Opening Night Dress 2013: Let's compare

In costume design the idea of your rendering (or sketch for those who quibble with the definition of "rendering") is to illustrate exactly what you want the finished product to look like. It's the draper's job to create the pattern to do this. Don't draw what you don't want draped is the rule of thumb bc a good draper will give you exactly what you've drawn.

One of my problems as a designer is drawing figures that look like me (long and lean) making it more difficult for the draper to translate the design onto a figure that's not got as much vertical real estate. The great thing about being the designer, draper, and model is that you have complete control beginning to end. The great thing about my Opening Night Dress design was that the product changed very little. And so, once again, I give you my original rendering and the finished product. I'm over the moon at the results. The drape changed bc of the logistics of the weight and material. The sleeves shortened bc that would have been a butt ton more beading and it's a summer party. The belt changed bc of what was available. BUT, I mean, that's pretty dead on. High fives for everyone!

And again, I want to point out that this dress is 100% LDS modest and unique and flattering and all of the things most other modest dresses produced en masse aren't.

Opening Night Dress 2013: The End

I pretty much beaded on my patio every night for the past 2 weeks. I finished the beading at about 4 o'clock day of the party. I then beaded the belt and finished at 8:30, showered, primped and had a wonderful time! I've never felt prettier and had a glorious night of conversation with everyone at USF, and my friend Trent with whom I went. Night to remember for sure! I can't say I've ever been more satisfied with a project. It was admired by all. It's a good thing I thrive on attention!

I think I'll do a daytime photo shoot at some point so you can get a better idea of the train and everything.

More things about me men should find attractive...

I'm not a big sweater.
I can make a bed with hospital corners.
I can reach tall shelves.
I know when to use "whom" and "who".
I have a passport.
I have light arm hair.
I always carry stamps.
I'm really swell at public transport. 

I saw him first!

Just so you all remember, I saw them first!

David Tennant
He Knew He Was Right
2004

Daniel Craig
A Kid In King Arthur's Court
1995

Hugh Dancy
Daniel Deronda
2002

Richard Armitage
North and South
2004

Gerard Butler
Lara Croft
2003

Tom Hardy
The Virgin Queen
2005

Benedict Cumberbatch
To the Ends of the Earth
2005

JJ Feild
Nicholas Nickleby
2001

Tom Hiddleston
Nicholas Nickleby
2001

Hugh Bonneville
Mansfield Park
1999

Jonny Lee Miller
Mansfield Park
1999

Dan Stevens
Sense and Sensibility
2009

That's David Tennant before Harry Potter, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller before Sherlocks, Hugh Bonneville and Dan Stevens before Downton, Tom Hardy before Baine and Tom Hiddleston before Loki. I concede that most of you probably know Richard Armitage from North and South, but how many of you knew of this film 18 months before its BBC release and had your sister record it on VHS then send it to you in California where you were living for the summer and upon receiving it you watched it straight through even though you'd just gotten back from a week of girls' camp in the wilderness and hadn't showered? I didn't think so.

Yes, I am aware of my obsessive and competitive tendencies. 

Opening Night Dress 2013: Oh, this old thing?

I have been working on it, I promise! I actually just need to hem the sleeves, fill in the beading and figure out the train/belt. Best thing about this dress? No zipper.

We don't yet know when the party's going to be, but we do know I'll be overdressed!

What I've Been Up To

In the past month I've...

--moved back down to Cedar City

--started my job as Costume Design Assistant/Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor/gopher

--reconnected with lots of friends!

--learned I really want a Mac

--leased an apt for grad school

--gotten very excited for en suite laundry in said apartment 

--joined the gym and started a training routine 

--gained the last three pounds to get be back to my pre-winter weight

--spent almost every night on my porch with amazing friends

--worked on my dress enough to think I can have all but the rebeading done by the end of this Saturday

--gone down to St. George for a nice Temple night

--had oh so many Crunchy Italian Salads from the Pub

So that's what you get. I need to start blogging again for my own sanity if nothing else. The gym helps with that though...

Utah County

Ok, here's the thing. I went to BYU for four years and loved it. I wouldn't say I had THE cliche BYU experience. I didn't date, almost at all, I did very little outdoorsy things and mostly stayed in the basement of the Fine Arts Building, but I'm also not a believer in BYU only being one thing, which I think is a common belief. What BYU is is a very wholesome place with 30,000 more or less very wholesome young people. It's a place that is rumored to paint their grass green (no joke).

Being back in Utah County is now very strange. I've been graduated for 2 years and have spent much time outside of The Bubble. When I drive through Provo now I feel this wave of goodness; the trees are perfect, the sun is shining, and beautiful people are jogging everywhere. Once you're out of it for awhile it's all rather surreal. It's not all roses and bunnies when you look deeper, but superficially Provo and BYU is the most wholesome place ever.

Let's not forget, there are places other than Orem/Provo in UT County...like Payson.

Things about Utah County:

Drivers are actually very mean and crazy and nuts.
It's very easy to think that UT County is just BYU, but even Provo has much more to offer.
Road construction will NEVER end. Mostly we were all excited to graduate from I-15.
UT County is very beautiful. There are lots of parks and outdoorsy things to do.
Provo Canyon is very beautiful.
There are a lot of people in Utah County. There is nature, but mostly from Ogden down through Nephi there is no break from people, blerg.
There are LOTS of babies in Utah County.