This edition of Anatomy of a Costume is video-based. I really wanted to take a photo of this costume because I love how it looked, but it was SUCH a cold night that I literally only took my coat off for this performance and then put it right back on.
I consider this costume to be a study of the benefits of buying some really nice, versatile neutral pieces. Everything that I’m wearing here is from a different artist. I’ve got my beautiful new bra from Medina Maitreya, which perfectly compliments my belt from Snake Church (the one I always wear!). I could have worn those two with any of a number of skirts, but I chose the beautiful sparkly black mermaid skirt from Sakkara Clothing because it makes me feel like a femme fatale and amazingly I had not performed in it yet. It’s all topped off with a modular headdress from The Verdant Muse and a few pieces of tribal jewelry.
The great thing about all of these pieces is that they mix and match really well. Of course you can’t go wrong with a good basic black skirt. And the bra, belt and headdress all have both silver and brass/gold components, which allows them to pair easily with each other or with other pieces from my collection. What I like about all three of those pieces is that they work for a variety of looks. Paired with this black mermaid skirt, they give me an elegant femme fatale look with a touch of Victorian Gothic elegance. But because of the use of Turkoman buttons, I could also wear a 25 yard skirt or pantaloons and a panel skirt and have a tribal look, especially if I really piled on the tribal jewelry and hair flowers. I could keep things pretty elegant and understated by wearing this black skirt or either of my neutral super bootie skirts (I have one in antique gold and one in “mermaid food” which is a pearly ecru color), or I could choose to pull in some jewel tones or maybe some subtle earthy colors.
Pieces like this are especially great if you’re a traveling dancer, because you can pack the one bra and belt and a couple skirts and have a really different look every time you perform. You even have the possibility of picking up some new costume pieces while you’re on the road and incorporating them easily with what you already have with you. Plus if something disastrous happens to one piece of your costume (perish the thought!), it’s a lot easier for you to find something else to replace it with on short notice.
Of course I still really love dressing in various shades of green, but there’s a lot to be said for the practicality of building yourself a lovely collection of beautiful neutral pieces.