FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
The Light of Stars
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographer: Tyler Judson @tylerjudson; Model: Nicole Woodis @niccilaine; MUA: Erin Chaney @justmakingitallup; Photo Assistant: Katherine Diaz Villegas @katherinediazvillegas
Outline the story …
I worked with the poem “The Light of Stars” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow creates a mystical atmosphere in his rhythm and rhyme, but paints his night sky to be a dark and vast nothingness of space. Doing so contrasts to his main character, Mars, which is the character I chose to realize for this competition.
Longfellow personifies Mars as the Roman deity, the god of war and famine. Longfellow’s Mars is heroic and inspirational, building it into a celestial being more than the planet itself. He describes a light that has symbolized strength for centuries; this armored hero has encouraged him to overcome his own weakness and pain.
For Longfellow, Mars is both a natural phenomenon and a divine one. His seventh verse especially describes the level of awe and power that radiates from this red light. He uses Mars as a reminder of hope, encouraging the reader to remember that suffering can be overcome.
To create this character, I followed Longfellow’s description of Mars as a symbol of triumph, beautiful and serene. I used dark desaturated blues, highlighted with cold silver and grey elements in homage to his cold description of the sky. Like the deity, Longfellow’s Mars is a warrior, but in a much more subdued manner. I followed Longfellow’s vision of seeing a warrior in all their strength, yet feeling safe in their midst .The true finishing touch was putting it on a woman with fiery red hair, solidifying her as “The red planet Mars.”
Outline the construction…
I started construction in January with a photoshoot booked for January 14th Because I previously drafted a corset for my model, Nicole, I had a base pattern ready to alter I hand-dyed coutil to achieve the desaturated blue I had envisioned in my sketches The corset is a single-layer, 6-panel with bones on each seam and half-way through panels 3, 4, & 5 German whalebones are used center front and center back and spiral steel used throughout the remainder It has a soft shape and minimal 2” waist reduction Never having made hip-fins before, I drafted them with paper while Nicole wore the corset They were made with two layers of coutil with rigiline supporting the outer edge Spikes and studs taper in size into the points The hip fins were hand-sewn onto the corset I didn’t have experience with neckpieces, either I created a mold around Nicole’s bust with masking tape, drew in the style lines, and transferred it to paper I utilized horsehair to provide support for the studs & spikes located along the shoulder and front seams The outer edge was reinforced with rigiline and repeatedly steamed into shape The skirt was formed from five layers of tulle and organza in black & navy The layering resulted in a skirt that is predominately black with blue undertones White Chantilly lace was sponged with watered down ink to create a color slightly lighter than the corset Studs, spikes, and Swarovski crystals were added over the lace to finish.
Four words; Oh. My. Goddess. YASSSS! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
This is so smooth i love it! Love the subtle texture the lace brings on the bodice!
Love this costume! I totally see your interpretation of Mars.
Spectacular outfit!
Even before reading about the story you’ve been inspired from, my thought was: “What a fierce warrior dress!”. Stunning job, perfect color palette and the details are amazing. Very well done, good luck with the competition!
That corset is just sheer perfection! Just flawless!
This is amazing, the silhouette, the neckline? to die for!
This is amazing!
The fit is so great! Wonderful job.
Wow! Job well done. The fit and cut of the corset are amazing! The applique and decoration are so beautiful!
The fit of this is amazing, so much detail, you can see that you put a lot of attention into it.
You did an amazing job of capturing the energy of the celestial entity from the poem which inspired you! That sharp silhouette with the studded hip fins immediately creates the impression of a fierce warrior, and I adore the colour choice, it perfectly evokes the dark, wide emptiness of space. Well done!
Such a beautiful and detailed corset!
That looks amazing!