i want that LED dress as my wedding dress
January 3, 2016 4:07 AM Subscribe
18-year-old self-taught costume designer Angela Clayton makes incredible, highly detailed outfits based on history, fantasy, and (formerly) cosplay. Some standouts include a medieval gown with accompanying escoffin, an Elsa costume with over 100,000 hand-applied rhinestones, and a Christmas costume with LED lights. She documents her progress regularly and provides sewing tutorials for her work.
"Escoffin" doesn't appear in my edition of the Greater Oxford and a Google search mostly comes back to Angela's own work. I suspect it's an old French word because this is one of the few references I've found for it. Anyway: not only an accomplished artist, but apparently good at research.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:21 AM on January 3, 2016
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:21 AM on January 3, 2016
That is an unusual take on Napoleon Bonaparte. She is good at what she is doing, and the LED lights are great. I would love to see a gallery of her clothes on other people as well, though that is a different project than making costumes purely for yourself.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:06 AM on January 3, 2016
posted by Dip Flash at 5:06 AM on January 3, 2016
Wow, those dresses are amazing. Stuff like this makes me wish I could sew and wish I was craftily inclined. But I'll just admire from my couch.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 5:06 AM on January 3, 2016
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 5:06 AM on January 3, 2016
Dip Flash: Her Napoleon is based off the Eiyuu Senki game character of the same name.
posted by divabat at 5:13 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by divabat at 5:13 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
Cynical me: did she actually hand-apply 100,000 rhinestones? Yes. Yes she did.
"The glue I used for the majority of this costume is E6000, and the chemicals in it make both sharpie and printer inks run, which can leave permanent stains on the fabric... If that doesn’t happen, you will still be screwed since there is no good way to get paper off of dried industrial strength glue. [...] the process is very easy, it’s just slow. You have to spread the glue over a small space, usually a square that’s no more then two inches by two inches (any larger and the glue will dry before you can get to it) or a line that is less then ten inches long.posted by Mchelly at 5:28 AM on January 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
Then use a wet Q-tip to pick up rhinestones and deposit them where they need to go."
EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD I am ashamed when I think back to what I was doing when I was that age. That Christmas dress is amazing.
posted by Pardon Our Dust at 5:34 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Pardon Our Dust at 5:34 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
Just one of these is amazing; a whole collection is incredible.
posted by carter at 5:55 AM on January 3, 2016
posted by carter at 5:55 AM on January 3, 2016
Nah, divabat, "escoffin" is how Clayton spells it too! For all I know that's a perfectly cromulent variation too -- I didn't mean my comment as a correction, just an observation since Joe seemed to be interested in the word in particular.
posted by No-sword at 6:16 AM on January 3, 2016
posted by No-sword at 6:16 AM on January 3, 2016
Amazing! Thank you, divabat!
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:28 AM on January 3, 2016
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:28 AM on January 3, 2016
I routinely cry while trying to make ordinary pants fit me, so when I see things like this, I don't know whether to be inspired or crushed.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:36 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 6:36 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
(ha! thanks! I thought I had typoed or something)
She just graduated high school and is currently working on a portfolio to apply for internships or work experience - she's not interested in getting a degree. She wants to get work as a costume designer for film and theatre.
posted by divabat at 6:57 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
She just graduated high school and is currently working on a portfolio to apply for internships or work experience - she's not interested in getting a degree. She wants to get work as a costume designer for film and theatre.
posted by divabat at 6:57 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Dip Flash: Her Napoleon is based off the Eiyuu Senki game character of the same name.
I should have been able to figure that out from the "cosplay" title, if nothing else, but I had just been looking at the more demure historical ones and then it went straight to sexy Napoleon which was quite the transition.
As a portfolio/resume for looking for work, this seems very well-done. I wonder if it will work or if she will still need the credentials and skills of a more formal training program.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:06 AM on January 3, 2016
I should have been able to figure that out from the "cosplay" title, if nothing else, but I had just been looking at the more demure historical ones and then it went straight to sexy Napoleon which was quite the transition.
As a portfolio/resume for looking for work, this seems very well-done. I wonder if it will work or if she will still need the credentials and skills of a more formal training program.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:06 AM on January 3, 2016
Work experience, really? There should be queues around the block of people waiting to learn from her experience. Anyone would be lucky to work with her. So talented!
posted by adept256 at 7:07 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by adept256 at 7:07 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
At 18, she is already brilliant at her craft. I hope someone in the professional costume community sees this set of work and snaps her up.
posted by Lighthammer at 7:47 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Lighthammer at 7:47 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
I routinely cry while trying to make ordinary pants fit me, so when I see things like this, I don't know whether to be inspired or crushed.
I know, I'm the same way (though I'm from a family of sewers who did their best to redeem me), but this is next-next-next-level talent - all you can do is behold and admire. Like wow and wow and just nonstop wow.
Also a little amazed at her access to materials - that sewing room has got, probably, thousands of dollars worth of fabric in it. That doesn't undermine her talent one bit, there are plenty of young people who don't draft (!) and sew their own patterns to make mindblowing gowns (and would rather buy them); my thought is just, how amazing would it be, what kind of world would we have, if more kids' dreams were supported in this way?
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:39 AM on January 3, 2016 [9 favorites]
I know, I'm the same way (though I'm from a family of sewers who did their best to redeem me), but this is next-next-next-level talent - all you can do is behold and admire. Like wow and wow and just nonstop wow.
Also a little amazed at her access to materials - that sewing room has got, probably, thousands of dollars worth of fabric in it. That doesn't undermine her talent one bit, there are plenty of young people who don't draft (!) and sew their own patterns to make mindblowing gowns (and would rather buy them); my thought is just, how amazing would it be, what kind of world would we have, if more kids' dreams were supported in this way?
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:39 AM on January 3, 2016 [9 favorites]
🎶 I feel shlubby, oh so shlubby, I feel shlubby, and grubby, and greeeey 🎶
These are truly works of art and I appreciate that she's documenting the process and sharing it. I wonder how many times "Angela Clayton" will be the future answer to the question "Who are you wearing?*" and how many times we will hear the words "And the Oscar/Emmy/Tony goes to...Angela Clayton."
*I'm hoping the first person with this answer is Tilda Swinton.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:43 AM on January 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
These are truly works of art and I appreciate that she's documenting the process and sharing it. I wonder how many times "Angela Clayton" will be the future answer to the question "Who are you wearing?*" and how many times we will hear the words "And the Oscar/Emmy/Tony goes to...Angela Clayton."
*I'm hoping the first person with this answer is Tilda Swinton.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:43 AM on January 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
cotton dress sock, that reminds me of a line from a movie (?) about a really talented musician. I butchering the quote but essentially the person talking about him said "thank goodness he was born into a world with pianos". I think about that when I see people like this with such incredible natural skill - it would have been such a waste if she'd been born somewhere else to different parents.
posted by Beti at 8:59 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Beti at 8:59 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
In that video where she describes her sewing room, she mentions that she spents 6 hours a day working. That talent is hard-earned.
posted by aniola at 9:03 AM on January 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by aniola at 9:03 AM on January 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
Holy crap.
Also a little amazed at her access to materials - that sewing room has got, probably, thousands of dollars worth of fabric in it.
Yes, I know, I just kept thinking "Wow $$$!!" But besides the money, a lot of other things have come together to make this happen: discipline, talent, enthusiasm, parental support, and proximity to NYC not only for garment district shopping (imagine how difficult it would be to be this girl but living in North Dakota with access only to Wal-Mart and Jo-Ann) but also for career opportunities.
posted by HotToddy at 9:16 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
Also a little amazed at her access to materials - that sewing room has got, probably, thousands of dollars worth of fabric in it.
Yes, I know, I just kept thinking "Wow $$$!!" But besides the money, a lot of other things have come together to make this happen: discipline, talent, enthusiasm, parental support, and proximity to NYC not only for garment district shopping (imagine how difficult it would be to be this girl but living in North Dakota with access only to Wal-Mart and Jo-Ann) but also for career opportunities.
posted by HotToddy at 9:16 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
Also a little amazed at her access to materials - that sewing room has got, probably, thousands of dollars worth of fabric in it.
I have no idea of the value of fabrics, but when she opened that little draw full of buttons and said you could get them cheap online for about 5$, I thought, wow that's like 200$ worth of buttons right there.
posted by adept256 at 9:22 AM on January 3, 2016
I have no idea of the value of fabrics, but when she opened that little draw full of buttons and said you could get them cheap online for about 5$, I thought, wow that's like 200$ worth of buttons right there.
posted by adept256 at 9:22 AM on January 3, 2016
Oh, Canada!
And yes, I, too, balked at the possible cost of the fabric. Not an inexpensive hobby!
posted by chapps at 11:42 AM on January 3, 2016
And yes, I, too, balked at the possible cost of the fabric. Not an inexpensive hobby!
posted by chapps at 11:42 AM on January 3, 2016
Meant to also say... Thanks for this very inspiring post. Have been meaning to sew with lights for ages, having purchased Switchcraft a few years ago.
I fence so came in contact with a purveyor of electroconductive thread who told me he sold some to a sewer who embedded a universal remote control into her Cardigan zipper.. When the TV's in the pub were too annoying she zipps up her cardy and the all turn off. Ha!
posted by chapps at 11:46 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
I fence so came in contact with a purveyor of electroconductive thread who told me he sold some to a sewer who embedded a universal remote control into her Cardigan zipper.. When the TV's in the pub were too annoying she zipps up her cardy and the all turn off. Ha!
posted by chapps at 11:46 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
O wow, thanks, I will be sharing this link with my friend who sold her the thread!
posted by chapps at 11:18 PM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by chapps at 11:18 PM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
The zipper cardigan zapper was probably inspired by this tv-b-gone hoodie by Becky Stern.
posted by moonmilk at 7:44 PM on January 4, 2016
posted by moonmilk at 7:44 PM on January 4, 2016
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