Movie Monday: Avatar

Have you heard of James Cameron's Avatar (2009)? It's coming out on Friday, December 18, and even without knowing the story, you know it's going to be a hit with costumers in the years to come. I mean, come on, blue skinned creatures with pointed ears and tails? I'll bet you'll see at least one at the next Dragon*Con.

Of course, there are also the 22nd Century Marine Uniforms.

As for the story itself, I'd say it is highly inspired by what happened when Europeans colonized America: you have this one group who want to exploit the Earth's resources with barely any regards for the native population whom they regard as primitive. Except this time, the "civilized" men are humans, the primitive ones are 3 metres high blue creatures called the Na'vi, and the "Earth" is a place called Pandora in Alpha Centauri. But as we all know, history repeats itself, so why not in the future? (Why not? Aren't we supposed to be getting smart enough as a race to learn from our mistakes? Ayeh!)

OK, you can come out of hiding now, I'm done moralizing! Back to this Blog's subject, costumes: I would love to see someone make a Na'vi costume out of foam latex. Then I could pester them for information on how to make it myself.

OK, I admit it; I have been watching the LOTR Making-of again.

Getting in the Olympics Spirit Early

Only 64 days left before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Are you getting in the Olympics mood? I'm not much of an athlete, nor am I very active (except when it comes to dancing), but I do love the Olympics Celebrations.

For a costumer, what is there not to like about, say, the opening ceremonies? Remember the last winter Olympics, in Torino, IT? The Placard Holders wore Moschino dresses made to look like snowy mountain tops, complete with pine trees and lit-up village! I still can't figure how to make that one.

Miss Italia, Edelfa Chiara Masciotta, carrying the Placard for team Italy, 2006 Winter Olympics, Torino, Italy

I can't wait to see what Canada will have come up with.

In the mean time, to get into the Olympics Spirit, I got up at 6 AM this morning to go see the Olympic Torch Relay in Bois-des-Filion, QC (it was scheduled for 7:30, bu you know, one needs to get ready, shovel the driveway - thanks Sweetheart - and plan for traffic).

Gwenyver and Daughter with the First of the Bois-des-Filion Torchbearers (sorry, I don't have his name) December 10, 2009

I did participate in Coca-Cola's Torchbearer contest last winter. I would have loved to do it. It's not so much the honour which first motivated me (well, lets face it, the honour would have been awesome and I would have been grateful to get the chance to do it) as the Uniform. What? It's me we're talking about.

Torchbearer Uniform

These uniforms were designed by the Hudson's Bay Company. According to the Vancouver 2010 Website, "the 2010 Olympic Torchbearer uniform has been designed with Canadian winters in mind". Really? Up-close, I thought it was just a light nylon suit that could be worn over warm clothes - kind of like our mothers making us wear our snow suits under our Halloween costumes when we were kids - but I could be wrong (it was very windy and chilly and my focus was on keeping my Baby warm, which is why I closed my coat over her and added a blanket).

The Website further informs us that "the Olympic Torchbearer uniform highlights the Sea to Sky palette — the blue and green hues seen around Vancouver in the winter months". Ah, blue and green: that's why I subconsciously wanted to wear that uniform.

Finally, we also get a detailed description of the uniforms:

"The uniform consists of several pieces items, including a jacket, pullover pants, toque and mittens. As is the recent tradition, the uniform is mainly white, symbolizing a message of peace and hope. Colour accents decorate the left arm of the uniform, along with reflective elements for safety during operations in little or no light. The uniform prominently features the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay emblem as well as the universally recognizable Olympic Rings."

Paralympic Torchbearer Uniform

And for the Paralympic Torchbearer Uniforms?

"The torchbearer uniform for the Paralympic Torch Relay consists of several pieces, including a jacket, pullover pants, toque and red mittens. Designed and manufactured by the Hudson’s Bay Company, the 2010 Paralympic Torchbearer uniform is blue to represent ice and accented with bright bursts of blue and green on the jacket’s left arm. Silver reflective elements, including “Vancouver 2010” on the right jacket sleeve and right back pant leg, have been added for prominence and visibility.

The uniform features the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay emblem on the chest as well as the Agitos on the back. From the Latin word for “I move,” the Agitos are the Paralympic symbol and are composed of three elements (red, blue and green) representing the International Paralympic Committee’s role in bringing athletes from all corners of the world together to compete.

The uniform has been designed with the comfort and safety of the torchbearers in mind and makes a beautiful commemorative keepsake."

Torchbearers, this Costumeholic is behind you 100%! Enjoy your run and your time with the Flame; I mean think about it, it has come all the way from Greece! That's just incredible. Mostly, be happy that "The design team from the Hudson’s Bay Company, in collaboration with VANOC, managed to find an ideal balance of function and fashion that will have the Olympic Torchbearers moving comfortably and looking great".

Military Uniforms: Evolution from Napoleon to WWII

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. Although I am against Wars and don't particularly encourage the Military, I can't really ignore the date. Sooo...

No one in my family ever served during the two World Wars. My Grand Dad, a Frenchman, was recruited as a translator after the Second World War, but only because he lived in the mess that was Europe after fighting was over (and because he was too young to be drafted before that).

But my Sweetheart did take the Officer's Course (if that is the right term) when he was in his twenties, my friend Sciath was in the Navy and I have another friend, J., who still is in the Navy. So for them, I salute this days the only way I, your favorite Costumeholic, can.

By talking clothes. Military Uniforms to be exact.

Costume Militaire, Le Petit Larousse Illustré, 1990

Well, there's not all that much I can say: this is not one of my areas of expertise.

What I do know, and thank you Sweetheart for feeding me the info here, is that there was a very important change in uniforms with the First World War. As you may remember from High School History, the Great War was the first to be fought in trenches (instead of on a field).

A century earlier, at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, uniforms were splendid and colourful; the point was to be recognizable on the battlefield. Battles were bloody, but they were disciplined affairs. It was all about courageously running out on the battlefield. During the 19th century, military uniforms were highly decorated, moreover in peace time.

But with the new (deadly) technologies available to armies in the early 1900's, being easy to spot, was no longer desired. Besides, colourful, decorated uniforms for all was way too expensive during this war time. Slowly, throughout the 20th century, Military Battle uniforms (different from Dress uniforms) changed, to blend itself more and more with the environment over time. Cubism, a popular new Art style of the early 20th Century was the inspiration for Camouflage, a print we all know of today and used by the Military all around the world.

That's pretty much all I know. If you would like to see more reference pictures, I suggest you visit the New York Public Library Digital Gallery - Military Uniform. With about 31,770 search results, you should find what you need.

Of course NYPL Digital Gallery is also a great source of pictorial information, whatever you are looking for.

Gymslip Pattern

This is just so... COOL! Remember on September 1st, how I was going on about Gymslips, the school dress of the century? This week, I got an e-mail from Margaret, asking me if I was serious about wanting to make one (Note to all of you: I may use a mocking or sarcastic tone sometimes, but I'm ALWAYS serious about wanting to make costume!), because she just so happens to have made one last year for Halloween! Ask my Sweetheart: I was bouncing on my chair and clapping my hands excitedly.

Here is her story: having seen pictures of her mother wearing one back when she was in school, she jumped on the occasion when she found an old Butterick Pattern from the 1950's on eBay.

Butterick 516 (Enveloppe Front)

Butterick 516 (Enveloppe Back)

But when she got the pattern, she was disappointed as it was missing the yoke pieces, and it was a child's size. Luckily, her husband Mike who is an engineer, said upon seeing the pattern that he could fix it. spent a week photographing and measuring the original pattern and then re-drawing it on the computer to her size. Margaret then had to spend a day printing out pages and gluing them together (the pattern Mike designed fits on 8.5" by 11" pages - 45 of them to be exact).

Since she lives in a hot climate, she didn't make it out of the wool serge which is what these jumpers were made of back then (as confirmed by Margaret's mother and mine), but in a brown twill, because that was the color that her mother wore. Dark navy blue or bottle green were apparently more common colours (for instance, my Mom's was navy blue).

Margaret's Gymslip (Halloween 2008)

In the photo, she tells me she was more or less finished: she still needed to press the pleats and sew the buttons on the shoulders. Her husband Mike gave me permission to post the picture, because, as he put it, he thinks Margaret "looks da bomb" in the outfit. She does look very cute. Great job, both of you.

Now here is the extra fun part: Margaret and Mike sent me the pattern and the instructions in PDF format and I have their permission to share it with anyone who wants it. So if you want it, e-mail me and I'll send it to you!

Many thanks to Margaret and Mike, you are both awesome and you have no idea how happy you have made me.

Back to school!

It's September first, you know what that means: it's back to school! Now, I graduated high school 10 years ago (yikes, it makes me old!) but from the WalMart flyer, I seem to gather that uniforms are becoming more and more popular. That's how it used to be in old times and that is how it is in other countries, so why not here too!

"What does that have to do with costumes?" you might wonder (don't you know by now I always find a way to link things together?). Let us go back in time, to as far back as the 1920's, and talk about the Gymslip, also known as a pinafore or jumper dress. That is what our grandmother's wore to school (my grandmother used to bring back the cafeteria food she disliked in her dress pockets, but that's a whole other story).

Girls wearing Gymslips

For years, I've been amassing data on this type of dress in order to eventually reproduce it. "Why would she want to do that for?" I hear you think. Simple. I'm a Costumeholic, AND I'm a fan of the TV show The Worst Witch.

Kate Duchêne as Miss Hardbroom, Emma Brown as Maud Moonshine, Georgina Sherrington as Mildred Hubble and Joanna Dyce as Ruby Cherrytree; The Worst Witch (1998)

Emma Brown as Maud Moonshine and Georgina Sherrington as Mildred Hubble, The Worst Witch (1998)

So obviously, I want to make a Cackle's Academy uniform, which includes a black gymslip, a light grey shirt, a black and grey tie, black Inverness cape and black witch's hat. I've even redrawn the school's coat of arms to eventually embroider as a patch!

Cackle's Academy Coat of Arms

So far as my research goes, imagine how thrilled I was to see a gymslip dress up close at my favorite museum last year!

School uniform (front), Manhattan Childrenswear, About 1960, 20th century, 79 cm, Gift of Mrs. Douglas T. Bourke, M988.68.1.1-2© McCord Museum

School uniform (back), Manhattan Childrenswear, About 1960, 20th century, 79 cm, Gift of Mrs. Douglas T. Bourke, M988.68.1.1-2© McCord Museum

More recently, a pinafore dress was seen in a Box Office movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).

The Pevensies: Edmund, Peter, Susan and Lucy; The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

That's right folks, Lucy's school dress is a pinafore!

So, plenty of reasons to like your grandmother's school uniform. Why not try to convince your school to pick it up instead of the plaid skirts? (Too much? Yeah, I do get carried away.)