More armor projects: serious business.

[labricoleuse]

Wow, things have gotten super busy--i haven't had time to finish any of the posts i have half-written on things like USITT seminars, book reviews, or fin de siecle buckram hat foundations. (Some of this can be chalked up to being part of the interview/review process for finding a new Assistant Costume Director, as our much-loved prior ACD is leaving Thursday, Texas-bound.)

I do have some great photos to share of armor projects: a banded leather breastplate/backplate configuration, a padded women's pourpoint with grande assiette sleeves, an "iron corset," sabatons, and some scale mail that defies description...



First year grad Claire Fleming made this breastplate of riveted oil-tanned leather.


Back view: this piece features hidden closures of galoshes hooks,
oriented so that wardrobe crew can operate them easily.


First year grad Samantha Coles made these sabatons of hardened veg-tanned leather.
(Her modified last is in the foreground covered in foil.)


This image shows the metallic finish better on these.


Continuing education student Candy McClernan made this scaled gorget and spaulders.


Detail of spaulders, made of veg-tanned hardened leather hand-dyed.


Hasp closures up center back.


Second year grad Shanna Parks made this padded women's pourpoint.
She demonstrated in her presentation the "windmill" movement this sleeve structure affords.


Detail of back armscye seams and lacing.
Lots of info on this type of garment structure at this link.


Sleeve shaping/lacing detail. This piece is 7 layers of fabric quilted together.
Inner layer is linen (to wick sweat), then cotton flannel layers.
Outermost layer is silk to disperse the force of blows.


Back view, really shows the sleeve structure off.
The piece was patterned over a tabbed Tudor corset on a foam form
to achieve the desired silhouette.


Shanna also created this stageworthy "iron corset" inspired by
a metal corset in the collection of the V&A.


Shanna's is made of hardened veg-tanned leather, dyed and then treated with
French enamel varnish to give it an iron appearance. The corset is held together
with luggage fittings and findings for its latches and hinges.


Side view of hinges.

They really hit it out of the park with these! Pretty cool stuff.

Comments

[droxy.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! The detail they put into is amazing.

[zomboy.livejournal.com]

the scaled gorget and spaulders are wonderful, and they work so well together. Are they part of a large costume project?

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

They weren't originally, but Candy's husband has apparently been wearing them around the house and has asked for matching bracers and greves, supposedly for "Halloween" but you never know. :)

[zomboy.livejournal.com]

I certainly would be doing the same.

How hard is it to dye leather other colors? When I look at that, I can easily imagine it with alternating colors, or colors in a natual progression (say, top layer a cyan, middle a turquoise, outermost green). Is that sort of thing plausible?

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Candy did all the scales from vegetable-tanned leather, which dyes easily (she dyed them all to this finish). So, no reason they couldn't have been done in the color progression you describe instead.

[anabeig.livejournal.com]

Those are beautiful! I really love the ladies' pourpoint. Gorgeous stitching.

Good luck with finding a new ACD. My friend who's been a Master Electrician for y'all posted on facebook that she's off to grad school soon. All sorts of new people!

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Cecilia! We are going to miss her around here, but i am happy for her that she is off to NYU! And yes, we are losing several good folks to life changes--grad school, family changes, new partnerships, etc., all exciting life changes so it's bittersweet. :)

[anabeig.livejournal.com]

She's a riot, isn't she? We were suitemates in college sophomore year (you can tell her you know Megs online).

My office (at a historic house) is full of people right out of college or grad school and I keep wondering how long before they all start moving.