FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Finalist
Father Frost
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Model: Jedediah Tressler
Outline the story …
My entry comes from my husband’s bookshelf in the form of a collection of Russian Fairy Tales, "The Yellow Fairy Book" from 1894 by Leonora Blanche Alleyne and her editor/husband Andrew Lang.
Father Frost is the titular (if mostly secondary to the story) character in a short fable about the uncomplaining daughter being rewarded when her stepmother tries to get her killed from exposure to Russian winter. Father Frost comes upon the daughter either in a field or in the forest, and asks if she’s cold. Despite slowly freezing, the daughter repeatedly says she’s plenty warm enough. In some versions, he challenges her to make him a shirt from scratch overnight, and the results please him enough to reward her with furs and scarves and a trunk full of gold. When she returns home with her prizes, instead of dying, her stepmother sends her own daughter out to be rewarded by Father Frost, but the stepsister is spoiled and complains about the cold, earning Father Frost’s ire. Sometime there’s a talking dog, sometimes a pancake funeral feast, but always Father Frost shows up to pass judgement.
Father Frost, alternatively called King Frost, Morozko, Ded Moroz, and dozens of other versions of his name, has become the Russian and Eastern Slavic version of Santa Claus, and spread culturally throughout the 19th century due to the collections of fairy tales. It was translated to English and included in "The Yellow Fairy Book" in 1894 by Leonora Blanche Alleyne and her editor/husband Andrew Lang, spreading the story further.
Outline the construction…
I started with an old pattern from Laughing Moon for a Victorian frock coat that I made my husband about 10 years ago. I made a quick mock up, since he’s dropped 70 pounds this year due to health, and I knew it would swim on him! I kept the fiddleback pattern, dismissed the skirts, collars, and lapels, and created something new and fantastical. I followed the directions in "Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear" as far as they could be applied to the eccentric creation in my mind. I drafted what I’ve been calling a “falling caplet,” a fur covered short cape that emerges from the top of the collar stand rather than the bottom, and lined the inside of the collar with the same faux fur, no need for a scarf! The skirts are a combination of near quarter circles for the fronts, and straight cut, stacked pleats for the back.
Three blue wools from my stash make the majority of the garment; a lightweight medium blue that was flat lined with canvas throughout the garment to give it more body, a fulled navy that makes up trim, the mittens, and the belt, and scraps of a handwoven, white and blue diamond twill that was gifted to me after a commission. The outfit is further trimmed with a total of 43 yards of silver braid, and 88 snowflakes of various sizes and styles. Oversized mittens and a hunter’s cap made from the same materials complete the outfit.
Absolutely stunning! You have a fantastic eye for details!
Holy hells, this is amazing
Not enough photo’s! (I know there’s a limit, but I want to see more of this!) I love this so much!
There’s a bunch more on my IG, mostly making of photos, because my husband’s the good photographer. Since entering though, I’ve mostly moved over to Ko-fi for new projects.
Absolutely stunning! You are so talented!
This is so fantastic!! Brava!!
Abso-freaking-lutely STUNNING! I am in AWE.
SPECTACULAR!!!! The richness of detail and the swing of that skirt make me so happy.
Oh my Faery Godmother, this is breath taking! So utterly fabulous! I love old Russian and Slavic tales so was very happy to see The Yellow Fairy Book mentions. Fantastic job!
Wow! I love this – stunning work. I love every part of this. DRAMA!!!!!!
he is beautiful. I think there should be a carved and dressed doll of him, set on the mantle for winter blessings! lovely work! best of luck from icarus!
Glorious! He looks so majestic.
This really looks like it’s stepped straight out of a fairy-tale! The detail is wonderful
Wow!! The trim work is really amazing.
Oh my, this is stunning in every way! So gorgeous, and so beautifully constructed!
That is absolutely stunning. I am always in awe of your work.
I love this so much. Beautiful work.
I love this so much, there are no adequate words to describe how much. You did an exceptional job and I love the story of your inspiration. Bravo !
There is also a film version of this fairy tale and every TV channel airs it during Christmas season in my country, I love that story.
The inner structure of the coat is mindblowing as well as all the details
Fantastic! Father Frost is one of the tales I tell during SCA Bardic nights. Your coat… It’s like you pulled my mental image from my head and made it real. I love the details. I enjoyed seeing the construction bits as well.
This is such a cool costume! That blue <3
A really wonderful character and beautifully executed costume. Your trim work is impeccable.
This will stop you in your tracks! BEAUTIFUL!
So much beautiful details. It also looks really warm and cozy x
The design, execution, color combo and detailing of this is BEAUTIFUL! Absolutely gorgeous, I don’t know what else to say! Except for that I want to be enveloped by this coat and majestically slow-frolic through snow-ridden forests 😀
My favourite colour? check
Snowflakes? check
Overall look? so stunning I just want to swish around in one myself. Do you have a Mrs Frost version? If not, are you tempted to create a complimentary version?
Nah, I totally just steal his, I’m less majestic, but still cute. The traditional partner for Father Frost is the Snow Maiden, and I’m many years past that look.
This is a truly outstanding piece of work. The attention to detail and all the detail make this an amazing piece, the number of hours is very evident. I would really love to be able to pet it and see it sparkle in the sun in real life!
Love, love, love, nothing but love for this one! Amazing. Well done, you!
I feel transported into the story with these pictures! So beautiful and detailed – clearly made with care! Bravo!
I’m all here for this outfit! It’s amazing and you obviously paid a lot of attention to all of the details.