Your Fantasy Costume

Of course we are living in the XXI, but  that’s no reason you can be wearing actual dresses with a fairy, cyber or gothic edge that sill keeps a magic that distinguish the most daring ones that decide not to . Casual, comfortable and still fantasy oriented,  Alienskin is a british store with a very interesting collection  from which I highlight the hooded coats and long leafy skirts that you can order in your custom size/colours showing that mythic creatures can also adapt to urban backgrounds.

There are also some accessories like arm warmers with several original designs, i’ve picked my favourite to show you.

We’ve covered fairy wings before in your fantasy costume in several articles, but this lovely site deserved an article on its own. On Gossamer wings has to be my favourite along with Enchanted costumes, these two sites are amazing if you want to look for fine, high quality sturdy fairy wings. Having previously featured Enchanted Costumes (please do and recheck, they’re AMAZING) we cover now another of the most wonderful wing makers you can find on the net.

Designer Angelina Doyle is the creator of On Gossamer wings. Due to the popularity of her fairy wings, circumstances have favored Angelia and granted her the ability to spread her wings and expand her artistic horizons through experimentation. Each new design (pieces that she has termed as “handcrafted ‘art-wear’ for the discerning fairy”) pushes into new realms and combines sheer artistry with unparalleled workmanship.

Check back often for her ever-expanding list of fly fairy flywear catallogue, some of the designs are really so lovely and unique.

Handcrafted from sturdy, rust-resistant wire, these irresistible wings can be positioned any way you desire. One of the many things that sets our fairy wings apart from other mass-produced wings is that both sides are decorated with the finest fairy dust available! We all know it is very important for a fairy to look their absolute best as they are both coming and going! The wings are lightweight and are worn backpack style with elastic arm loops. And you can also opt for something custom-made!

On gossamer wings were recently in the amazing and well known faerie magazine summer issue 2008 (congratulations)

Liselotte  Eriksson is a swedish artist and  photographer who also dares to design an enjoyable collection of items and fashion accessories that goes  from horns to hats and even wings and hairpins, with the design of the artist self to enhance its uniqueness  that would delight any fairy or faun.  Recently launched it promises to increase the catalog of her delicious fairy store THE CHANGELLING CLOSET.

Her goal  is to supply not only costume items, but also every day wear inspired by nature, Faerie, folklore and myth.  Recycling materials and Usthrifted materials and found objects when possible, thus keeping the prices down while also being friendlier to the environment yet still with a great flavour of one-of-a-kind  that on her words think it “adds a certain quirky charm to the pieces”,  but at extremely affordable prices.

Up: horns and elf ears

I find the hats so adorable…  just judge yourself, they’re absolutely original! and certainly gives me so many ideas!! I had the chance to meet Liselotte in person when I performed in the Fairy Ball (UK) last year, she was indeed one of the most original atendees with a garment made of all sort of recycled materials… it really catched my eye… and now it makes all sense to see this lovely store launched…!!

You’ll find a collection of several horns and pointed ears,  headpieces,  hand-painted bags… and even some lovely pendants made out of natural acorns… Just dive in!!

Lady Narf creates one of a kind wigs  made of fine materials: faeries, sprites, elves, brownies, Goth and Dark faeries, warriors that protect the land, Queens, Renaissance maidens, sea dwellers, and many other creatures. They’re indeed unusual and eye-catchy for sure, sometimes adding a rough hand-crafted finish, they really look sometimes mossy and fairy and enhanced by branches, leaves and horns. As they’re so unique and so hard to describe,  judge yourself by some pictures.

Faire Lady is a store that has bits of many items you might need for a Ren Fair, from Civil war versatile skirts, to cinchers,  ren corsets and bodices, pirate coats and chemises, petal skirts, tribal dance turkish vests, veils tribal and belly dance wear. It also features several accesories as belts, vests,  hoop skirts and even hats.  Below you’ll see a lovely pirate boned cincher:

You can opt from complete costumes or get the pieces separately. This lovely store based in Oregon features a wide collection of items that really stands out because of their sturdy aspect and fine quality. Chemises and ren bodices are offered in different colors and even all tapestry like this one. It seems to have also a nice push up effect…!  (aside of the gorgeous model I’m sure) Some are also reversible so you get two looks for the price of one!!

Petal skirts are delightful and offered in several colours,  there are
also chemises and skirts in plain colours so you can combine. particularly love this petal skirt  in purple and black , woudn’t mind to grab it!!

Tim Burton’s “The nightmare before Christmas” is one of my favorite movies… This stop-motion animated jewel released early nineties when I was a teenager. I went to the cinema seven times in a row when it was released just to learn the songs by hear (in those times to find the soundtrack where I was living was a complex task, but finally I found the little precious soundtrack of score that Danny Elfman scored for the movie)… “Oh somewhere deep inside of this bones….!” Yes, this film archieved what looked impossible, to make a charming prince to fall in love with out of a  thin  doll of a skeleton with such a great personality… the mighty Pumpkin King Jack Skellington. A gentle mix of genres, it even had some space for romance, and thus Jack and Sally became one of the most loveliest couple ever.. This movie also showed to the world the spirit of Halloween into countries like mine that have no tradition of it. Years later it started to become a cult movie and gain the recognition it initially deserved…

Let´s start with the heroine…. Sally Rag Doll!

There are cheap already made versions available, but you can opt for a fine hand-made version

Polishing details with this stitched glovettes (or you can opt for theatrical make up too. See attached video for Sally’s make up tutorial)

I think this might be more accurate to what the character is, just like the one below with wool hair juts like a doll:

Still due to aesthetics some prefer to wear a bright red fiber hair wig, the next one is suitable in hair  style:

Step by step Sally rag doll YOU TUBE tutorial (4 videos)

Pt 1: Face
Pt2: eyes
Pt3:Eyes and face
Pt4: Finished look

JACK Skellington

Jack’s mask alone

I don’t need to say that the very classical Halloween skeleton gloves are indeed great and useful for Jack’s costume.

Santa hat for turning Jack’s into Christmas mood!

Other characters in the movie

Zero (Jack’s dog)

Major Tom

Oogie Boogie

pumpkin prop “Halloween town”

Singing…. “This is halloween! This halloween! halloween! halloween!!”

Fairy Gothmother is a boutique  located in central  London. They design and manufacture a wide range of unique corsets in latest colours and fabrics using traditional methods of construction and stock fashion corsets , prom dresses, eveningwear , delicious lingerie and burlesque inspired fashions exuding  glamour and opulence, featuring corsets, lingerie and eveningwear brands handpicked to reflect FairyGothMother’s decadent clientele. Some prom gowns would delight any “Cinderella” begging a fairy godmother to get them ready for the ball. They are indeed a bity pricy but also are of fine quality and many models suitable for waist reduction and training. In many ways it features a similar range of corsets and style to Bibian Blue (another wondrous shop located in Barcelona) that we previously covered, though of course the lines of  both designers are rather different and unique both in their art.

There are also a few other dresses more fairy o rmedieval inspired yet equally beautiful.

To watch the video, click on the title for a full version of the article. As I recommended before MAC make up is great so just a reminder in case of need. Women’s long hair was replaced by very “boyish”  haircut style , skirts shorter, a cigarrete in the hand, and ready for the Charleston!. A symbol of the woman liberation at the beginning of XX century… Then all you can do is to go the ” twenties flapper look” adding a short dress, the right shoes, a headband and string of pearls… so delightfully vintage now! And here also some suggested reading about women in those years. And here in detail  about 20’s make up.

When it comes to the point to find the right shoes for a fantasy garment,  it’s often one of the weak points that often spoil the historical or rigor of it all. I just found this wonderful site Lady Oren’s medieval shoes with a lovely collection of shoes and boots. Most shoes can be made in leather or suede  and you can add some motifs in certain models. I love these below, a with a leaf fairy design burnt on leather:

There are also many models inspired upon historical paintings:

up: Archer shoe model

And  the site features also some lovely pouches too.