Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Mermaid Parade 2010

Oh Hello Internets, how have you been? I've been quite busy...avoiding you! But now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, I can finally post some photos of our NYC adventure without raising quite so many eyebrows (is she supposed to be a mermaid or a WHALE?), and PERHAPS, if the nausea and exhaustion ever do subside, get back to a little crafting...

But first things first, NYC! While it was far from the most opportune time to travel, it was EXCELLENT to catch up with my BFFs again, share some laughs and some really great meals, and of course make some costumes. My original plan to make a fancy gown fell by the wayside due to budget cuts and a time crunch, and good thing since I ended up busting out of all my clothing the week before the trip. This, however, also meant I couldn't wear either the sundress or last year's costume as an alternative, quite the conundrum. In a fit of self pity as I wandered the aisles of our new Jo-Ann's store, a gorgeous embroidered Sari fabric caught my eye...and it was on sale! I scooped up 4 yards for about $20, and Burda pattern 8327 for an asymmetrical trumpet skirt (also 40% off):



I threw that all in my suitcase and presented it to Ryan, who turned it into a GORGEOUS skirt in about two hours:



Seriously, is that fabric not to die for? It's called "pistachio" and has gorgeous gold threads, I <3 it fully. And Ryan, the perfectionist, serged, pressed and sewed each seam so that I could actually wear this to a wedding or dinner with the queen, not just to a costume parade. I finished the look with two giant sequin appliques from the garment district that I basted on to a nude lace tank top (I sewed that part myself!) The combination of giant dinners + incubating the tadpole did threaten to bust the zipper by the end of the week, so please be kind...but the final product:



Wee haa! I wasn't quite brave enough to go bare under the lace tank, so I layered it on top of a nude tank top, borrowed the fabulous wig from Ryan's shop, and recycled the crown from The Queen of Hearts costume, which was PERFECT.



This skirt was MUCH easier to walk in than some of my previous mermaid attempts (especially a worry when dealing with subways, stairs, and crazed pedestrians), and I think it still definitely gave off the "mermaid" vibe without being completely literal (aka - hard to move in). The wig, eyelashes, and crown were a perfect balance of whimsy and glamour, I had a really fun time getting dressed up. How cute did we look?

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