer and lace harvested from “Atlantis Mermaid Love-In”, inspiration struck .
The harvested lace was not enough to fulfill my idea, so old lace curtain scraps were painted with acrylics inherited from my F-i-L. The dates on the tubes were from the 1990’s.
Once dry the paint was heat set, the lace cut into creative shapes and randomly gathered. The 3d lace pieces were strewn behind the gown, and it was evident backing yardage was required.
A strip of white curtain sheer left over from Belle Grâce was blotch painted with the remainder of the purple paint.
TA DA! Lilac Fan Dance – dedicated to Dale – A Dalectable Life
Suddenly, the day became dark and filled with the peal of Thunder.
Memories flooded in and I could see…
Diane Lane waiting on my front porch. She’d come to check out her fans.
Romanticized by the idea of the Burlesque circuit, Lilac Fan Dance built a fan out of peach blossoms from Dale’s peach tree on Tim’s magic tree sanctuary.
Unable to dance due to that she had wheels instead of legs, no arms of her own and no head,
…. she borrowed some of Mae West’s jokes and did a stand-up.
Happy with her time as an entertainer, but tired of life on the road, Lilac Fan Dance returned home.
“Positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” -Mae West
OUTTAKES
Lilac Fan Dance © Resa McConaghy – 2024
Peach Blossom pics © Timothy Price from Off Center Not Even
Welcome dahlings! Inspired by Vikings, northern lights and all things “land of the midnight sun”, Art Gowns presents a twist of creation, “TheVi-Queens”.
Here to host our Vi-Queen telecast, her mic custom made to look like an ax, is Art Gowns own glorious Art Director, Rebecca Budd. Take it away RB!
Thank you RR! I’m lovin’ my new maxrophone. It’s made to talk your head off! Each AGM Vi-Queen will model her gown in a regal gold picture frame made out of all recycled materials.
First into the frame is Gigi. A red velvet gown, gold lame cape and black with silver metallic faux fur keeps her warm during days of all night.
Marina is the god’s musical muse in a blueberry dyed gossamer cotton gown. Her head piece features a hammered gold diamond with an olive tree decoration.
40 layers of tulle help Holly float into the frame. Wide strips of blue NOS ultrasuede tapered at the waist lets lacing shape the overskirt. Trumpet sleeves and a macrame choker are held in place by vintage gold buttons.
Posing in her second costume change of the evening, RR graces a claret velvet gown with hammered gold breast cups, arm bands and belt buckle. Detached trumpet sleeves complete the ancient look.
Shey, still in Goth recovery from losing her beloved to a puppethood prisonership, poses in a pale moss green silk bias cut gown. A gold coin hip belt, gold arm band, headband with gold medallion, asymmetric gloves and gold tipped spear perfect this powerful Vi-Queen.
Dale’s faux feather boa will keep her warm when night is nigh. Her fishtail gown’s metallic bustier is of repurposed lurex, and the fishtail’s feathers are from the same fabric scraps as the boa.
RR’s final outfit of the evening is another fishtail gown: skin tight with lace-up corset style bodice & lurex inserts.
🌺 Her floral shawl, a gift from Princess Blue Holly, has a one time unknown magic feature! 🌹
Rupert wielding 2 steak knives, Drac with blood red talons of steel & Etagloc smoking a massive nicotine spewing cigar with a fire ball heater advance threateningly.
Without hesitation, RR whips open her enchanted shawl. The floral print turns into a hundred thousand real flowers of all sizes, sundering the golden frame apart.
The mystical flowers bury Belezza, her evil puppets and the entire film crew in a floral potpourri.
The AGM V-Qs & RB are encased in midnight sun protective spheres created by the shadows of petals.
RR looks into her Tangle-Heart, and watches Belezza & the puppets retreat into Otherworld. The AGMs remain trapped in protective spheres and the crew has evacuated the studio.
Princess Blue Holly & Rene Rosso characters © Resa McConaghy & Holly Rene Hunter -since 2019
Music selection by Holly Rene Hunter
🌕 Holly – House of Heart🌖 Shey – Smexy Historical Romance 🌗 Gigi – Rethinking Life 🌘 Marina – Art Towards a Happy Day 🌑 Dale – A Dalectable Life 🌒 Rebecca – Chasing Art 🌓
🌔 Flower & tree photos © Timothy Price Visit Tim’s blog 🌕
Soprano Charlotte Hoather models “Midnight Nightingale”, and interviews me.
I’m thrilled with how terrific “Midnight Nightingale” fits Charlotte, and I’m over the moon with how beautiful she looks in it.
Click on the reblog box or the photo of Charlotte to visit the post, read the interview and enjoy the shots.
BONUS
Charlotte made a wee video with a few pics and her splendid voice!
The gorgeous shots of Charlotte in the gown were taken by her brother Matt.
Hello dahling Kat! We’re here to say ThankYou for the wonderful gift of old fabrics, starting with a 40 pound box, that showed up in the mail one day!
Look! I just have to drape them over and around me, and it looks like a gown. Still, several gowns have been made largely out of the gifts you’ve sent.
Here to tell all about the creations is AG’s Art Director. Take it away Rebecca!
Thank you, Rene! Not only has Kat sent enough fabric to cover a few elephants, I’m standing here wearing and holding vintage clothing, scarves, pillow shams, lace and such that she has tossed in.
Check out the cat walk! Art Gowns Model Shey looks like one of her romance novel heroines in her dedicated Art Gown, Jade.
Jade is crafted from yardage of a chartreuse-esque poly silk-satin of sorts, 2 vintage decorator pillow shams & many metres of reclaimed ribbon.
On the runway, Μοντέλο Art Gowns Marina, models Belle Grâce. Belle Grâce, Tim’s dedicated Art Gown, is made from a mid-weight satin in pink & 2 shades of gold, with white curtain sheers.
AGM Holly, in Spring Rhapsody, holds the tail as she walks. The copper satin of the gown is strange… possibly upholstery goods, and is somewhat heavy. Spring Rhapsody is topped with a vintage pillow slip, and adorned with various cut cloth bits, scraps of fine lace and vintage gold buttons.
On this occasion, Holly has written a poem especially for Kat.
Modèle de robes d’art Gigi found out how much Kat adores the Chicklets. She sends a message!
Displaying the main fabric for what will be her dedicated Art Gown, AGM Dale knows that there’s a lot to do to finish it, but that it is well under way!
And now back to RR for a parting message!
Thank you Rebecca! In closing I’m leaving these songs for Kat; one for being a mush head and one for fun.
Princess Blue Holly & Rene Rosso characters © Resa McConaghy & HollyRene Hunter – since September 2019
Chicklets art © Georgiann Carlson
Visit the AGMs on their blogs – Marina – Art Towards a Happy Day / Holly – House of Heart/ Dale – A Dalectable Life / Shey – Smexy Historical Romance/ Gigi – Rethinking Life
Visit Timothy Price from Off Center Not Even
Need a reminder, or to catch up? Click on the above poster!
Get ready for the next fashion show when Bezella and her evil puppets will take on Princess Blue Holly!
Question: What do you do when your great niece comes for a 2 hour visit, and you haven’t seen her for 6 years?
Answer: Throw an Art Gown on her and start shooting! No time for cleaning up, setting a stage, ironing, lighting or thinking in general!
We decided on Jade, an Art Gown dedicated to Shey, one of the 5 AGMs.
So, how did Jimi and Jim enter the equation?
Their images happen to be on 2 – 55 year old ceramic wine bottles that were on my mantle. N’s mom bought them in Yorkville Village circa 1967-69.
Pretty cool!
They’ve been living with me for over 20 years & it’s nothing short of a miracle that they are still in 1 piece. Glass and ceramics are at high risk here.
Anyway, Sherrie (Ash’s mom) said she’d like to have them, one day. I figured now’s a good a time as any.
The portraits of Jimi Hendrix & Jim Morrison on the bottles aren’t perfect, but painting on a ceramic bottle can’t be easy.
The Bottles Slide Show
Drawing on paper is much easier, and not perfect either.
The Jimi and Jim bottles resting comfortably on a shelf in Winnipeg, Canada.
During photo selection, Google photos suddenly changed! There’s a lot of new creative editing options, as well as the old ones. Here is extreme “white point” & “black point”, together.
Robin needed a gown. It was time for ECAD, The Explorers Club Annual Dinner in New York City.
Robin emailed me via my website. She had been searching on line for an interesting gown source. The message read, “tell me more about your gowns”. Robin was enthralled by the fact they are made from: reused, repurposed, new old stock, etc. materials.
Included in the mail was her purpose, phone and other info which made it super easy to check her out. She was a valid contender to wear an Art Gown. After a personable phone conversation, we decided on Belle Grâce.
To review Belle Grâce, or see her for the first time click on her pic below.
My judy is built for someone who is about 5’6″ & a size 6. Robin is 5’9″ and about a size 10. No worries! The Art Gowns are built in components: top, skirt, tail & often a bussell
First thing was to detach the tail. Who could walk and dance an entire evening in an Art Gowns tail?
Belle Grâce stands in a pool of handkerchief hem. The great thing about Robin’s height is the handkerchief hem was now enough off the ground that I merely had to tie overhand knots in the longest points.
We decided she would need to wear a strapless bra, so I designed a strap across the back to cover the bra’s back. A second thin strap was added for extra support.
By the time the beautiful and vivacious Robin returned for her second fitting, I had converted Belle Grâce’s tail into a stole. Skirt hooks and bussell snaps had been repositioned. Back straps had been built and positioned. Knots were tied in the handkerchief hem.
WHEN ROBIN PICKED UP THE GOWN I ONLY HAD TO PERFCT BAR PLACEMENTS IN THE BACK.
TADA!
Robin Brooks is an elected executive of the Canadian Chapter of The Explorers Club. She is the regional director for Ontario/Nunavit. Click on her pic below to view the page.
To check out The Explorers Club (established 1904) click on the pic below of Robin tripping the light fantastic.
Thank you, Robin! I am ecstatic.
Dahlings!“Get your motor running” by posting your fave biker, freedom feeling or road trip song in comments.
While you think of your fave song, here’s one of mine!
We’ve also got the AGMs on the catwalk in Biker Inspired Gowns. Under the stage lights, her famous palazzo pants chopped, is RB, Art Director extraordinaire.
Thank you Rene! I’m lovin’ the feelin’ of freedom, and the gowns are outta sight! AGM Dale, our concert’s Maitre’d Mama, is on the runway. In a “Heavy metal thunder” gown with gauntlets, she has a message.
“Yeah darlin’ gonna make it happen”! Put your fave freedom riding song in comments. BUT, we don’t want the browser crashing.
Good to know! Oh, if you mess up, Art Gowns will fix it up!
On her way to the “Lookin’ for adventure” awards is AGM Holly. Resplendent in thigh high boots, metal studs & disparate arm bands; her dainty skull evening bag hangs on steel chain.
In a mesh t-shirt under a skin-tight’n’tailed gown with velvet boots & accessories, we have Marina about to “Take the world in a love embrace”.
“Racing with the wind”, RR is back in a wardrobe change. Her gown’s skirt will look like a hurricane flying off the back of a motorcycle. Take it away Rene!
“I like smoke and lightning” and that’s what it was like going to the “AFA Weekend Concert Series”.
However, Frank is at the beach, but he has given the go ahead for Art Gowns to pick up the music where he left off. He reminds:
He also sent us this song.
“In whatever comes our way” AGM Gigi can kick start her ride in these hand crafted biker boots, the perfect augmentation to her bad ass gown & snake tattoo.
Shey will lure you in with her amply ruffled fish tail gown. Adorned with heavy duty zips & decolletage trimmed with black nails, she evokes – “Born to be Wild”
RR wears the perfect wedding dress for a club house ceremony ! Hop in her sidecar, as she “Explodes into space”.
Dahlings … Don’t regret the ride you didn’t take! Race the rain! Leave me your song!
RR & Princess Blue Holly characters © Resa McConaghy & Holly Rene Hunter – since 2019
(except Poison, from Frank))
Visit the AGMs on their blogs – Holly – House of Heart * Gigi – Rethinking Life * Marina – Art Towards a Happy Day * Shey – Smexy Historical Romance * Dale – A Dalectable Life
Visit R.B. – Lady Budd
Motorcycle beauty shots © Timothy Price – Off Center Not Even
When AGMs Shey, Dale and Gigi vanished into thin air, Princess Blue Holly sprang into action.
She peered into her Tangle – Heart.
It showed her an image of OtherWorld. She saw DracGoth and Etagloc, marionettes at the feet of the SheyGoth effigy.
Rupert Valentino had imprisoned AGMs Shey, Gigi and Dale in a cage. The plan was to turn DracGoth and Etagloc back into normal monsters, and divvy up the AGMs amongst themselves. PBH listened in on their conversation.
DracGoth – You idiot! Moron! Nincompoop! You left the incantation on your coffee table? You’re no 13th cousin of mine.
Rupert – Knock it off, will ya! I told ya, I’ll just slip back through “Nowhere and Nothing” to Earth, grab the incantation offa the coffee table and vavoom, I’m back here.
Etagloc – Hissss… hack, cough…. can ya pick me up some smokes before ya vavoom? COUGH… hissssss.
Rupert – You idiot! Moron! Nincompoop! I’ll think about it.
With that, Rupert took off!
Knowing Rupert Valentino would transverse through “Nowhere and Nothing”, PBH changed outfits, and tucked 2 magic peach blossoms from AGM Dale’s magic peach tree into her bustier.
Sure enough, in the middle of “Nowhere and Nothing”, Princess Blue and Rupert Valentino (a legend in his own mind) came face to face. He accosted her with a knife.
Rupert – What’re you gonna do now, Blue Holly? Attack me with your feeble poisonous whip? This knife will be the end of it, and you.
At that moment, Blue Holly took out one magic peach blossom, placed it in the centre of her palm, and blew it at Rupert.
Rupert began going through a series of demented changes. While PBH waited for the full effect to take hold on Rupert, she slipped into a new outfit.
AGMs Marina and Holly were modelling Art Gowns from the Classic Collection.
Marina was modelling “Belle Grâce“, Timothy’s dedicated Art Gown.
Holly was modelling her very own dedicated Art Gown “Velvet Tango“.
Rebecca was thrilled how the gowns fit so perfectly.
“Girls, it’s going to be a magnificent show! Ahh, there’s nothing like the classics. RR should be here shortly to try on “Cleopatra Capriccio“. Then, as soon as Blue Holly rescues Shey, Dale and Gigi, I shall continue gown selections and try ons!
Suddenly, there was a new presence in the room. A three armed woman stood blocking the doorway. Thing is the door was gone!
Bezella – I’m here to be an Art Gowns Model!
DracGoth – What the hell is keeping Rupert? He shoulda been back by now!
Etagloc – Ahhhack – hissss He better remember my smokes! COUGH!
PBH – “Hello boys! Waiting for someone?”
Having delivered marionette Rupert to the SheyGoth effigy, Blue Holly took the second magic peach blossom from her bodice. She blew it at the caged AGMs. In a blizzard of peach blossoms, they were freed and on their way back to earth.
PBH raced through “Nowhere and Nothing” to get back on Earth, before the AGMs arrived.
Back on Earth PBH morphed back into her alter ego. Ms. Rosso threw on a simple house gown. She proceeded to the Art Gowns room, for her fitting.
Sacré bleu! The door was gone, a mirror in its stead! Now what, she thought?
RR could hear the blizzard of peach blossoms bringing Shey, Gigi and Dale back. She’d have to think about what to do later. The AGMs were about to land!
Princess Blue Holly & Rene Rosso characters © Resa MeConaghy & Holly Rene Hunter – Since May 2019
Music selections by Holly Rene Hunter
Visit the AGMs on their blogs! Holly – Dale – Shey – Marina – Gigi
Nature Pics © & courtesy of Timothy Price. Visit Tim at Off Center Not Even
Visit Rebecca on Lady Budd & link to her other blogs from there.
In case you missed the first episode of their most recent adventure:
Dahlings, it was the 1940’s. For half the decade the world was at war and then it was recovery time. Days were hard, but Hollywood kept us entertained with escapist Movie Star Glamour.
Whether a promotion for an actor or a movie, the studios spared nothing. Katherine Hepburn made wearing wide leg pants éclat. Here, in Hepburn style palazzos, is Art Director Rebecca!
Thank you Rene! Although, in the only actual copy of a gown here today, you give Ava Gardner in “The Killers” a run for her money. Now, let’s get on with it! First out on the catwalk is AGM Gigi.
Inspired by Betty Grable, Gigi is bewitching in this Art Gowns original.
There’s no mistaking the influences of Marlene Dietrich & Rita Hayworth in Marina’s one of a kind design. Such vintage beauty!
AGM Dale is dazzling in her rendition of a Carmen Miranda gown.
Veronica Lake broke many a heart when she covered one eye with her hair. AGM Holly is also a heartbreaker in this gold lame gown.
Last out on the runway, in the spirit of Loretta Young – Shey surrounds and spellbinds us wth romantic glory.
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Meanwhile, in the dark back of the theatre, lusted Rupert Valentino. A wanna be Matinee Idol (no relation to Rudolph), sent by DracGoth (13th cousin) to abscond with SheyGoth to Erebos. There a diabolic plan to free DracGoth & Etagloc from the SheyGoth effigy was being hatched.
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As a bonus for all the film buffs here today, I’ve prepared a slide show of our inspirations.
…. aaand finally I present Ms. Rosso in an Art Gowns creation influenced by Vivian Leigh in the movie “That Hamilton Woman”, with undertows of Rita Hayworth in “Gilda”
You are all so wonderful for being here. Please enjoy this song and video by Christina Aguilera! Written in tribute to The Andrews Sisters’ 1941 song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”.
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Unable to control his greed, Rupert Valentino sent AGMs Dale and Gigi along with Shey. No one saw backstage, as the 3 faded into the darkness of Erebos.
Not being the sharpest spoon in the drawer, Rupert unknowingly also sent a past memory of Resa’s tree into Erebos. Resa’s tree instantly sent a message to RR & PBH’s Tangle-Heart
Princess Blue Holly & Rene Rosso characters © Resa MeConaghy & Holly Rene Hunter – Since May 2019
Music selections by Holly Rene Hunter
Visit the Art Gowns Models on their blogs!
Gigi – Shey– Marina – Dale & Holly
All Magic Trees & flowers © Timothy Price from Off Center Not Even
Visit Rebecca’s Podcast where you can also find links to her other blogs!
This gown, inspired by Tim’s Irises & Rita Hayworth, is perfect for my special announcement.
”I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.” -Katherine Hepburn
Art Gowns 
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