Challenge One - Contestant 7
When Love Bites—Blood Rains!
Evangeline Ghastly is putting her best foot forward in her own designer boots that we embellished with “blood” droplets of genuine Swarovski red crystals dangling from silver chains and dripping onto the bows of her toes. Our research of Gothic style fashion revealed that throughout history, almost every major time period since the Renaissance has exhibited some degree of Gothic influenced fashion design. Since the creator of Evangeline Ghastly, Joe Petrollese, has given her a persona as a mysterious character with a wardrobe “right out of a Victorian novel,” we decided to give her an outfit designed in the Victorian-Gothic style with a touch of fantasy.
We used the design feature of repeated buttoned straps and bows, inspired by her boots, and added a theme of blood droplets from the “love bite” on her chocker, raining downward on silver chains. We carried out the theme on her corset with a series of black ribbon straps with black “buttons” at each end. Additional black ribbons accent each sleeve. The bow feature on her boots is repeated in her bow shaped feather headpiece and emphasized with a black satin ribbon bow at its center. Red crystal blood droplets fall from the “love bite” on her chocker and are repeated on her corset, earrings, boots, hair piece and atop and below the crystal handle of her walking stick. The dragon wings on her back sparkle with Swarovski AB crystal rhinestones and red crystal blood droplets. As she puts “her best foot forward,” the high-low skirt reveals a blood red crushed velvet lining.
The materials we used for the outfit include black and red crushed velvet, ivory and black silk georgette, ivory and black Chantilly style and Venice laces, Swarovski crystals and rhinestones, silver chains, black ribbon, and black gimp. Dragon wings were made with wire, cellophane, gallery glass, dimensional paint, glitter and rhinestones. Walking stick was made from a wooden dowel, black paint, black glitter, clear faceted round crystal, and red crystal rhinestones. The backdrop in the artistic photos was hand painted. Other props were purchased at a local craft store.
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