My first film!

Here's the poster for my very first film. I worked with a first year MFA film student Paul Reisinger and it was such a fantastic experience. I'm absolutely itching to do more! When I get stills I will be sure to post them.

Christmas Sweater

Going to a Christmas Party this weekend and found the perfect grey argyle cap ruffled sleeved button down sweater. After all, it wouldn't be Christmas without an embellished sweater now would it?!

New Year's Eve dress

Just finished my first quarter of grad school. I'm been lounging in bed and watching movies for the past day and a half and now I can't deal with all this free time. To keep myself busy I'm creating a Christmas break project: make my New Years Eve dress.

Now that I've tailored the pattern I'm off tomorrow to pick fabrics! Hopefully I can find a nice brocade that's not too expensive as this pattern requires 6 yards of fabric. Sister's gotta eat (granted I'd probably look better in the dress if I do that a little less often)

Crazy

For my Costume Design for Film class we're working on a design project for the film Crazy, a bio pic about the Guitarist Hank Garland. Here's one of my sketches for Billy Byrd, one of Garland's friends. In this scene it's late at night after a performance and Byrd has had far too much to drink and is running about their hotel in his underwear.

I'll also have to post my two Elvis designs soon.

Teen Angst

 

For my first year design class we are working on a quirky family (Mother, Father, Son, Daughter). Here's the daughter: Ugh, no one understands her, she loves Twilight because she relates so well to Bella, she's not an outcast but not popular either, she's right in the middle so no one notices her. She has 2 friends, loves Belle and Sebastian, doesn't have a boyfriend, likes to sit in her room and listen to music. always has her headphones on, but her mother makes her take them off during dinner. eats poptarts for breakfast.....

Mom and Son

The Stay-at-Home Dad

He's a little pale

Sewing Box

All prepared for my first day of costume construction class!

Holmes for the Home

More decorating underway. For my front door peep hole I made a Sherlock Holmes silhouette to look through. Everything is so white in the apartment and the front door is pretty wide so it definitely needed a little something to break it up. Plus, when you look through the peep hole you are essentially inspecting to see who is at the door. I felt Sherlock was appropriate for such an action.

Workspace

All of my boxes from NYC have finally arrived and I have finally been able to set up my new sewing station. Have a good look because it won't be this clean again until next summer!

Royal Tenenbaums

Just moved to LA last week and decorating like a fiend! I cross stitched a row of Royal Tenenbaum characters last fall. It's been sitting hidden in a box since then because I was planning on giving it as a gift, then I forgot about it and then I had to pack everything up to move to LA.  Now I'm proud to say it's in the place of honor in my living room. I'm so glad I ended up keeping this piece. It's one of my favorites.

Goodbye New York

 

It's an emotional day for me. Right now I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to LA. I'm excited to start my MFA program at UCLA and I know it's where I need to be if I want to design costumes for film. I keep repeating this in my head, reminding myself because I just know I'm really going to miss New York so much.

Yesterday I walked all over the city, finally went inside Tiffany & Co. (something I've been meaning to do for years but didn't want to be touristy) and just visited all of my favorite places. Last night my friends took me out to Marie's Crisis and sang our hearts out to show tunes. Afterward I did some more walking in the dark taking in all the skyscrapers before heading home to pack. 

Goodbye NYC. I'll be back...eventually (hopefully sooner than later).

Hold the Sauerkraut

{Image via Aceshowbiz.com}

Since the pictures are being posted everywhere today, I figure it's okay for me to write about it here, and thank goodness because I was so excited to see the final Marc in his Hot Dog Bun for the "Taj Ma Hot Dog" scene!

You can't see it in the photos very well but the edge of the bun is a braided gold ribbon and the inside is layered in a sequined netting. his whole look is just amazing, especially accompanied by Betty's schnazzy Hot Dog. For the past week or so I was able to help the show's costume assistants in their hunt for all the additional Indian pieces. I now know Little India in Jackson Heights like the back of my hand. *grin*

Now I just have to wait for the episode to air to see everything in it's full glory.

{Image via Aceshowbiz.com}

Spocklyn Monroe

Soho, NYC

The Poncho

Behold, Betty's Guadalajara poncho! A copy of it was needed and I was enlisted to buy the fabrics and trim to match the original as closely as possible.  Who knows if it will ever be seen on screen but in person it ended up looking like the original.

Sex and the City - Wardrobe

I have seen the Sex and the City 2 wardrobe department, and it was like I died and went to clothing heaven. Racks and racks and racks of beautiful clothes, walls of shoes, walls of hats, walls of scarves, rows of handbags. Glorious.

The Draper

One of my costuming dreams is to one day be all:

"Excuse me Mr. Hamm, I need to rub some more fake sweat and dirt on your costume. Oh, there's no need to take them off. Just stand still and I'll take care of it."

Don't act like you wouldn't do the same.

2 days is too far away!!

{Image via the official Mad Men website}

I've been waiting and waiting for Mad Men Season 3 for what seems like an eternity. And the advertisements for the new season are off the charts. I walked onto the subway train the other day and it turns out it was a Mad Men car that I've been hearing about. I know I'm rambling but Im soooo excited! Is Joan going to bust out of her engagement after being, um, "man-handled"? What's Pete going to do now that he knows he has a kid?? How's poor Betty going to handle having Don back??? And the questions just go on...Right now I'm watching the second season on AMC to get myself all caught up.

Oh, and there's the glorious costumes. I've already watched this behind-the-scenes look at the wardrobe dept. multiple times. Their stock is far more extensive than Ugly Betty's that's for sure! And how cool is it that a lot of fans donate to the show? Janie Bryant how I love thee...

Here's another interesting video from Season 1 where Janie Bryant and the makeup design head, Debbie Zoller talk about how they worked up Peggy's weight gain.

Fiddle-Dee-Dee

{Image via fanpop.com}

Dear Netflix:

Is there a particular reason why you have removed Gone With The Wind from your collection? What, sweepingly dramatic epics aren't your cup of tea? Had to bump it for classier films like Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires?

Now look what you've done. You've incurred a well-deserved withering "Bish Pleaz" from Scarlett herself.

She and I are both very disappointed in you.

Summer Viewing

There's nothing better on a sweaty summer day than sitting in front of a fan (wish I could crank up the A/C, but money don't grow on trees, baby) and watching some movies. Well, I now have the perfect excuse because I just got my required reading and viewing list from UCLA. With 30+ films to watch before mid-September I better get crackin'. I've seen most of the movies listed, but it never hurts to refresh my memory and ogle some spiffy costumes.

So cute!

Now, I am no fan of Crocs. I don't care how comfortable my mom and sister say they are, I'm pretty sure that Crocs are the ugliest footwear on the planet. But I was looking through Betty Suarez's massive footwear collection at work and saw these glorious wedged heels. Unlike regular Crocs, I would totally wear these all the time. They're by United Nude and they come in 14 different colors. I am geeking out over these!

Mother: I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you swore that heeled Crocs existed. Where these the one's you were talking about?

The Speakeasy

Dutch Kills

Long Island City, NY

Week 1

Disclaimer: I would love to post all about how great the show is going to be and dish about the ins and outs of the costume department, but instead I probably won't be posting about what I'm doing for the show. Seeing as this is online and public, I don't want to accidentally write something (no matter how insignificant it seems) here that ends up giving something away about the show or violate some privacy act.

With all that out of the way, I want all of Betty's shoes and Amanda's wardrobe, not that either would fit me (believe me, I've checked *grin*). I've spent the last year and a half working at Bloomingdale's, which requires all black clothing, so maybe you can understand how I could sit and stare at the wracks of clothes all day. And everyone I've met so far in the crew & cast are so friendly and just pleasant to be around. I really couldn't be happier about the next month.

ooh la la

I stumbled upon a new thrift shop today and I'm so glad I went in. Check out my new vintage hairdryer in it's original carrier case. I was surprised how good condition it was in. And it actually works! To top it all off, I only paid $2.00 for it. I'm moving cross country in September and I probably shouldn't have gotten it, but it was too good of a find to pass up!

Ugly Bettyness

{Image via TinyPic.com}

Yay! Tomorrow I start working for Ugly Betty! I’ll be interning in the costume department. And since I just moved from my East Village pad to Astoria, it couldn't be more perfect because I am now only a few subway stops away from Silvercup Studios where I’ll be spending my days.

I’m ridiculously excited. The costumes on Ugly Betty are totally outrageous and colorful (just the way I like it). It’s straight up Camp, and I looove it!!

Harry Potter!

{Image via SnapeCast.com}

Finally got to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Sunday. I held out until then in order to see it in IMAX 3-D because I'm a wee bit obsessed with the Harry Potter series. I just loved Luna Lovegood's tinsely tiered dress for Slughorn's party and she her amazing Gryffindor headgear.

All props for fantastic costumes go to Jany Temime, a costume designer who mixes textures like no other.

{Images via Mugglenet.com}

Buttoned Up

Soooo excited about Coraline coming to DVD next week. I was up half of the night on the movie's website playing with "Mother's Workshop" were you can put buttons on people's eyes in portraits. I knew there was a reason we took so many photos at Lori's bd party!

Now that I have a collection of them, when I move to L.A. in September I plan on creating a collage in my apartment. Hope my new roommate won't mind...

Hermoine's Wardrobe

An inside look of the Hermoine wardrobe trailer.

Ragtime

Ryan, Brannon, Craig, Lori & Me

Astoria, 2009

Photos from our night out on the town.

 

Lori,  Me & Brannon

Finger Waves

It was my friend Lori’s 26th birthday this weekend and she decided to have it at our favorite bar Dutch Kills, a speakeasy. So naturally, me being a costumer and she being a historian, we simply had to dress for the occasion!

To go with my outfit I went all out and attempted finger waves. Well, faux finger waves. I don’t have enough coordination to master the real hairstyle so I decided to do it my own way. Well, the “easy” way still took 3 hours and nearly a pound of hair gel.

En Pointe

Images via NYMag.com

Why, why, why didn't I go to the ballet when I had the chance?!?! I really am going to regret never seeing an American Ballet Theatre performance now that I'm moving to California in September. A reminder came to me today is this behind the scenes look of the ballet’s costume department in New York Magazine.

Of course UCLA has quite an impressive dying room, which is one of the many reasons why I can’t wait to start my M.F.A. program in the fall...gotta focus on the good

Emily, you’re going to drool over the American Ballet Theatre’s image gallery

City Folk

What I love most about New York is people watching. There are so many interesting people out and about that it's impossible not to be inspired by what they wear. Whenever I see someone who is rocking a particular look it sticks in my head all day long and I have to draw it out to. Here are a couple of my drawing of some fantastically put together people.