Not your typical vampire and devil costume…
The HOW
4 absences and 45 hours of work later, I was able to bring my vision to life with the help of my very talented friends.
This black
I freehand cut out the shape of horns and had honestly just hoped that it would fit. Lucky me it did and I wouldn’t have to spend so much time I check the fitting of my masks with my trusty styrofoam head.
I was pleasantly surprised that the pattern I drew out was pretty accurate.
I reused the red crystal glass prisconia cut beaded eyes from my initial style of Charlotte for Montell Fish.
I wanted the mask to be opaque but still allow the consumer to see through it. I then handstitched black mesh under the eyepieces and along the inner panel of the black mask foundation.
After marking out where each eyepiece and the mouth would go, I hand-stitched each bead into the mask and around the beaded pieces to ensure that they’d hold.
To hide my stitches on the mesh from under the eyepieces, I sewed a black textured yarn to add some dimension and texture.
She is the moment
As I was lining the velvet with this black trim I bought, I noticed I could fashion it into a bat-like style. After maneuvering the fabric around, I solidified this shape by hand stitching the lining along it.
Since I bought myself a mannequin, it’s been easier to style and pin the fabric still, which has been saving me so much time and energy.
Making the mermaid skirt was definitely a challenge
I watched several YouTube videos on drafting a pattern for this skirt and took notes.
Some notes I made from my experience
- Being especially mindful of the circumfrence around the knees. Since this is a mermiad skirt, the fabric hugs the body tighter until it flares out at the knees. Drawing out a shorter line on your pattern will leave less space for leg mobility.
- Having the right tools. I didn’t have a curved ruler as same as the tutorials i watched. Instead, I broke up the length of my desired curve and did some math to get the shape i wanted. To ensure that the skirt would curve at the right spot on the other panel, i traced my curve with another sheet of parchment paper to use as a guide.
I drew out 2 patterns on parchment paper (a great substitute for pattern paper) until I finally was content with the shape. I then cut out this shape from black velvet fabric.
After pinning the pieces together, I took these pieces to my machine to be sewn.
BITE ME
Melanie loves to explore bold and fun looks through makeup and her own personal style.
Being able to express yourself comes from a place of knowing yourself. It also
Makeup, style, and fashion are all categories of art.
Melanie says,
“Art and creativity to me is a process. What makes me so drawn to art is that the finished product can only be determined by the creator. Art is a trust exercise that you build with yourself. It is a great way of building a bond with who you are as a person. You can connect with your inner self and find what truly motivates you. There are no rules to art. Let your mind take over and take you on different paths. There is no wrong way in art and that’s why I feel comfortable expressing myself through that. Art has no bounds.”
“You can’t restrain art for your creativity to grow”
— Melanie Bonner
So how does art and creativity play into “man-eater”.
A man eater would be simply desribed as a woman who breaks hearts. She’s may be described as ruthless or cold by the ones she leaves sick, but she is also a woman who does not seek or place her validation in the hands of another.
Allow yourself to be in tune with your self.
ALL IN THE DETAILS
This blood dripping effect was inspired by the folklore of how a vampire could be killed with a wooden stake to the heart. The red beads carry over towards the right in a gradient fashion to symbolize splattered blood.
I absolutely adore pearls. The glowy dewy finish initiates a precious connotation, pure and glamorous.
I use pearl beads in a lot of my designs. You can read about the first original piece I created in
KEEP GOING
You just gotta keep at it.
Stick with it.
The more you allow your mind to be immersed in whatever it may be that you love to do, you are giving yourself time to be subconsciously thinking about your goals.
Just the smallest tiniest bit at a time is best. I tend to take on too many things at once but it is something I’m working on balancing.
I had plans for several pieces but due to certain circumstances, I was unable to follow through. Until I decided that I could do this.
I had this idea in my head for so long, emotions of restlessness started to boil over until I told myself that it must be done.
Another huge challenge for me is time management.
I can easily get discouraged and upset with myself for not meeting a standard in my head.
But things also just happen. It is important to find your way back and be patient with yourself during this process of rebuilding and healing.
I was overwhelmed by all the positive feedback I received upon my initial post. One of my friends texted me that she loves how I always put work out, and I appreciated that greatly.
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