Really?

Slapping the phrase "Harry Potter" at the beginning of anything seems to mean "I'm inflating the actual retail price of this thing by 300%"

Really people? Really?

Girl in a Box

We are all of three days into rehearsals with Cymbeline and we just did our publicity photo shoot... Looking at the image I realized that although I don't think I've ever put a leading lady in cream before, this is the second show in a row that I am doing it for. See below; Eurydice in a suitcase wearing a champagne colored cocktail style wedding gown and here... Innogen wearing a pale gold silk ensemble in a trunk. I suppose these themes are to be expected when you design one show on top of another...

On a side note, I've started a website/online portfolio check it out at http://www.alexaedesigns.com

Ok... now back to work!

Eurydice

It's late... I'm half asleep but I thought I'd throw up a quick snap of the show I'm putting up this week... hopefully a real blog post will happen this week. If I am very good and get all of my work done I may have time to even write a little bit about this show. Who knows perhaps there is someone out there who hasn't given up on me posting to this blog all-together. Perhaps. This show might turn out ok... I still have a few artistic problems that are killing me but I've got two days to work them out. Wish me luck.

SASSY GAY FRIEND - Macbeth

If you haven't seen the Sassy Gay Friend yet... please... there are a bunch of them and they are Fab-ulous... enjoy!

psst. Your ignorance is showing...

My dear reader. If you are unfamiliar with Othello, I can forgive you. It is a Shakespeare play and also a Verdi opera. I don't expect everyone to be familiar with Shakespeare.   But Please Please if you ever think you want to name something after a character in a play, all I ask is that you read that play. 

Somebody in this marketing department did just enough Googling to figure out that there is a bed in the play Othello... but what they maybe missed was the itty bitty little fact that Othello smothers his innocent wife in it. 
It is the climax of the whole damn show.
Maybe this company really wants you to think of them when you think about smothering your loved ones in their sleep.

"Honey, aren't you glad I got these quality sheets with the king size pillows?  Just breathe in that thread count!"

It makes me wonder what other good marketing can be created from Shakespeare plays?  FTD can make an Ophelia bouquet.  Oneida needs to make a MacBeth banquet set.  How about a King Lear suite at the resting home?  Oh so many good ideas...

Lettuce be gone!

Obsession, sequins, paint, and felt... today I sent them off to be with their new show... Goodbye Lettuce!

Please never come back.

The King of Broadway...

You know that guy... the one who oversimplifies things and pretends to know how everything works and how to get ahead... we in the show biz meet them a lot. 

Lettuce progress...

I've been working on a new (the fourth) lettuce jacket for a kid's show. This incarnation is made with a different fabric than the first and the client requested I make a collar that is more durable... Today I played with a new material called "Fuzz Form". It's a thermal plastic that begins like felt, when heated with a heat gun it solidifies and is sculpt-able... I'm so far very happy with the results and wanted to post a few in progress photos...

It starts out white.

I found the only way to paint it is with Design Master's Spray paint... but it looks pretty nice if I say so myself.

90% done

I am down to minor tweaking to the lining... but essentially the coat is done... the beautiful blue dress was a group effort but I might mention not a small task either. Opening is on Wednesday... oy!

6:27pm Shop update

First blood of the day... for some reason the center back neck is an inch too high. After adding a little padding to the shoulders the bubbles in the back seem to be solved... not sure about the front though. The coat seems to splay out at the hip level. Still scared about the size... can't do much about that until after we fit this puppy though. Looking at this post I see that my hands/nails desperately need some TLC... another day.

5:38pm shop update

main bodyof jacket is together... fearful of how small it seems to be I let the seam allowance out. Also I realize that either I've been calling the actor "Ben" while his real name is "John" OR I have the wrong measurement sheet here.
Troubling

Lacking editing on my netbook I leave you to turn your head...

3:55pm Shop update

This chaos will be a jacket... it will. Pieces are cut. Hair canvas is almost all in place. Center front hem facing has gone AWOL. Tune in as this mess becomes art...

One of these things...

...does not look like a lace parasol...


That's it, just a random internet snafoo that made me laugh. You may continue your regularly scheduled internet browsing.

How to be free of catalogues

There is a danger to mail order and I do a lot of it. I do a show with a nurse and I have to order scrubs. I do a show with a courtesan and I'm ordering trashy lingerie... but then I wind up with a pile of mail order catalogs that don't stop...
Not to worry. All direct mail has to give you the option of being removed from their mailing list. Even your junk mail will have (in teeny tiny writing) an opt out section. For catalogs typically you need to find the fine print section in the middle, like this;
There should be a section that is labeled "Customer Service" "Mailing prefrence" or "Mailing options" and hopefully there will be a phone number to call. Some places only have email options (which I try to avoid because then they also will have your email on file)
Now that you have found the phone number; call it and be patient. Listen to the instructions, you will most often be directed to a real person. Here's a typical conversation;

Operator; Thank you for contacting customer services how may I help you?
You; Hi I'd like to be removed from your mailing list please
Operator; okay, do you have your customer number printed on the back of your catalog?
You; Why yes I do it is {your number here}
Operator; okay I've removed you from the list, you may receive a few more issues because they are pre-printed, but none after that.
You; Thank you, have a nice day!

Be polite, be nice, they have to take you off the list.

Sometimes they will ask you why you wish to be removed (they probably have a little check box to fill out) I usually say that either I am not interested in their product or that I don't like to kill the trees. The environmental reason will typically lead to them asking if you would prefer to receive email. I think it's important to let them know that environment is a concern so I think it's okay to lie and tell them you're already on the email list... sometimes it's true.
Keep it simple, they don't need to know that I ordered four pair of mesh panties for a show because they were so awfully tacky... you're done.
sort of...
As a follow up you might want to write to the Direct Marketing company that has and is distributing your name to every mail order catalog you never want to get. Think of it like head lice; if you catch it early you'll only have a few nits to pick out and you're done, but if you let it go, they'll be everywhere.

Good Luck! Save some trees!