theatrical costume – Page 2 – Malvena Pearl's Emporium

Malvena Pearl at Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild event

Costume Academy 2011 Sunday May 22nd~ from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

ASUC MLK Student Union, 2475 Bancroft Way, University of California, Berkeley

Come find us in the Tilden Room on the 5th Floor!

Malvena Pearl

Purveyor of Millinery, Ephemera and Artful Diversions to Inspire the Costume Enthusiast

Peruse our selection of handmade & vintage hats from many eras, hair adornments, books, vintage catalogs, as well as accessories for men and women. There will also be framed Godey’s prints, ephemera and a special treat this year: vintage estate jewelry from a hobby collection. It’s all antique or vintage, unique, rare and one-of-a-kind costume jewelry made between 1850 and 1970. We will have patterns, sewing manuals from the 1920s-1950s and theatrical lobby cards. We also carry vintage ribbon, trim, buttons and other vintage notions. Bibliomania and Black Swan Books will provide assorted posters, prints and clothing, including embroidered nylons. We will feature four handmade bags by Wendy Lou in vintage fabrics.

bonnet complete

Here are some photos of the completed bonnet. My friend made the lace that I used to trim the inside:

dress trim project

Progress! Hand sewing some gorgeous trim onto a cotton dress that will be worn to dances and to the Dickens Faire!

Yes, that is 2 layers of trim: the first layer is three colored and the top layer is thin, red velvet.

On the dvd player: Freaks and Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the Jeremy Brett production.

Alice Through the Looking Glass costumes

Wow, a lot of events have been happening and business is certainly picking up since Jacque and I found the studio!

The Beeper Egg Hunt (and Mad Hatter’s tea party) for Blind Babies Foundation is tomorrow. I’ve had some generous help from members of the House Elf Committee, Ms. Dawn-0 and Ms. Helena, in getting the outfits made for Queen Alice, Red Queen and White Queen. We based the designs on the original Tenniel illustrations from Alice Through the Looking Glass, since that is the theme of this year’s Beeper Egg Hunt. We also found a Mad Hatter this week, Mr. KC3. Our kind supporter and inspiring pattern and costume-maker Lynn McMasters is loaning us a gorgeous Mad Hatter Top Hat!

Our feline Zac “assisted” with the construction of the White Queen’s dress. We have photographic evidence.

Now on to the crowns, sleeves, collars for the Red and White Queens, several pairs of bunny ears for the Foggy Gulch Band members and some top hats to cover for them, as well!

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Big Do-in’s

A client came by Casa Roo for a fitting/hemming of a pre-bought 1850s-style, cotton dress that she has asked me to embellish. Yay! She came by during the rainstorm, so that’s motivation for you.

Ms. Sahrye Cohen expertly helped us put together an entry for inclusion in the exhibit at the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition in Emeryville March 12 – March 14, 2010.

On March 20, 2010, Malvena Pearl will have a table and display set up at the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild Costume Academy.

I’m also working on the White Queen outfit, the Red Queen outfit and Queen Alice’s outfit for the 9th Annual Blind Babies Foundation Annual Beeper Egg Hunt in San Francisco. I’m organizing the first-annual Tea and Raffle with the theme of Alice through the Looking Glass. Come join us! Here is Zasu helping me complete the White Queen dress:

Books on vintage fashion

It’s been busy around the Emporium these last few weeks. With help from Mr. Acorn, I’m listing all the books that I got from Vintage Victorian. I have done a lot of work in the sewing room, organizing and culling goodies to sell on the etsy.com web site. What films and books have inspired me, lately? “Persuasion,” based on the Jane Austen novel; the series “Jeeves and Wooster” with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry; and I’ve been reading “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens. I’ve also been perusing an interesting collection of works by 21st century artists called “1000 Ideas for Creative ReUse” by Garth Johnson. I had to special order that book from my local bookseller, as it was sold out.

The books I’ve posted on etsy.com are reprints of an amazing collection of catalogs, magazine articles and graphics with “how-to” instructions and inspirational drawings galore – material to inspire Victorian and Edwardian enthusiasts alike, not to mention those folks who are getting ready to make an outfit for a masquerade:

multi-tasking

The Dickens Fair is now done. I’ve completed sewing two more commissioned garments for holiday gifts. They are meant to be a surprise, so I didn’t take any photos of these two projects. But I am happy with each of them. I made some adjustments to a friends’ vintage hat for a gift. The To Do List (backlog and seasonal section) is shrinking, slowly.

I identified and measured many pieces of vintage fabric from my stash to post on the Etsy web site, so that’s coming along soon. And my pals at the dog and cat food store are looking for someone to work part-time. Which is where we get to multi-tasking.

I already have three part-time jobs, two of which are “on call.” I could consider the fourth one this web site and all costume-related work I’ve been doing. And the volunteering for Dickens was kind of related to that.

I really like doing fun projects for the folks at the pet food store. They asked me to judge a pet costume contest on Halloween that was a BLAST. Really fun people. High energy. So, when I heard that they may need some help, I called right away.

Dickens Season is here

I have volunteered my services as Minion to the folks running the Dickens Faire costuming shop. We’re starting with some hats for a dramatic production set in the Cavalier period. (The little theaters throughout the Faire put on different productions each season and the costume shop supports all the actors at the whole Faire.) I like working with other costumers and learning new things. I’ve wanted to work this event for some years and I’m glad I have this opportunity.

I also have an assignment from one of my day- job supervisors to make several aprons with a “prom” theme for a catering . ( frilly, colorful, fake flowers or Very Bright fabric – whee!) A couple of gals from my informal costuming group are venturing forth to a new-to-us discount fabrics place tomorrow afternoon. I hope to get suitable fabric for said aprons.

Meanwhile, her majesty Roo continues to be under the weather. I hope she will soon be willing to deal with her medication for her kidney/bladder problems. She’s quarantined to her room /my sewing room.

Costumers Bazaar this Saturday, August 29, 2009

This Saturday, my friend Jean of Bibliomania book shop and I will join the ladies of the Costumer’s Guild at the Albany Public Library for their First Annual Costumers’ Bazaar. We will also have some beautiful books on fashion from Bonnie at Black Swan Books.

Jean has lovely vintage books and ephemera on textile techniques = crochet, sewing, knitting as well as fashion plate prints from the 1880s – 1930s, and biographies of designers and the British Royal families.

I am bringing handmade/beaded jewelry, vintage garments (silk and linen tops that I’ve been turning into stage costumes), shoes, trim, fabric, accessories- VINTAGE HATS, silk and wool shawls, a hand-embellished hatbox, and The Tailor’s Tarot. I also have some childrens books from the 1920s and an extra copy of 9/09 THREADS magazine with the article on custom-covering shoes;

Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild Costumers Bazaar

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 — 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Albany Community Center, Albany, CA

Come Join us!!
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