This cosplay was a long time coming. My niece’s favorite horror film is The Shining, and she had asked about costuming the Grady twins/sisters for maybe Halloween, Comicpalooza, or DragonCon. Trying to take the easy route, I ordered a set of dresses from an online retailer, and they were terrible! I returned them immediately and […]
cosplay blog
Costuming Eleven from Stranger Things
Usually I make my own costumes. But last year when planning group costumes for a Halloween cruise with my costuming friend Tina and my blogging besties Miranda from Spooky Little Halloween and Cheyenne from Sense & Serendipity, my friend Miranda was wearing Stranger Things costumes come hell or high water, and I offered to dress as Eleven with her. Because […]
Costuming Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
The iconic tuxedo shirt and Tiffany blue sleep mask is the perfect roll-out-of-bed pantsless costume for warm weather Halloweens, posh costume parties, and hot crowded cosplay conventions. I never cared to dress as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s until I watched Big Little Lies…and then I had to! Here’s how I altered a shirt […]
My First Foray Into Steampunk
My first foray into steampunk started with boots and a corset. And as I worked my way through items and supplies I already had, patterns I could download and print at home, and playing dress-up on the mannequin, my Steampunk Seamstress was born. Here’s how the outfit came together, with links to previous posts on […]
Steampunk Seamstress: The Utility Belt, etc.
Following my last Steampunk Seamstress on my arm bracers, I’m sharing the so-quick-I-barely-took-any-pictures build for my undercorset utility belt and optional fan holder, parasol holder, and belt bag. I say optional because until I put everything on and head to an event, hopefully Dickens on the Strand in Galveston this December, I won’t really know […]
Steampunk Seamstress: Arm Bracers
More steampunk updates! Following yesterday’s post on my Steampunk Seamstress bowler hat, I’m sharing the build on the arm bracers. In my steampunk research, I found that all or most accessories are usually leather. I’m not particularly great at leatherworking, and I felt like fabric accessories would be more appropriate for a steampunk seamstress (and way more comfortable). […]
Steampunk Seamstress: The Bowler Hat
Following yesterday’s post on my Steampunk Seamstress thread spool bandolier, I’m sharing the build on the bowler hat. The hat presented three challenges: making a child size hat fit and look feminine, using only items from my surplus craft supplies, and honoring the principle that all steampunk accoutrements be functional. With an exception of the hat itself, […]
Steampunk Seamstress: The Bandolier
I’ve never given much thought to costuming in the steampunk realm, until I did. My sewing fairy godmother once told me that steampunk costumes should have a theme or purpose, and while that might not be the rule for all, it stuck with me. So for my steampunk character, what’s the one hobby I’m pretty […]
Starting a Blog: Why and How-To
I started Red Shoes. Red Wine. in 2015 with the vague purpose of broadly sharing information, travel adventures, costume/cosplay builds, and really anything I felt like writing about. Why? Because I do a lot of fun things worth sharing. The downturn in 2014 hit my energy industry hard and I felt a creative gap in […]