The Pattern

So finding a pattern for this costume was actually pretty difficult, as it's supposed to be from the 40s.  I tried looking on several vintage pattern sites to find something similar, with no success.  Then I tried to Google 40s era patterns and still couldn't find anything even remotely close.  I actually searched for a pattern for a couple of months, before I'd really even decided I definitely wanted to do the costume. So I finally figured I'd have to draw up my own pattern when I came across a sketch a girl had posted online of a USO girl prom dress.  While the length of the dress wasn't right for what I wanted, the restof it was perfect.  Besides, shortening the length of the skirt is an easy enough thing to do.

Picture credit to Stormraven 24 on Flickr

I used the Simplicity pattern she found and made my own adjustments to it.  I could leave the back length the same as the pattern called for, since I'd be bunching it up to make the bustle, but the rest of the skirt length would be shorn off just above the knees.  The pattern is Simplicity #3784.

 I'm using the A pattern, which is what the blue dress is in the picture above.

Now to figure out the fabric I'm going to use.  I don't want something too shiny or too flimsy.  I'm going for a matte finish as opposed to a glossy, and I definitely need it to be a little bit stiffer fabric for the draping look I'm going for and the bustle.  I'm thinking about a poly blend, but I haven't found one I quite like yet, so that will be the next step.  I'll be hitting up the fabric store on Sunday, so once I do that I can begin on costume construction.

Steampunk USO Costume

So I saw Captain America: The First Avenger in theaters last summer, on opening night.  In fact, I saw it with my fellow Comic-Con attendees in San Deigo.  And of course the first thing that popped into my mind was, "Damn, Chris Evans is hot!" Hahaha,  but the next thing I really focused on was the costumes.  I particularly loved the Captain's first outfit, when he's on road doing the War Bonds perfomances and the USO girls' costumes, with the floaty skirts and the cool helmets.  I put it in the back of my mind for a possible costume and then sort of forgot about it for a good several months.  But then word got out about Marvel agreeing to a Captain America--and also Thor--sequal and it got me thinking.  Add to that the much anticipated release of The Avengers in May this year and I decided I really wanted to do a USO girl costume.

I like the color scheme in the picture above--it's the same as what they used in the movie.

But this shows a better photo of the costumes themselves, with a better view of the front.

Except, I really didn't think the outfit would look cute on me; I'm not a dainty or petite girl by any means. I'm 6'0 tall and in the low-end of the plus size range and I thought I'd look ridiculous in the costume.  So all through the holidays I was trying to think of a way to make the costume, but make it work for my body type.  And then it hit me.  Steampunk.  I could use the general costume idea and the red, white, and blue color scheme, but sort of Steampunk it out.  Last year at Comic-Con I'd seen a Steampunk Flash, Rogue, Phoenix, and a Wonder Woman and they looked supercool, so why couldn't I make my USO girl into a Steampunk USO girl?  Plus, I figured it would be way more fun than the origianl costume.

So to Steampunk it out, I decided to do the following: I'll make the floaty skirt a bustle skirt, with the red and white vertical panels.  The front would still be knee-length, but the back could trail a little bit longer, with the bustle to add some shape.  Instead of the little silver heels, I'd make myself some kick ass knee-high spats, preferably in dark blue, to match the halter top portion of the outfit.  I'd make the red cummerbund into more of a corset style.  I'd also look into some sort of bolero jacket--though I haven't decided the color yet--to wear in case of cold weather or if I want to "dress up" the costume.  And lastly, instead of the helmet or the little 40's style sequined hat, I'd make a fascinator. I've also played around a bit with making a bag that has the Captain's shield design on it.

Once I came up with the general idea for the costume, the first step would be to find a pattern I could use, since doing it completely from scratch would not only be a major effort, it would also be super time-consuming.  And since my goal is to hopefully have it done in time for Wonder Con, in mid-March, I'm going to need to work around the clock to finish it in time. 

Starting Anew

So, I'm a long-time attendee of comic conventions and Renaissance Faires, and have always been involved with dressing up.  But a few years ago, while in search of the perfect Ursula costume (from Disney's A Little Mermaid) I became frustrated with the complete lack of cool costumes.  So I decided to make my own.  From scratch. With no pattern to speak of, except for my own warped mind.  And when it was done, it looked freaking awesome.  So I resolved to never buy a costume again, only to make my own.  Since then, I've managed to make several Steampunk costumes, a new amazing formal Pirate Coat, and a ton of cool accesories.  But along the way I've started following a bunch of cool costume blogs, some of which I'll be posting links to, and I decided that I wanted to start documenting my costuming process.  Since I just started a new costume, I figured what better way to do it than to start my blog--and my costume--at the same time. 

Now, for a little disclaimer...  I'm not a professional seamstress or tailor--I've never even taken any sewing or clothing construction classe of anykind.  Everything I've done is self-learned from trial and error and sometimes the way I do things isn't the best way, or even the right way to sew something.  But that's ok, cause that's what works for me, and hopefully over time, and possibly some classes I can become a better seamstress.  But even if my sewing techniques aren't the best, I'm hoping some of my ideas can help other people be creative, just as following some of those blogs I mentioned above have helped to inspire me.  Afterall, if the internet can't be used as a forum for exchange of information and creativity, they why even bother.

I hope you enjoy what I've got to show you, and please feel free to share any costuming blogs or resources you've found as I always like to check out new ideas. :)

Thanks!
-r2d2grrl