Lady Anne

On November 20, 2013November 12, 2017 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?

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

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.

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

However, this is a 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.

This became 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.

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

“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 July 13, 2013January 19, 2015 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?

Well, 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.

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

I 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.

Scraps 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.

It looks like she’s swimming up at me.

What 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!

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

Flora Blanca

On May 24, 2013February 26, 2018 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!

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.

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

Of course wool and paper popped immediately into my mind.

Not just any 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.

The Gown

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.

Dearest Darling ♥♥♥ Sherrie ♥♥♥

Thanks for helping me move my garden!

Graffiti Girl Glam

On December 17, 2012July 5, 2019 By ResaIn Gowns101 Comments

Have you ever felt like painting a graffiti mural on a beautiful gold lamé gown, then shooting it in the alley beside a mural?

Well I have, & it is inspired by all the ephemeral art my eyes now see around me.

So to thank Eric Vandersteenen, Director & General Administrator and Monique Deveen, Artistic Director & Main Photographer of the Free Tag Zone network for introducing me to a new passion, my second “Art Gown” is an FTZ Tribute Gown.