Dear Rubber Band ‘Art’ (Dress 207)

Dear Rubber Band ‘Art’ (Day 162)


You’re that thing thing that children do, stretching rubber bands over pre-set nails in a pattern/shape. I think it’s pretty if done well, and dangerous if not.

All my love,
Ip.

Dear REWIND (Dress 193)

Dear REWIND,

You're an ace vintage store near my house- way too expensive for my tastes (vintage chanel in the window, my size. makes me sad every time I pass it.) I am so glad the satin lined pink dress did not fit me (totally not into pink, but whatever). This dress would only work if it had been pieced as well as the REWIND dress was... guh. Vintage handmade work.

All my love,

IP

Dear Hamletmachine Tech Week (Dresses 180-189)

Dear Hamletmachine Tech Week,
OMFG.

Exhausting.

All my love,
IP

Dear Fashion, Image and Advertising (Dress 169)

Dear Fashion, Image and Advertising,
After a discussion on the nature of capitalism in Performance Class, going to a lecture on the elements of consumer culture was a no-brainer. The straps (and continuing lines) are thick satin ribbon, the ‘fringe’ ribbons at the base also. There are enamelled black numbers at the base of the dress.
All my love,
IP

Dear Hamletmachine (Dress 168)

Dear Hamletmachine,

Your aesthetic is more capitalist signposts than the mechanical post-industrial feel I thought we were going for. This would have been a nice bridesmaid costume if that had been the case.

The cogs in the middle are real cogs, and the rectangles are open to the skin.

All my love,

IP

Dear Neil Gaiman (Dress 147)

Dear Neil Gaiman,
I've been reading your books since I was a child- graduating from Coraline to American Gods, and thence onto the bizzare wonder of the Sandman series. Your mind seems to fit into a same pattern of those artists I admire- Stephen Fry's encyclopedic knowledge and immense respect for other artists (watch any and all interviews with the man. He is a god.) or your dear Amanda F***ing Palmer's intersongstuality, or Billy Connolly's scatterbrainedness, or your friend and mentor Terry Pratchett's hyper-referancing, or anyone else equally awesome.
You just won a CARNEGIE MEDAL!
(for the Graveyard Book)
freaking congratulations.
Two blind girls were on stage when you accepted the medal with a gorgeous speech (watch this also. It is sweet and lovely) and presented you with a braille copy of the winning book.
How ace is that?

Long time readers may know I have a deep love of Braille, I made the bf and myself matching rings when I went to Israel with our names on them. It's not as clingy as it sounds! It was more a piece of myself to leave behind whilst I travelled... This is a guy who wears a silver replica of the one ring; so it is very hard to take his jewellery seriously.

Anyhow, this dress would have to have little 'beads' implanted between the dress and the lining. might not be very comfortable. Would have something meaningfull written on them, but not sure what. Any suggestions?
All my love,
IP

Dear Rambo (Dress 142)

Dear Rambo,

So I fell asleep ten minutes in; so I'm not really the authority on your, shall we say, art. However- I do know that at some point in the early part of the film (Rambo 3, I think.) you use a bow and arrow to catch fish.

Bad. Ass.

voila!
black satin ribbons on white muslin, with feather embellishments.

All my love,

IP

Dear City Hatters (Dress 121)

Dear City Hatters,

When I have a million billion squajillion dollars I will not be so frightened of going to you.

As it is now, I can't afford a 300$ Top Hat, but i'd happily make a 30$ or so alternative.

(Matte Satin with a beaded feather embellishment)

All my love,

IP

Dear Ilana (Dress 114)

Dearest Ilana,
You're lovely. I mean it- really truly lovely. You wrote me a sweet letter a fair while back that made my day when I needed it most- not just with the sweetness of the sentiment but the presentation too! Calligraphy monogram and your insanely pretty handwriting-all your style is like that- strong lines and intense contrasts. Yesterday after our class performance you were getting dressed for a party, and you were wearing this stunning satin backless creation that looked just amazing... so in honour of backlessness and the prettiness that is 1950s contrast:
(White satin, black calligraphyesque 'pool' lines, and  half-strawberry (with cream) brooch.)
All my love,
IP.

Dear Kishkoosh (Dress 113)

Dearest Kishkoosh,
You were my mum's pet really, she absolutely adored you- clever and beautiful, and a lovely creature. I was so young that I was frightened of you- you were this big bird with a powerful beak and you didn't like me because I moved so quickly that I frightened you. Silliness. I realised how much a part of our family you were when the next-door-neighbours' dog killed you. I remember when my dad came to school to tell me- still shaking- he held you while you passed and buried you himself.
When Annie (my ex-drama teacher, and family friend) brought Charlie to us I felt like it was a chance to start fresh- but that didn't work out, because he hated men and kept trying to bite my Father.

I still think maybe one day I'll get my mum another Cockatoo- I know she misses you.

(Inked linen with a satin lining to structure it.)
All my love,
IP

Dear Winter Night (Dress 61)

Dear Winter Night,
Everything about you is intense and electrifying, the cold setting into my bones, flushing my face pink, making everything seem saturated with colour and charged with bright energy.
Today's dress is cold and clean- silk mesh edged with an iridescant macaw greeny-blue satin piping. There are four layers of the mesh on the bottom, to allow for the camouflaging of a corset bodice, the bones of which are encased in the same material as the piping, with a feather-edge attatchment.

All my love,

Dear Suzie (Dress 57)

Dearest Suzie,
Monash University Student Theatre has a yearly artistic development festival (ADDfest). However, being so busy means I have only been able to attend a select few of the offerings -something I really regret, I've missed out on so much more the festival had to offer...- The writing debut of a dear friend of mine Izzy Roberts-Orr, a brilliant professional actor's panel, and tonight a showcase of short performance pieces, new theatrical works written, directed and acted by students, standup comedy and a amazingly gutsy and skilful burlesque performance by one of my classmates. Her costume was so stunning, so seductive whilst covering everything (albeit briefly) to reveal beautiful luxury lingerie. I wanted to design something that balanced those elements. It didn't come out in the drawing so much- I want this to be the underdress (in very stiff fabric with satin fused on top), with a ruched overlay of very fine crushed silk all over (even the crisscross section).

(Better photo tomorrow)

All my love,

IP

Dear Melbourne Dandy (Dress 56)

 Dearest Melbourne Dandy,
You're a lovely addition to the range of pseudo-indie subcultures cropping up in this wonderful town of style freaks- a welcome visual distraction from the black-grey uniform of the'cultured' Melbournian. The specimen that drew my eye in today wore a lovely ensemble of pinstripe shirt in red, the everpresent black skinny jeans, and a pair of the most stunning tan brogue(ish)s.

(Dress Specs: Luxury cotton for the shirt/coat aspect; and heavy polyester shorts with a satin lining. rubber reinforcement for the epaulettes.)





All my love,