A great joy of 2021 was collaborating with my partner Bill to create this striking costume, which he eventually named Morihar: a wizard of grandeur and mystery!
I did a lot of the more elaborate work - in particular, the creation of the headdress and building the light-up scepter - but Bill did most of the clothing alterations, and we developed the whole thing together as we went along. The entire project began with Bill’s sketch of an extravagant, cartoonish, up-do hairstyle, and grew from there.
This costume was in a constant state of evolution, with each step a surprise that changed who Bill was becoming. The centerpiece was always that silver coat, a ‘heat proximity coat’ that he picked up from a second hand store years ago. When we found the purple gown this summer, an idea started to form.
The character transformed into a wizard, with the reshaped gown becoming a robe that framed a pair of silver leggings. A vintage silver tank concealed the frilly bodice of the dress, overlaid with a handmade purple chest piece to change the shape of the neckline. We incorporated a spiral motif into the chest piece, the boots, and a large decoration on the back of the coat.
The Fanciest.
It was so much fun helping Bill bring his vision to life, and the best part was seeing him enjoy himself, and show off his amazing look! We worked hard on this project and the effort was rewarded. The process took about three months and it’s all documented here.