FACEBOOK sightings !

Ok :) sometimes it's real work to get photos of the costumes i have designed .... But with a little hunting on facebook i found 2 from this season.. below are Aran Bell as Solar in La Bayadere, and Melody Herrera as a Sugar Plum Fairy.

By the Bay with the Beattles.

Below are a couple designs for the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago's school of dance. The first design is for the solo piece Baroque Beatles. It's inspired by Sgt. Peppers Band and will be a collage of different musical instruments, marching costumes, and Beatles imagery. The bottom design is for a piece called Bay Breeze, and there will be 16 girls in this. I will custom design the fabrics for each work. I will put photos up of the construction, and finished product.

Basque to Basics. Wonder Bread does it best.

Lately my projects have included, complicated pieces, tons of trim, and everything from cat toys to puffy paint. However today's was simple, classic and very refreshing. With assistance from Mio Gubeneric we created a fantastically fit , 11 layer, hooped rehearsal tutu for Joffrey ballet academy dancer Hilary Katzman. It was very enjoyable to create something simple with fantastic fit, and finely made. I made the top layer of tulle 1.75 times fuller then i normally do to give this simple skirt a richer, fuller look.

Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews, Filberts, any kind of NUT really.

I was recently commissioned by the Charleston Ballet Theatre to design and create a new Nutcracker Mask for there existing production. The turn around on this project was very brisk, under two weeks. Thankfully I recruited the help of two amazing friends, Miodrag Gubeneric (costume designer, and technician) and Lavinia Morozan (seamstress to the stars, and all around amazing lady).

The Materials list for the project was almost as fun as creating the mask with friends.

- Thermoplast plastic mesh to form the face

- Plastic flower pot to form face over

- Foam Pipe insulation for hair and hat bits

- Cat toys for feathers on top of hat

- Christmas Ornaments

- Shrinky Dink to create eyes and cheeks

- Velvet , Pleather, Lame'

- Rhinestones, Sequins, Paillettes, Puffy Paint, Heatbond

-Digitized computer embroidery for the teeth

Below are a few process shots, and the finished mask.

(Mio in Thermoplast Base / Applique' and puffy paint)

(me attaching banding to crown)



Finished Product.

New piece for one or my Favorite Choreographers!

This is a Unitard i just designed and built for a solo piece choreographed by Garrett Smith. It is for a Karly Wilkens of the Houston Ballet Academy. I really like the pop in colors between the wine nylon spandex and the yellow and fascia airbrushing.

Garretts only requirement was that this look have a hood, which turned out to be my favorite part :) Lately my approach to work in stretch fabrics has been to create looks more complex than leo or unitards. I work to give more form to these simple silhouettes. Below is a leotard design i'm working on to create a "bodice" feel in stretch fabric surprisingly for another new work by Mr. Smith.


--Below is the translation of my above design into stretch fabric.. Designing custom textiles is new for me, but was very fun, and perfect for the project.. See another finished dress from the piece, and a couple of the costume renderings in the blog tittled - Design for new work by Garrett Smith. -

Dragons are to Seldom Toddler PETS!

This is the Dragon Puppet i created to go with my nieces Halloween costume this year, she is going as a Princess of the Dragons. The dress i made her was cute.. but the puppet turned out way cool!

I Draped the pattern for the body in muslin.... I started by making a dragon "dress form" out of lumps of newspaper and masking tape.... i just kept adding paper until i had the shape of a body i was looking for...... a little twisted and whimsical... below is the paper base.



After draping muslin over this form i sandwiched high density upholstery foam between 2 layers of cotton Bobinette,, this gave me fabric seam allowance to stitch rather than trying to glue or stitch the foam bits together. It's a technique often used in making fat suits for theatre. The body of the dragon is once "piece" it's shape comes totally from a series of funky shaped darts, it is similar to how I created the ram horns for Stanton Welches "Dolls House" see them in the ballet section of my web page http://www.travishalsey.com/ .
Next i added a 1940's inspired bias cut and pleated belly (in picture above). Then i created limbs and covered the body and head with an orange burn out velvet. The eyes were made from Christmas ornaments, and the eyebrows and tail tuft from cat toys. (the feathers in some cat toys are some times much nicer than the kinds you find in craft stores) I would have to say that this little guys wings were my favorite part. They are made from a sandwich of grey crystal sheer with a copper mesh, and iridescent silk in between. The spines of the wings are made from plastic aquarium tubing, some times Home Depot is my first stop when starting a project like this.


The finishing work involved glitter glue, some nail polish(for wetness) , sequins, a chicken feather flame erupting from the dragons mouth, and of course a full round of airbrushing. I hope this inspires you for your next puppet project.

Design for new work by Garrett Smith

Coreographer and Inspiration Garrett smith is putting a new "neoclassical" work together in Utah. The base of this design is taken from an oil portrait relevant to the time period.... then i mushed some other colors atop of it, and twisted the pieces abit. These will actualy be leotards with stretch skirts, and i'm having the leotards digitaly printed to fabric , then they will be assembled in chicago. Shoulde be an interesting project.... I'm looking forward to it. :) I will put up photos when things get rolling.... (Below is one of the finished dresses)

I created 11 different bodices total. In the end i was very very pleased with the outcome. It's a process i will use again.

100 pieces are never enough.

This is the finished product...... (guesting tutu for Melody Herrera)

Guesting Season is upon the ballet world, and Principal dancer Melody Herrera of Houston Ballet has many special performances on her plate. She came to me with the need of a good universal tutu: Sugar Plum, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and any other classical rhinestone, and tulle draped lead role that may come her way.

The above sketch i sent Melody turned out to be what i like to call a "splash and a hand" design. It's a bunch of wavy lines, loops, and squiggles. In the construction of this tutu I've challenged my self to really read the design and convey as much of what i put on paper as possible.
Below is the start.

The picture above is the very fist layer of several on the center front panel of the bodice. The flat lining is cotton twill topped with a cream file, the colored floral pieces are dupiono silks that i will applique' and the edge of the pieces are airbrushed with a soft pink floral so that they blend into the rest of the bodice which is more pink.

Below is the next layer of embroidery, and beaded lace that tops off and tones down the applique' and painting.

I was very lucky to found a lace with patterns that are a mirror image, it makes the frankensteining cut and piece work of the lace much easier. Once the lace is applied and drips onto other bodice pieces i will incorporate a few petite silken flowers and some additional crystals and bead work.

I will post more pictures as the tutu starts to take shape.

The Amazing Aran Bell!

This is the third year I've had the joy of designing for up and coming ballet star Aran Bell. Aran has received numerous awards and honors from the Youth American Grand Prix ballet competition. The first custom costume i made for him was a Don Q. jacket, and last year a Paquita Tunic. This season he will be dancing Solor from the classic ballet La Bayadere.

Pictured above is the Back Neck section of this years costume. As usual I've sandwiched several fabrics together to achieve color and texture of the design. For structure and breath ability the first layer (flat lining) is a taupe cotton twill. Atop that is a green dupioni silk edged with a bias strip of a yellowy gold dupioni. To blend these pieces together i used the airbrush with a iridescent holly green and a piece of lace as a stencil. The top layer of fabric is a "bollywood" embroidered net. To add interest to the top layer i will attach some hand worked china silk ribbon flowers, and paint into some of the gold cording to tone it down in places. Today I'm working on the upper section of the sleeves, which will be made from a darker green dupioni and they will be "continental" or North American smocked, this will give them a woven and very expensive look. ........ more pics to come.....

Ok the sleeves are underway....

Dragons are to Seldom Toddler PETS !

Is it Halloween time AGAIN ?????
My sweet little niece is gearing up for her third Halloween and she told her mom she wanted to be a dragon princess. So taking inspiration from South Dakota resident Markie Scholtz -puppet mistress and creator of Dragons are to Seldom Puppet Shows, I decided little Laura could have a unique princess dress, and a dragon puppet to play with anytime. I will put process shots on once my youngest client picks her favorite picture.

Little News - BIG CITY!

I was so surprised today to see two recent designs of mine popping up in the NEW YORK TIMES...
I designed this tutu and tunic for Joffrey Ballet Dancers Amber Neumann and John Mark Giragosian for their “Paquita” adagio at the New York International Ballet Competition.
Who knew a couple yards of silk, lace, and some hand embroidery would travel so far, Houston to Chicago and then land in NYC at Lincoln Center.

Mark and Amber placed first in the entire competition, Bravo Bravo Bravo.
I have designed and built for Mark several times over the past few years, and he is always a pleasure and joy to work with. I look forward to many more costume adventures with this fine pair.

here is a piece of the review 6-30-09

"Ms. Neumann and Mr. Giragosian really danced this: the warmth and pliancy of her upper body, the courtesy with which he lowered her slowly to the floor from lifts and the keen musical ear they both showed were genuine pleasures, along with the glow they gave off in their costumes and the remarkable harmony they showed when doing the same movements. "

Get a Lift from this Parade Costume

SEWING WITH HELIUM -----

This years pride parade costume was inspired by the newest PIXAR animated feature UP.

After seeing this lofty adventure i went right to work creating my own gravity defying design.

(top left) I started by hunting down a weather balloon of my own, and draping a Slip cover / Harness over it. I constructed the slip cover out of the lightest poly lining material i could find.

(top right) Mom and Laura came by to check out the progress. After the Slip cover satisfied a spherical shape i airbrushed some ware , tare, and patches over the entire surface.

(above) The headpiece started with a mesh base, and i latch hooked several colors of crystal sheer threw the openings. Once the mesh was filled in with flame like fabrics i coated the entire thing with sealant, and hung it upside down to dry. After the addition of some sequins and a few bits of cellophane i attached it to a WWII inspired flight hat, and wired the inside with several colors of flashing L E D lights.

I made the gondola from several different stretch fabrics and steel skirt hooping.

The flight suit also hearkened back to WWII. I found great research and details for the suit in the book Gear Up , which is full of flight uniforms and great info. The suit is made from cotton sateen. It had 8 functional pockets, and i made it slightly high waisted to help with the proportion of the whole look.

(below) fun with photo shop.

Blue tights for the Joffrey

This is a pair of tights i just finished for a friend dancing at the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. They will be worn for a contemporary competition piece next week in NYC.
Wiping them out was a great reminder of my days in summer stock theatre where with zooming time lines i would often design a show over a weekend and see it open within the next two. I sketched these tights on Wednesday and Fedexed them on Friday. This rapid turn around is what i now refer to as "summer stocking it." As much as i like to putz and toil in the construction step of a costume, i have also learned how to make something rapidly that looks like to took many more hours of labor than it really did.

I started with a unitard i made out of white 5 oz lycra and drew a continuous stripe from ankle to ankle. Next i cut it apart, widened the stripe, and eliminated the material i didn't need from the torso leaving the strap over the shoulder.
Then i died the lycra pieces along with a yard of skate mesh a light royal blue in a hot water bath. Half way threw the dye i removed the skate mesh, and added a little evening blue to make the lycra a little bit richer. After the dye and dry i appliquéd the skate mesh behind the stripe drawn on the lycra, then i removed the lycra from the stripe leaving the skate mesh behind. Lastly i flashed airbrushed in a few other shades of blue, and then white and black high and low lights.

When does the Current fade on a social-LIGHT

The Magnificent Marie ball lives on. It has been over three months and my three lovely ladies keep showing up in the society pages. I'm surprised they're still getting press out of this event. It was a very fun design project, Astrid (far left) Kim and Alicia (third and fourth from right) were a blast to create for. Of course i did bend a few rules for the restoration look, however i was very refreshed to see some ladies missed it all together, notice the white little bo peep southern bell . Now this is a secret but one lady pictured here offered the fellow styling hair for my women cash to ensure her (plastic) wig out did my clients. Thank goodness he didn't take the bribe. Even if he did the saboteur wouldn't have had lady Amherst feathers, a sculpted peacock hair comb, or a rhinestone encrusted silk butterfly to top off her architectural hair. I'm on pins and needles to discover what next years ball has in store.

Arachno(photo op)

(pictured left to right - Rod Castle, Osito Founder - Myself- Garrett - Randall Jobe, evening coordinator- Marcus , Osito chairman)

This picture was taken this evening at the Osito Foundations fund raising gala at South Beach in Houston. When approached last Sunday to design and create an auction item for this Sundays event i jumped at the chance. Osito not only raises funds for children affected by HIV and AIDS they also donate thousands of Teddy Bears around the world to these children.
The black widow bodice has over 100 pieces and the tutu ruffles exceed 130 yards in length. I have to send a huge thanks to Tina, Mary Clare, Sandy, Garrett, and Kevin for all their wonderful help. As well I'm glad to report the the costume raised a very pretty penny during the live auction. The headpiece was my favorite part, look carefully there's even a fly caught in it's web. I also had fun doing Garrett's Cirque inspired make up. We are all excited to see this one out during next years Halloween block party!

The last thing is closure....... NOT!

Most often in a costume shop you hear that the last step in garment construction is closure, and maybe a hem. Once zippers are set, hooks affixed, and elastics adjusted I'm just getting started.
I don't call it done there, i pull out my aircompressor and fire up the airbrush. The tutu pictured above is one i just finished for a dancer at the Joffry ballet in chicago. All of the pieces recieved a few airbrush details after completion. The "warmth" of this costume is owed to not to just great fabric, and precision sewing but to PAINT. There are only three colors of fabric here, but what i did was lay various lace scraps over the bodice and top plate and airbrush deeper purples, lighter pinks, and a yellowy gold over the lace (using it like a stencil). The sleeves and gold lace under the top plate also recieved a blast.

The below image is far from a delicate tutu, it is a body suit i designed and created with some awsome help from my buddy Tina Ladner for Houston Ballets Dolls House last season. It is assembled from many interesting fabrics, but its real interest comes from PAINT, airbrushed threw sports mesh in the same fashion. The left of the picture is pre paint.


Aside from adding depth and texture you can use the airbrush to to tweak fabric colors.

Mr. Postman Look and See , Is there a POST CARD in your bag for me?

(front) above, (back) below
I just finished creating postcards to accompany the launch of my new website. Adobe Photo Shop is very intimidating, i'm more suited for Adobe Photo Mill, Boutique, or possibly Outlet. After watching an awesome friend for several days in creating my web page I must bow down, and applaud those of you with the computer touch, rather then my "touched" approach.

frisbee with the norwegians ?

Vertiginous Thrill of Exacti(tutu)













My latest centrifugal project at Houston Ballet was to remake , tweak, reinvent these fantastic tutus for William Forsyths work Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude...

After having studied the same costumes from several other companies i found ways to lighten there weight, streamline the construction and save some $$ as well....
They really are flying pancakes ... one version of construction i dissected was a traditional tutu, steamed and tacked very tightly with a single outer hoop...the layers of "traditional" net still were very bulky, and did not have the playful bounce this costume needs..... the Norwegian construction eliminated the rows of netting to single pleated net which is much thinner and lighter... and they used two hoops, one centered and one at the outer edge... their outer hoop is made of kite batons, which are very expensive, and a little to stiff for the balletic need of partnering and such.

My solution was to use a regular steel hoop, and edge it with 3/8 inch foam crack filler,,,, it gave a perfect rounded "Frisbee" edge, and cost about 2$... instead of something in the hundreds :).... aside from the light weight of the foam it's soft, and great for the men to reflect off of ...I love fabric shopping at HOME DEPOT.

Besides the precision in the title of this ballet, the patterning, cutting, and sewing had to be perfect.... I headed the project with assistance from Tina, and Sandy... the shape came greatly from the correct circumferences of the hoops, and also the amount the velor (top plate) was stretched over them... too much length of hoop - even by a half inch- torqued the shape , and any loose places in the top plates created sag.... all the pieces were basted together first by hand.....

There were a few other little tricks, and pieces to the inner guts i'll keep secret for now.

*pictured above is myself, Tina and Sandy.
*below is the underside (crotch left un sewn until completion)
*last pic is Tina balancing out our second of four tutus.