Wicked, Twisted Truth of Beauty

I recently worked tirelessly on a few fashions shows, and though many pics I have not yet worked on, I felt the need to share them before the year runs out. This phase of my life has come to a tumultuous turn, however I am thankful for the experiences that broadened me as an artist and as a person. True tests of character, work ethic and family ties have awakened me stronger than before, and in many ways, I have my salon's fashion show to thank for that!

The first was our Fair Queen pageant, which turned out to be a great success and an exciting experience to be a part of.

 Here I am getting my model all dolled up and ready for her debut as a Fair Queen candidate.

The second event, really stretched me as a stylist, artist and a person.... At the salon until the early morning many nights, working exhaustively on scripts, costuming, props and the like. But what an amazing experience  that I would not have traded for anything! I hope you enjoy my work :)

 

I hand painted this dress with black latex paint, and hand bustled with with black tulle and ribbon. The petticoat was supposed to also be bustled, to show the black layers underneath, but they forgot that part when I was directing the show. Still looked amazing.

 The puppet scene... these ladies really stripped down and went crazy with it!

 The I&II Band really helped us out with show intervals.

 I created this bustled angel skirt and it was awesome. Unfortunately, they put it on backwards!

I spent quite some time on this black swan mask. Unfortunately, the "poison ivy ' character that I spent the most time on, evaded the camera, so no pictures of her amazing costume and hair.

 I love my ugly vintage dress collection. This one fit perfectly for the dia de los muetros mourning scene, complete with a photo of my granfather in his Korean War era soldier uniform.

 The angel wings were pretty weak, so I got several pairs and restructured them into a larger, fuller set.
I spent hours on these ladies sugar skull make-up and costuming accessories! The blue one was my favorite, I have a better picture of her on my other camera.

 My sister's old homecoming dress came in handy here.

 This scene was a young couple vs their older selves. Kind of sweet, glad I had this frame they could use.

 My pink vintage skirt made an appearance. 

I ran out of time to make her bridal hat, so I quickly weaved flowers into her hair as I pulled it up into retro glamour twists and braids. You can see me peeking over her shoulder getting the next gothic bride ready to walk.

I made her necklace and the accessories the bride behind her is wearing as well.

I loved creating their hats and dress accessories almost as much as I did working on their hair and faces.

The end of a very long, exhausting day... wait weeks... no months!