FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Secunda Minutia Hora
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photography and make-up Chloé Debauges
Outline the story …
Where does our time come from? According to Michael Ende's "Momo", in a street called Never sits a house called Nowhere, and there lives an old man. The man wears elegant but outdated clothes and thin-framed all-seeing glasses, and is in charge of sending each of us our share of hours.
I am no frail old man, so to honor one of my favorite books and characters, I reinterpreted Master (Secundus Minutius) Hora into a younger and feminine version. I kept some elements of the description, silk, (magical) glasses, and a touch of blue, and let my imagination do its thing.
The design took shape around the fabric - my goal is to use as much stash material as possible. The silk taffeta (remnant from my wedding dress!) and the very 1970s printed voile (inherited from my Grandma's stash!) dictated a very structured orange corset over the flowy layers of voile and this changeable probably-viscose-but-the-burn-test-was-inconclusive that I had bought to make a bustle dress before I knew about correct fabric drape.
I focused my outfit on the idea of time (obviously), and Belle Epoque aesthetic lounge-wear - to me Master Hora has always had a very welcoming, homey vibe. This project bears the influence of loved friends who inspired me to try smocking, add braiding and beads and sparkle, each conversation sparking new ideas and pushing my design further. Special thanks to Laëtitia and Morgane and Charlie!
Outline the construction…
It all started with adapting the "Lorna" corset patent from Marion McNealy's book to fit me. The strictly historical shape quickly morphed into a fantasy overbust. I challenged myself to build real, working clocks into the corset. Hip fins were a logical placement for them... and also something I had never tried before. The silk fused to soft coutil that I used in the body of the corset wasn't strong enough for the structures that would hold the clocks - and I could not do the beading prior to interfacing. Sequins do not like heat.
To solve the issue I bonded the top layer of taffeta to a stronger coutil, beaded through that (pliers were used!), and used the thickest iron-on interfacing I could find for the silk taffeta lining. Stitching the eyelets for the clocks' axis demanded some strength - and making that one hole in the center front of the almost finished corset was mightily scary.
I thought the pendulum would prevent me from sitting (in the end it did not) and I wanted it to move (sadly it didn't either). That prompted me to make the structures removable, and add smaller hip fins to hide the fastenings under. How exactly I came to the crazy idea to have the bone casings external on the hips, and internal everywhere else, I can't recall. Two months ago I would never have thought I would floss a corset with roman numbers or sew faux leather turtle clock weights.
It’s so creative and inspiring ! I love the clocks, the movement of the fabric and the colors… god… the colors… <3
Congrats Marion ! <3
Thank you so much !
Love, love, love. Especially the sleeve fabric!
Thank you ! Grandma’s stash FTW !
LOVE this- and they tik!! So fun, so gorgeous and SO, so clever. not even to mention this colour combination. lovely
Thank you ! Having the clocks being functional was one thing that I really wanted to achieve !
I just gasped when I played the video. All the rounds of applause!
Oh, thank you SO much ! <3
Bravo!
Merci beaucoup !!!
Flawless! The numeral flossing, the hip decorations, the ACTUAL CLOCKS and the structure of the corset against the beautiful drape of the dress is beautiful!
Thank you so much for your kind words !
I adore the clocks! What a cool idea, it’s very steampunk and interesting!
Thank you ! It wasn’t specifically steampunk in my mind but then, steampunk is a very broad genre 😉
Gorgeous work, I love the colours and details.
Thank you !!!
So creative, with so much delicate details. I love it!
Thank you so much !
the embroidery is super cool ! also i love the different textures 😀
I really enjoyed the decoration part a lot ! Textures are my jam !
This is incredible! I love the sort of earthiness of the orange and green, they do make it seem homey yet fantastical. And oh my, the construction and details! Phenomenal work!
“Homey and fantastical” was exactly what the character has always evoked for me, thank you !
What an amazingly creative idea! Momo is also one of my favourite childhood books and I love your interpretation. The working clocks are a stroke of genius!
Awww thank you ! <3
Elegant and classic. I love the colors you chose as well as how the accessories told your story. Bravo!
Thank you so much !
Comme je te l’ai déjà dit mille fois, ce corset est impressionnant! Il donne l’heure et le sonne! son orange est juste sublime et la tenue dans son ensemble est vraiment harmonieuse, un plaisir pour les yeux! Encore Bravo, tu m’épateras toujours par tes compétences époustoufflantes! <3
Merciiii tellement, tu m’as bien aidé en me soutenant et me tenant compagnie et ta robe… <3
Incredible and so creative! And I have to admit as Momo is the most favorite book of my childhood, listened and read to bits and pieces, this really makes me smile. How beautiful you brought Mister Hora to life! I love it (*goes listening to Momo again*)
I was delighted to see your entry of Master Hora because I did Momo this year! It was so interesting to see what we both came up with while having a completely different skill level (I just started sewing). I admire your finished corset a lot and I especially love the beadwork you did and the actual clock hands you used!
It’s a wonderful outfit, full of wonderful details.
It’s not until you see it moving that you realise what an ingenious work of art this is. Jaw dropping. Please tell me that your hip clock really strikes the time!!
This is beautiful, and I absolutely love the contrast colors that you chose. Also, incorporating clocks and so many adornments really tops it all off to create a perfect look