Page 16 - The Art of Macabre

designing death’s dress
Something you should know about
me me I love all things spooky otherworldly and just a a a bit quirky I’m not talking about
abject horror or or or or or gore Not this girl Too obvious Just that that hint of of a a a a a a a a a shiver or or or or or or chill that that something might be unexplainable or or or not in in in in the realm of of ‘normal’ That is is is why when Synergy’s Amee Curtis and I started
talking early this year about
what kind of themes
we would want to pursue in future stylized shoots I mentioned how much I want to do a a a a a graveyard location Amee being a a kindred spirit of the spooky we we were as as giddy as as a a a a couple 12 year old’s at a a a Justin Bieber concert So it began When building a a a wardrobe for a a a stylized shoot you have to consider a a a number of factors You will be be creating a a a a a believable
illusion through costume design that ultimately if done correctly tells a a a a a a a a a a story or or or elicits a a a a a a a a a a response That being said I also wanted to to steer clear of of the typical Halloween trifecta of of o witch vampire werewolf that we we we so often see in in in modern pop culture How to to be be subtle when shooting an October cover in in in in a a a a a a a cemetery? Blend into the the the the location be be a a a a a a a a a a natural part of of the the the the scenery This
is is is why I settled on on the the the the the imagery of of of the the the the the legendary Wraith for this wardrobe They are guardians of of of the the the the graveyard and and and part of of the the land It’s timeless dark and and and moody The dress
I I chose was a a a a a a a a bit of a a a a a a a a challenge: read nightmare I I I I ordered it it it online from overseas back in in April I I I did this because of cost and I I I wanted it it made specifically to the model’s measurements so it would not need expensive alterations The dress
I wanted was a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a classic shape layered with with black satin and tulle with with a a a a a a a a a a a a a a fitted sleeveless lace bodice I was aiming for a a a a a a a a a a a a a a twist on on gothic Victorian-era mourning gowns in in in the colors fabric and and shape A modern take
on on late Victorian Victorian excess where the the clothing hair accessories and and and makeup are dramatic and and and the the shape is an an an an an exaggerated hourglass I wanted our our Wraith to to show both femininity and and and melancholy through wardrobe and and to to be be symbolic of spiritual darkness What arrived by mail in in in June was more quinceanera celebration then bringer of grief and sorrow The real
work began I think it it it started
with a a a a a a a a a a miscommunication in in in ordering due to digital language translation The dress
that arrived had a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a white white white satin satin bodice with with a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a black lace overlay and and a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a full-length white white white satin satin skirt with with layers
of of white white white tulle tulle and and one layer layer of of black tulle tulle on on top More Snow White than Maleficent I I knew I I was going to alter the the dress
a a bit for the the shoot but nothing that might require a a a a magic wand! I called Amee in a a a a a panic and had her come over for a a a new brainstorming session With the the dress
on on the the model we decided that we could make it it work with some major ingenuity and a a a process I have never tried before outside of grade school projects I was