Tag: Fabrics

Lady Anne

On By ResaIn Royalty114 Comments

Did you ever toss and turn through the dark of night  trying to figure how to make a gown out of an old black leather coat and studded leather pants?

Anne #1

If your answer is “yes”, I feel your stress!

Anne #8

Lady Anne is inspired by Norman who donated the coat & pants to my “Art Gowns” supplies stash.

Norman is a musician & composer. He works in film & television, and is an amazing guitar player.

Anne #12

Black leather and studs made me think “Hard Rock” and “Metal”.

Anne #6 However, this is Anne #7a gown, so I thought “Rock Ballads” and bought 9 meters of very inexpensive cotton gauze and Chantilly lace.

I removed the coat’s sleeves, and each sleeve became half of the bodice.

The pant legs became the skirt’s front panels. I cut scallops around the raw edges, and used glue to attach the fabric.

I surgically removed  the lower half of the coat’s fronts and the entire back in one piece.

Ane #15This Anne #9became the back of the gown. I split this up the center to add a flouncing bustle with  skirt of gauze.

I over-layered the skirt of gauze with a triangle of lace.

I needed something to pull Lady Jane together so I pulled a grommet laden S&M harness from my pile of leftover production stock, and chopped that up.

Anne #10

Lady Anne is, Medieval, Elizabethan and Renaissance all rolled into today.

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Her name, Lady Anne, came to me as I was shooting her.

Soon after I was humming Lady Jane, an old Rolling Stones tune. In the song, Lady Anne is being left for Lady Jane. There is only one color to describe that feeling …. blue.

"My dear Lady Anne, I've done what I can. I must take my leave, for promised I am This play is run my love, your time has come my love I've pledged my troth to Lady Jane." Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
“My dear Lady Anne, I’ve done what I can.
I must take my leave, for promised I am
This play is run my love, your time has come my love
I’ve pledged my troth to Lady Jane.”
Mick Jagger/Keith Richards

Norman, Lady Anne is like the music you make, a romance of many eras, places and feelings. Thank you for the inspiration!

Norman Orenstein Music

Anne #16

“Art Gown” Lady Anne designed by Resa McConaghy – November, 2013

All photos of Lady Anne taken by Resa McConaghy – November, 2013

Atlantis Mermaid Love-in

On By ResaIn Gowns112 Comments

Did you ever get the urge to design an “Art Gown” who could swim the oceans & seas spreading love and peace?

HM #1Well, then you know she’d have to be a mermaid, and speak a lot of languages.

Le Drake Noir, as you speak 8 languages (reading and writing in 4), and are constantly posting pics of or from oceans and seas, This “Art Gown” is for you.

HM #2bMy personal challenge with this “Art Gown” was that I could only use what I had in stock. I was not allowed to buy anything.

HM #20I found:

Blue Crushed Velvet yardage

3 white T-shirts, of my design, and 2 boxes of purple dye. I immediately tie-dyed 2 of the t-shirts, thinking of hippies in their tie-dyes and velvet bell-bottoms.

When it comes to “Love &Peace”, the Hippies were full of it.

HM #22Scraps of $200.00/yd. French Lace

Blue and purple acrylic paint.

I soaked the lace in watered down acrylic paint.

When it dried it had become plastic-like, and looked like fan seaweed.

I found I could cut around the lace patterns and it didn’t run. What fun!

I also found a bottle of glue, which I used to adhere the cut out seaweed pieces to her.

The thing about mermaids is, if you were under the water and saw one, she might be swimming under you, or over you.

As I don’t have a glass floor, I climbed a ladder.

HM #6b

It looks like she’s swimming up at me.

HM #5bWhat a beauty!

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I usually do a Black & White here, but this “Art Gown” has a lush glamor that precedes the glamor of the 1940’s, so I antiqued it!

HM #26Le Drake Noir, I enjoy your blog, and I know you’ll look great in this gown!

HM #25

Flora Blanca

On By ResaIn Floral107 Comments

Did you ever have to move a bevy of jaded “Art Gowns” to a new “WordPress” site?

It would be easier to transplant a garden to another city!

Penn test

That’s why this “Art Gown” is inspired by and dedicated to my beloved niece Sherrie. She is the only person I know who would actually help me dig up an entire garden, lug it then replant it.

Penn #2b

Hence, I decided to do a Garden themed “Art Gown”

Penn #5_2

Of course wool and paper popped immediately into my mind.

Penn #12Not just anyPenn #10 wool, but a pure, fine and all natural wool, fit for the Pope’s cassock.

Not just any paper, but pictures of Roses, Begonias, Peonies, Lilies, Orchids and Poppies by “Irving Penn”.

Yes, I cut up the entire book. It is a true labor of love cutting around the beads of dew, thorns, intricate ruffles and fine hairs of “Mr. Penn’s” photographs.

Penn #8

The GownPenn #9

itself is

based

on an

Orchid.

I used 2

bottles

of clear

drying

craft glue . If I made this on a display Judy, it could be varnished and made into a decoupage type sculpture.

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 “Art Gowns” remind me of the mid nineteen hundreds Hollywood Movie Glamor. That’s why I love the Black & White treatment.

Penn #15Dearest Darling ♥♥♥ Sherrie ♥♥♥

Thanks for helping me move my garden!

Penn #16

Ballroom Lux

On By ResaIn Gowns94 Comments

Did you ever design a magic gown that seemed to light itself?

ABC #1

Well, this “Art Gown” inspired by Carolyn from ABC of Spirit Talk turned out to do just that.

I love Carolyn’s “Reflections” and she has been a joy to me for almost a year now.

When I realized she enjoys Ballroom Dancing and loves a Waltz, I saw flowing white swans.

After she told me gold was a favorite color, I saw this modern fabric called Liquid Lamé. I decided to combine it with the most delicate of traditional white netting, shimmered and dotted with gold. Would these diametrically opposed fabrics work together?

ABC #2

As usual, I began by draping the bodice. The ruching down the center back took about 30 pins to hold in place. I was thrilled with the outcome.

I draped the underskirt in Lamé, added the over-skirt in net, and took a making of shot. I repositioned Judy, and shot the front. It was then I saw the dynamics of light with this creation.

ABC #3

I took off the over-skirt, threw a sash around Judy’s waist and made the tails into rosettes. I shot the gown in this state then re-attached the over skirt, and shot some more. Here’s what happened.

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It’s incredible what the gown revealed. Sometimes the net even looked like clear plastic.

“N” said if the pics were in black and white, it would look like it was from another era, another place in time.  I couldn’t resist. Sure enough, Carolyn’s gown is not only lux magic, it is lux mystic.

ABC #12

Carolyn’s gown welcomes us in one place then says farewell from another.

Much like Carolyn, her gown is divinely enchanting!ABC #13