Bloody Brilliant - My Crimson Peak Review

Well ladies and gents, I finally had the chance to see the film Crimson Peak, directed by Guillermo del Toro, both written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver.

I'm still digesting all the visceral beauty that this film is made of.
All I can say for now is that it's a swirling masterpiece, and an homage to all the classic horror thrillers of the last 100+ years.
There is a hefty dose of the literary style of the era in the storytelling, but not so much that it would tire modern moviegoers with short-attention-span sensibilities. This classic Gothic romance goes straight for the jugular and races into the utterly disturbing, introducing us to the restless souls that have passed on. It delicately plunges into murderous mayhem straight away, while it hands us a hot cup of tea.
There's also a violent scene during the first half, that seems straight out of Boardwalk Empire. You'll know it when you see it.

The loving nod to Hammer Studios-style horror can instantly be seen but really, who are we kidding? Let's get down to the nitty-gritty; they *absolutely nailed the costuming*.
Borrowing heavily from actual trends in fashion between 1877 and 1901, they were able to incorporate the imaginative artistic influences that couture fashion was reflecting at the time, rather than try to modernize it.
Two of the main characters represent the present and the past with their choice of clothing. One is twisted with dark tragic beauty, while the other is bright, lyrical and full of optimism.
Along with the set design, lighting and art direction, the costuming is a fashion time capsule that has just burst open before our eyes. When combined with the aforementioned elements, it becomes a stunning painting in motion.

Needless to say, I have a stash of fabrics that have been yearning to become something similar to what we see Edith (Mia) wearing in the film as she plays a true American belle of the Art Nouveau age.
Below are some historical examples I like to think were inspiration for the costumes of Crimson Peak.

 1893 Worth ballgown

 Late 1870s natural form gowns

Jessica Chastain as Lady Lucille Sharpe

Evening cape by Emile Pingat 1890s, and Mia as Edith Cushing

 Worth gown, and painting by John Singer Sargent

 Worth cloak, and movie set still of Mia playing the role of Edith Cushing

Dragon Con 2014: An Updated List Of Projects

As I had mentioned way back here, there were many costuming and cosplay ideas floating around in my brain. Some made it onto the list, and over the last few months I've needed to trim it drastically.
One reason for this trim is not only due to time and other events creeping in on my schedule, but one project in particular that I really want to tackle.

Lagertha, from the Vikings TV series.

Her leather under dress looks greenish in this image, but it's actually a deep denim blue.

The hardest part will be piecing the tooled leather insets into the chainmaille tunic, but I'll have help and guidance from awesome friends who work with this kind of stuff.
I don't plan on building the maille tunic ring by ring, though I considered it an option earlier.
Nope, I just need to buy a ready made panel of 16 gauge nickel steel similar to this one, shape it and piece it out for the front, back and shoulder sleeves. I may need to email them to make sure of the link pattern and to be sure I'm not going to get something too shiny, since theirs is zinc plated.
The blue skirt she has is actually a sleeveless leather dress in a weathered blue color. I'll post detail shots later, but it's absolutely gorgeous. Under that is a long sleeved grey linen shift, in addition to the leather and metal armored wrist braces.
So yeah, I had to do some trimming to the list, and its current form includes the following:

~ Elsa's snow queen gown (Frozen)
~ Elsa's coronation gown/cape
~ Lagertha's battle dress (Vikings)
~ Caprica Six, which I already have done (Battlestar Galactica)

I figure I'm going to get almost 1 month of time per outfit for construction and 'finishing touches' (translate finishing touches as pulling out hair, crying, sewing all the last annoying bits at the last minute).
If time allows, I want to at least make a replica of her goat hide covered scabbard with a (fake wooden) sword, and maybe her shield (making it collapsible tor travel).

Speaking of having awesome friends who can help me with the leather work on the Lagertha project; here are a few pictures of me wearing my spiffy new leather shoulder armor made by my talented friend, Greg Ruddy:

Since the raven seems to be a recurrent theme in my life and my general aesthetic, he applied an old Viking style raven motif to both shoulders. The deep purple leather wrist braces he made me last year, also have a similar design. If anyone is interested in possibly commissioning something similar, I can put you in contact with him. You can also find him via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/greg.ruddy.1