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Monday 4 January 2016

The Wizard of Oz

Right now I am completely enchanted with the world of Oz; from the sweet yet creepy world in the original film, to the darker, gritty, yet beautifully descriptive Gregory Maguire universe, I am in love. The other night I watched the 1939 version of the Wizard of Oz, and while it wasn't as amazing as I remembered it to be as a child, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The surrealist, almost hallucinogenic, feel of the movie reminds me a lot of Alice in Wonderland, and thus I'd recommend it to any fan of the former novel and film.




Isn't July Garland as Dorothy adorable!




I love the colour and vibrancy of this film, as well as how when Dorothy finds herself in Oz, the world is transformed from sepia to full-colour. I also love Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch, but the other characters, such as the Munchkins, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion freaked me out a bit, as did the Wizard illusion special effects.
Also, the Wicked Witch of the West was a tad disappointing compared with Elphaba's complexity, though I knew that this would be the case.

Both Wicked and the Wizard of Oz has inspired me to think about making costumes from movies and the theater. Who wouldn't want to go about their day dressed as Glinda, decked from head to toe in tulle ballgowns? Maybe some day in the future I'll make Glinda and Elphaba dresses, inspired by different time periods and their characters...


I'm so in love with this costume, and I think Glinda is my spirit animal, haha.

6 comments:

  1. Okay, girl, I hope from the bottom of my heart that you do make it, because Glenda's dress is drop dead gorgeous!!!XD And I think it could suit you very well. So much sparkle and fluffiness, aww!

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    1. It may be ten years in the future, but I will do it someday! XD It looks quite hard to sew, but I think if I made some Georgian-style panniers to fit underneath the dress, then made the dress itself from layers of tulle, then maybe I could get the right shape. The embellishments are the scary part!
      Perhaps I'll tackle Elphaba's costume first, as in the novels it is noted that she wears rather simple clothing; though, in the musical she does wear this amazing dress to see the Wizard in. So many options... XD

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    2. Hmm, I like the musical version of Elphaba's dress! I can see how the embellishments would be scary though with the Glenda dress - it's all embroidery, right? And embroidery with special effects thread if I see correctly... tough job! The panniers sound like a good idea, the skirt shape does remind one a bit of the 18th century robe de cour, or the 1920s robe de style, that could totally work I think. Is pink tulle easy to get where you live?
      Btw, hahaha, okay, so I will wait those ten years - too exciting a project not to;-)

      Btw again - my mum is recovering, so the situation here is a bit better, though now it's me who's pretty sick for a change - we are never bored hereXD

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    3. Elphaba has quite a Gothic style, which I like. :D I was thinking embroidery (which is not my forte, I'm afraid) with crystal or beads on it. I haven't really looked for pink tulle before, but I expect that Abakhan - a massive fabric store in Liverpool - will have something, or maybe a shop that sells bridal fabrics.
      I'll look like a giant puffy, pink meringue ten years from now, so keep an eye out, haha!

      I'm glad that your Mum is okay now, though I'm sorry for you; it sounds very hectic. Is it still your cold, or is it something worse now? Sometimes colds get worse before they get better. By the way, do you find your health improves in summer, when there are less illnesses about?

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    4. Hahaha, pink puffy meringue! Did you know that it my language it is translated as: little snow kiss?XD But I can totes see it and I think it’s an accurate assessment – it’s going to look just as delicious, I’m sure!
      Oh, bead embroidery. That’s daunting for sure – but even as you write that embroidery is not your forte (yet), is it something you enjoy, or does it bore you? If you like it, what techniques do you prefer or which ones would you like to try? Have you ever tried it on tulle? How did it go?

      Yeah, usually I do get better over summer, especially if I manage to get to our cottage in the mountains or to the Balkans (much cleaner air and much more sun, though paradoxically, heat makes me weak and sick courtesy of the Neurocardiogenic Syncope – but usually no cold and no illnesses otherwise, so yeah, summer is great, just like spring once it gets a bit warmer). Winter tends to be the toughest – though it’s great for breathing if it’s cold and dry, go figure!XD Actually I’m hopeful this winter will be just like that, lots of snow and icy air, no raining – does wonders, it’s like a healing, soothing balm for lungs. You should see all the magnificent white snow here! Like in a fairytale. Flutters and dances outside the windows like small pieces of crisp white lace. I wish I could go out already... snowmaaaaan buildiiing is calling!!! When do you feel the best, I wonder? During which season? Do you enjoy snowball fights or building igloos? Or skating/sledging? Does it tend to snow a lot in your area? (I remember in West Midlands the locals seemed very surprised and kind of taken aback by the snow when I was there couple of years ago, so I’m curious)

      Well, the cold is slowly going away, thank God – but I’m anaemic (happens to me sometimes), which is bad because of the fainting illness. It makes me black out or fall down because my head just spins like crazy and I’m so sleepy and weak... so I’m glued to chair or bed since yesterday more or less so as to not to injure myself. Well, I guess it has the positive side of not having any alternative but to rest:-) (though poor mamma!) I only wish I wasn’t so sick even sitting or laying down, but who am I to complain, I got beef steaks yesterday as a bonus because of the blood loss and there’s likely to be some beef broth soon, so YAY! Diet-wise, anaemia is the most congenial illness I know?-)
      (And sorry for the long comment. But you have really cheered me up with the puffy meringue:-) I can’t wait to see you in that dress! Ten years, I know.)

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    5. No worries about the long comment - I love long comments! Maybe it will be less than ten years, if I can persuade my Mum to let me buy pink tulle. :) I've already got a lot of sewing plans to do, and at the end of March I go to America, so I have to make my 'summer wardrobe' for then - vintage-inspired, of course!
      "Little snow kiss", hahaha! That is rather accurate, I suppose, and very befitting of Glinda the Good Witch; she's very girly, fluffy, air-headed and a tad self-absorbed, so it suits her a lot.

      As for embroidery, I've only done a tiny bit for college, and I do enjoy it at the time, but after a while I get bored and don't seem to pick it back up again. I've done satin stitch, French knots and most of the basic stitches, as well as some cross-stitch. Nothing too fancy or amazing. I know you're amazing at embroidery though, as I've seen pics on your blog - I find it really hard, so I'm stunned that you can do it so beautifully and quickly!
      I think I prefer doing satin stitch, as I can do that quite easily, but once I've got the hang of French knots I find them quite fun. Someday I'd love to try ribbon embroidery.
      I've never done embroidery on tulle, as that sounds really hard! Oh well, I'll find a way to do it sometime. :)

      A cottage in the mountains sounds like a dream! I've always wanted to live in a cottage or a castle or something like that, and the mountains are beautiful! What is it like there? The snow sounds fantastic too; we don't get very much snow in England, probably once every five years, and even then it doesn't stick for long. The last proper snow was two years ago, but I always remember the snowball fights I had with my family when I was eleven - that was really fun, and so was building a snowman. I guess you get snow almost every year then, where you live, as it must be a colder climate. Here it's not really that cold at all, apart from in the evenings - during the day you don't even need to wear a coat, as it's rather mild.
      Winter is a killer for me. It makes me so down and depressed, as it's always raining and the constant darkness gets to me. I do love playing in the snow though, but as I said, snow is rare. I can't skate, but near where we live there is a snowboarding/winter-sports place called Chill Factoree, which is really fun - we went for my Mum's birthday. :)
      Summer is my favourite season, as it’s mostly warm enough for me, and there is lots of light and sunshine for doing art and sewing. I also like visiting castles, historical places and gardens in the summer, which is when they mainly open up for the public. It’s also nice to take the dogs out for a walk in the sun. What is your favourite season?
      It’s good that the cold is going away, though your other conditions sound like a right pain. Steak is always nice though.  Rest well and I hope you feel better soon, Vivi!

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