Cabinet of Curiosities
Competitive Costume Design – Ongoing
The Challenge
Design and hand-fabricate costumes capable of holding up on a stage – visible and striking under lights, structurally sound enough to move and perform in, and memorable enough to stand out among thousands of entrants at one of Austin's largest costume competitions. A few pieces along the way demanded serious creative problem-solving to pull off.
The Approach
Spellbound (Priest & Priestess couple). The most technically involved build: a detachable skirt incorporating respectful ceremonial elements, a matching staff carried by my husband as the priest, and a headpiece built from horns, feathers, and a skull. A complete two-person character, built from scratch.
Deathly Devoted (Day of the Dead couple). A joint costume with my husband, paired as a Day of the Dead duo – simpler and less elaborate than the solo builds, but tightly matched as a couple's look.
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Checkmate (Red & White Chess Queen Pieces). Hand-stitched, sculptural hats mimicking the crown of each chess piece, paired with matching staffs and outfits built for a group costume with real visual presence as a set.
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Circus of the Damned (Misfit Circus Tent). Originally built for a runway modeling show, an upcycled dress became a full lit-up circus-tent skirt – later reworked for the office, carrying one of the Chess Queen staffs as a prop.
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Her Royal Wingness (Butterfly Queen). An Elizabethan-collar-inspired set of wings, a handcrafted crown, and a scepter to match – built mainly because the wings were the part everyone said would be too hard to pull off.
The Priestess and the Day of the Dead costume each placed 2nd at the Austin Voodoo Ball, in different years, among thousands of entrants. No formal training behind any of it – just a family background in trades and fabrication, applied to costumes instead of construction.
