#WhatsUpToday July

Hello friends and loved ones!  We apologize for the radio silence this past month; we've been moving!!! We've doubled our space, adding a huge costume rental and staging area, as well as a beautiful bridal and costume fitting and consultation area.  If you've been following our doings on Facebook and Twitter you've seen the slow slow transformation, but it's pretty cool to watch it all again in sequence.  And on Wednesday, October 16 from 4-8pm come join us for an open house to see our finished product! We'll be featuring door prizes, items for sale, and a tour of our gorgeous new facilities. Don't miss it, and bring your friends!

Flashback Friday: Themed Parties

Here at the Studio we get all kinds of interesting calls, and some of our favorites are for theme parties.  A few months ago we costumed an 85th birthday party, in which all the birthday matron's grandchildren dressed as her at different stations in her life and acted out a skit for her.  We have done princess parties and superhero parties for kids as well, and as our Closet is slowly but surely making its way online, we hope to costume many more in the future.  Today's Flashback Friday is a focus on the last two theme parties we costumed, which, coincidentally, were for friends of mine and Marilyn's, respectively.

I am a HUGE fan of theme parties, as anyone who has seen my Facebook feed can attest.  Luckily I am also friends with many amazing and wonderful people who share my love for themes, as well as my passion for our Studio!  When my friend Carrie decided to theme her New Years' Eve party in the style of a 1920s speakeasy (complete with 20s jazz from a gramophone.... image on her computer, and giant black and white speakeasy background for pictures), I started texting out pictures of sequined headbands and slinky beaded dresses.   By the end, we had had something to do with costumes on half the party.


1920s New Years Eve

All us girls who were costumed entirely by the Studio... dresses and headdresses alike :)
Photo by: Zoe Jouannelle

Everyone who got their finishing touches at the studio... hats, ties and ascots!
Photo by: Zoe Jouannelle

Just for fun... all the girls!
Photo by: Mary Green

Then in February we got a call from Felicia, a friend of Marilyn's.  She is with the Annapolis Film Festival, and they threw a big Oscars viewing party this year, complete with live-action Oscar!  He was a big hit, and we now have an Oscar costume available in the Closet.  We often create "custom" costumes for rental, so our client can get an amazing custom costume for the cost of a rental, and we can then send out this super cool costume again and again!

Oscars Viewing 2013

Photo by: Felicia Barlow Clar

Photo by: Felicia Barlow Clar

The Studio Goes to the Inauguration (By Proxy)

Everyone is talking about the fashion at the inaugural balls:  the who, the what, the "wear."   We had a personal investment in the inaugural balls, so that was what we talked about most!  We altered two very different beautiful gowns on their way to two different balls.

The first was for a woman who needed a dress bought several years ago to be taken in.  We pulled it in at every single seam to show off her new trim body, and added some bling to the back of her jacket to bring it up in style.  She dressed it up with a bejeweled necklace and bracelet brought over from India by a friend.

depending on the light, this dress could be green, bronze, or silver

The second was a brand new dress that needed hemming; our lovely lady was already a perfect ready-to-wear size, but the four hems of her stunning mermaid dress needed shortening, and the edges of her scarf needed evening out.  When she came in to pick it up, we had some fun helping her style the dress with a chunky, sparkly necklace and earrings.

all the right statement pieces work together to make a beautiful whole

Then we watched the inauguration from the warmth of the studio.  How did you mark the occasion of our 57th peaceful transition of power?