Playful – BeMask'd

June 8, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#20/20: Cupcake

Cupcake: A Design Signature

The Cupcake costume was originally created in 2010 for the first Circus Couture (CC) event. We were developing a new concept, and needed a grand, imaginative, and over-the-top design for promotional materials and media spots, and I came up with the Cupcake concept. This look evolved into many iterations over time, spawned my “Mini-Cupcakes” series (including the #19/20 Valentine look), and became my first “signature” costume look.

A woman in a pink wig and blue, white, and pink costume — Karlee in the original Cupcake look. Makeup by Meghann Mason. Wig by Thomas Richards-Keyes, Meghann Mason, & Kelsey Contois Husch.

This first iteration of the Cupcake look involved an oversized pink wig, developed by Thomas Richards-Keyes, Meghann Mason, and Kelsey Contois Husch. I worked with model Karlee to balance the oversized proportions of the ensemble and developed a modular, multi-layered look.

A woman in a large blue white and pink costume with a blue and pink wig — Karlee in the 2nd iteration of the Cupcake look. Wig by Meghann Mason and Kelsey Contois Husch. Photo by Lei Rivera

A woman in a pink and blue wig with matching corseted costume — Karlee in the 2nd iteration of the Cupcake look. Wig by Meghann Mason and Kelsey Contois Husch. Photo by Lei Rivera

The Cupcake ensemble consists of pink glitter shoes adorned with spikes, turquoise sequin legwarmers, aqua and pink thigh highs with ruffle and bow trim, pink sequin briefs, a pink and aqua satin striped corset with studs, spikes, and ribbon/ruffle trim, one long turquoise sequin and mesh glove with claw spikes, one short pink sequin glove with spikes and studs, a pink sequin collar with faux feather trim in pink/turquoise ombré and claw spikes, and bras in medium and light pink adorned with spikes on the shoulder and studs on the cup. The overskirt was made of 80 yards of tulle: light pink, dark pink, white, and turquoise, with a large bow. The skirt was removable for a runway reveal.

A woman in a blue and pink wig with arms crossed, hands on shoulders, Wearing one long blue glove and one short pink glove — Karlee in the 2nd Cupcake iteration, showing glove detailing. Wig by Meghann Mason and Kelsey Contois Husch. Photo by Lei Rivera

A woman's back in a pink and blue corset with lace and studs. — Karlee, back corset view detailing. Photo by Lei Rivera

Front view of a pink and aqua blue satin striped corset — Karlee, Front corset view detailing. Photo by Lei Rivera

Cupcake’s Legacy

The Cupcake skirt and costume pieces were modified and used in subsequent photo shoots, including on location in the desert of Nevada. The Cupcake concept was reworked for the 10th anniversary show of Circus Couture, with an updated concept reflecting the inclusion of Cupcake Clown costume elements. The Cupcake Clown costume was developed as part of the “Mini Cupcakes” series, and features a modular look appropriate for circus performance. The Cupcake Princess look is a revamped take on the original Cupcake skirt, with the turquoise layer removed and the addition of 40 more yards of pink and white tulle, with a hoop skirt worn underneath.

A woman in a pink and white ballgown in the desert in front of a rusty car — Olivia in the Cupcake Princess skirt, on location in Nelson NV. Photo by Ron Nelson. Hair and makeup by Meghann Mason.

A woman in a blue and pink clown costume — Kacee in the Cupcake Clown costume

A woman in a clown costume peering over a ruffle collar. — Kacee in the Cupcake Clown, detail of collar and hat

A woman in a huge blue and pink skirt and wig with clown makeup — Muse in the 2019 Cupcake iteration. Makeup by Meghann Mason, Wig by Kelsey Husch. Photo by Shane O’Neal.

The Cupcake Mask

The Cupcake Mask is created on a base of heavyweight interfacing fused to pale pink cotton canvas. The mask upper has an overlayer of pink sequin fabric, and the beak is made of multiple layers of tulle, gathered and secured. The eye holes are edged in pink foldover elastic, and pink ruffle ribbon trim delineates the mask beak and upper. Light and dark pink sequin trim edges the upper edge of the mask, and a large turquoise sequin bow in tacked in place over the right eye as an asymmetrical embellishment. Studs in medium and large star shapes, round domes, and pyramid studs finish off the embellishments on the mask upper.

A pink beaked mask with blue sequin bow — The Cupcake Plague Doctor mask, Right side view

Close up detail of a pink sequin mask with star, dome, and pyramid studs — The Cupcake Plague Doctor mask upper with sequin fabric and stud detailing

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

June 8, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#19/20: Valentine

Valentine

The Valentine costume was created as an offshoot of the color scheme from the Cupcake (#20/20) look. Using pinks, whites, and creams as the color palette, this costume is designed as a burlesque ensemble including bloomers, a corset, halter top, cuffs, and robe. The look features graduated layers of flounces at the elbows, sheer fabrics, and an abundance of lace and bows.

Front view - A woman in a white and pink corseted costume with robe — AS in the Valentine look, front view

Back view - A woman in a white and pink corseted costume with robe — AS in the Valentine look, back view

The Valentine Mask

Following the aesthetics of the Valentine costume, this Plague Doctor styled mask consists of a metallic pink spandex overlaid with cream-colored lace with clear sequins on top. The mask base is neoprene. Layers of ruffles, lace, and pom pom line the edges and eyeholes of the mask.

A pink and white lace beaked mask with ruffle edges. — Valentine mask, side view

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

June 4, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#16/20 Queen of Hearts

Alice in Spamaland

In June 2008 I organized my first independent costume photo shoot, inspired by the characters of Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. I had been working as a wardrobe attendant and technician for the Monty Python musical Spamalot, and was just starting to launch my career as a freelance costume designer. I recruited cast and crew members from the show as my models, and spent months sewing costumes. See a partial group image below.

A group of people in Fancy Dress costumes — Alice in Spamaland, June 2008, Photo by XpressionsinForms

Mask Inspiration: Plague Doctor Queen of Hearts

The inspiration for the Plague Doctor styled Queen of Hearts and the complementing daily wear Hearts Court noble mask are directly inspired by and use fabrics from original looks in the photoshoot. The Queen of Hearts costume centered on a red corset embellished with a burgundy-red ombre application of buttons. This corset was later deconstructed, then finally cut apart and embellished with leftover buttons for this present mask design.

A woman posing in a red and black corset costume — Liz as the Queen of Hearts in the Heart Button corset; photo by XpressionsinForms

The Queen of Hearts mask features styling to include hearts in the overall design, from some of the buttons to the eye hole shape to the “Sweetheart” top edge.

Close up detail of buttons sewn to a mask

A red beaked mask, side view — The Queen of Hearts mask, side view

A red beaked mask embellished with buttons — The Queen of Hearts mask

Mask Inspiration: Daily Wear Hearts Court noble mask

The Daily Wear mask is designed to reflect a costume from a member of the Hearts Court, featuring diagonal stripes in silver and black metallic spandex. A burgundy metallic spandex heart is appliqued to the left cheek. The spandex layer is reinforced with a fusible interfacing, and the lining layer is a black cotton twill. The edges are bound in burgundy metallic spandex.

Side view of a shaped daily wear face mask — The Daily Wear mask, side view

3/4 view of a face mask on a head form. — 3/4 view of the Daily Wear face mask

A striped face mask on a head form — The mask from a front view.

A woman in a striped minidress and thigh hights — Ashley in the Hearts Court member look.

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

June 2, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#15/20 MirrorBall

The MirrorBall Plague Doctor-style and daily wear masks join previous mirrored creations in my collection. I first created the MirrorBall Dress, masks, and accessories in 2013 while living in Las Vegas. The first iteration of the dress was made for a photoshoot, with future modifications made for durability and comfort.

A woman in a mirrorball dress surrounded by mirror balls — Hanna in the MirrorBall dress. Hair and Makup by Meghann Mason. Photo by Lei Rivera.

The MirrorBall dress was next worn to the Electric Daisy Carnival by a bridesmaid for friends getting married. The couple, Matt & Alli, and bridesmaid, Erica, are friends from my Cirque days, and I was asked to help with some costumes for their EDC trip. Matt & Alli were featured in a documentary filmed at the festival that year, later screened in movie theatres across the country. The MirrorBall dress revisions included adding a pleather binding to eliminate sharp edges, and the addition of mirrored epaulets.

A picture collage of people in costumes — Screengrabs from “Under the Electric Sky” with Matt, Alli, Erica, & CJ.

The modified costume was used in a subsequent photoshoot, with the addition of other mirrored costume pieces and accessories:

A woman in a mirrored dress — Behind the Scenes shot of Nicolle in MirrorBall. Hair and Makeup by Meghann Mason.

A woman in a mirrored costume — Behind the Scenes shot of Nicolle in the MirrorBall costume with face shield.

Mirrored Masks

In the image above, a mirrored face shield is visible. The piece is built on the same kind of face shield that has become ubiquitous over the course of the pandemic. Two mirrored face shields were made and have since been distributed to friends. A paintball mask covered in mirrors was also created at this time.

A mask covered in mirrors — The paintball mask covered in mirrors.

This piece was paired with a hoodie and mirror-covered bra top:

Alia. Photo by Shane O’Neal

The MirrorBall Mask Set

A trio of mirrored masks — The MirrorBall Mask set

For the BeMask’d exhibit series, a Plague Doctor and daily wear mask were created. The daily wear mask is comprised of black cotton twill, lightweight fusible interfacing, glitter dot fabric, black cotton bias binding, and glass mirror tiles.

A mirrored face mask — The daily wear mask

The glitter dot fabric provides base coverage beneath the mirror tile layers. It is an aesthetic complement to the mirror tiles, and provides coverage of negative space between mirror tile strips. The Plague Doctor mask is built on a base of black cotton twill fused to heavyweight interfacing, covered with a layer of glitter dot fabric.

A sequin mask detail — The Glitter dot base layer detail

A beaked mask covered in mirrors — The Plague Doctor MirrorBall Mask

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

May 31, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#13/20 Candy

Rave Kandi

Brightly colored plastic pony beads are used in the creation of “Kandi“, bracelets made and given to others in the rave community. These bracelets are traded as gifts at the discretion of the maker, and usually have a handshake involved symbols of the PLUR ethos underpinning the rave community: Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. My first elaborate piece of kandi gifted to me was at my first rave, and I recall being stunned as I had only a single strand to trade, and it felt flimsy and unequal at best. I protested, thinking my trade wasn’t “worth” the same, to which the person responded “It’s ok! I love all kandi!” She then proceeded to tell me about attending her first rave and being gifted a more elaborate kandi cuff (similar to my trade with her) and that it meant so much to her to be given such a piece that she continued the practice herself. I was so touched by her gift and the story that I made my own more elaborate cuffs (see below, right image) to trade with others. At my last event, I was delighted to find myself in the position of gifting a piece to a person at her first rave, hearing echoes of my own exchange. Whether simple or elaborate, kandi is usually made of plastic, brightly colored beads on stretch cording. Some are embellished with perler bead decorations, toys, flowers, and more.

Beaded bracelets — Kandi given to JL at different events

Beaded cuffs — Kandi made by JL for trades

Kandi was the influence for a costume made for a friend attending a music festival a few years ago, comprised of an embellished bra, skirt, shorts, and embellished epaulets. The technique used on the epaulets was reprised in the look of the Candy mask, trimmed with 4-strand round braid cording made from spandex fabric, strips cut from tee shirts, and cotton lacing.

Mask Composition

The mask was built on plastic canvas in neon green, hot pink, and turquoise. The embellishment of the canvas is a multi-stage process: buttons were attached first, followed by neon animal beads. These items are the largest in size, and were laid first to gauge the rest of the materials. Negative space was filled in with neon plastic pony beads, the same type used in making kandi bracelets. The final addition was neon yellow eyelash yarn stitched in between all of the beads. The texture of the eyelash yarn fills in the spaces between the beads, but must be treated after application. To do so, the yarn is stitched through the plastic canvas, which traps the eyelash yarn fibers that must then be picked free. This creates a fluffy texture that is trimmed down. After these steps, 4-strand round braids were used to finish the edges of the mask and the eye openings. An interesting byproduct of stitching on the beads and eyelash yarn is that it adds stability and body to the mask structure, boosting rigidity and making the mask more sturdy.

Beads on plastic canvas — The beading layer

Beads and yarn — The beads with unpicked eyelash yarn

Detail of beads on a mask — Closeup detail

Beaded beaked mask — The finished mask, Left side

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

May 28, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#11/20: Memory

On Memory

There is memory in the things we make – the materials for a specific project, the creation techniques, the design of the object. In the evolution of an artistic practice over time, skill sets are learned and refined, leading from slow and methodical to adept and with speed. Sewing is a practice-based, cumulative artistic skill whose outcomes from technique samples to completed projects contain memory for the maker. I started sewing when I was young, but it wasn’t until a swimwear assignment in my undergraduate fashion education that I learned about stretch fabrics. I recall it being a daunting concept – we as a class were accustomed to working with wovens and the thought of using swimwear fabrics was intimidating, as they behave differently and require special kinds of construction techniques. As soon as I worked through the trial and error of assembling my project, however, I was hooked. Spandex fabrics made sense to me immediately, and ultimately became the basis of my senior collection. I learned (through much trial and error) how to work with the fabrics and how they would move with the body. Shortly after graduation, I began working as a stitcher for a youth circus, building costumes for their summer tour.

The costumes I recall most vividly were those involving spandex, and I spent many hours appliqueing cut out shapes onto unitard bases. When fitting time came and we began to make necessary alterations, the scraps left over became artistic complements to our outfits, and we would wear cut off unitard hems on our arms as a sort of uniform, throwing on a little metallic spandex piece we called our bands of power.

A woman in a black tee shirt and jeans with a yellow hat — JL wearing a *band of power* on her arm in the costume trailer at Circus Smirkus in 2006

These appliqued spandex scraps became a way for me to re-use textile waste into new forms, and I incorporated the technique over the years whenever I had some leftover scraps, evolving with my skill sets to create head bands, gloves, and garment pieces.

A pile of metallic spandex armbands — Bands of power

In the image above, I can identify fabrics from specific projects over the last 19 years, including metallic turquoise from my high school senior prom dress, tropical leaf print from the circus gig, solid spandex in red, orange, and ecru from my senior collection. It is clear to me now, reflecting back, that the technique has continued to inform my work over time as shown in the piecing technique of the SweetHeart mask (#7/20). To this day my favorite task in sewing is to applique spandex to spandex, something I find meditative due to its familiarity.

The Memory Mask

The Memory mask is created from armbands and a bikini top made about 15 years ago using solid colored scraps from my senior collection with a pop of metallic orange from the circus. The shapes affixed to the red spandex base are organic and overlapping, evoking the idea of flames or fire. The mask base is neoprene.

The tactile sensation of interacting with these fabrics again after a long period of time in storage is surprising. Memories long dormant resurface – the frenzy of sewing my senior collection, the camaraderie of the costume trailer, the boost of joy from seeing a costume I sewed in use during the show. In this artistic mask representation, I revisit learning to sew stretch fabrics and marveling at the possibilities; the frustration of catching my fingers on straight pins; the pride at bringing 2-dimensional shapes into a 3-dimensional structure. It was surprising to me how meditative I found the development of this mask, like visiting with an old friend. There is memory in the things we make, the techniques we use to do it, and revisiting these objects as aesthetic pieces or records of skill can show us how far we’ve come while serving as inspiration for future work.

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

May 22, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#5/20 Festival

EDM

Electronic Dance Music, or EDM has evolved from its original roots to cover a diverse range of musical styles heard worldwide at massive dance music festivals such as the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). Over the course of the quarantine, music festivals such as EDC have been canceled and rescheduled due to safety needs and the large populations of people attending. DJs have pivoted to virtual live sessions, drive-in raves have exploded in popularity, and the Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect (PLUR) ethos of the rave community lives on.

The EDC live event takes place annually all over the world, but the Las Vegas version is located on a racetrack in the middle of the desert outside the city, occurring from dusk to dawn over the course of three nights. Clothing worn to this event ranges from simple tanks and shorts to elaborate and over-the-top ensembles including wearable light-emitting diodes (LEDs). To create a look for myself to wear in attendance, I considered function and aesthetics, resulting in a modular ensemble look made with sequin fabric and topped with a light up headpiece. The pants and headpiece have become staples of my dance fest wardrobe, traveling with me to other events such as Atlanta’s Imagine Festival.

A woman's face with a sparkly light up head piece and ferris wheel in the background — JL at EDC LV 2018

A woman in a sparkly outfit and headpiece — JL at EDC LV 2018

A woman in a sparkly outfit at an outdoor festival at night — JL at the Imagine Festival, 2018

An unexpected benefit of the light-up headpiece was the increased ease of moving through crowds. On nights where the headpiece wasn’t worn, it was particularly more difficult to wind my way through large crowds. While the sequin fabric used is striking in daylight, it becomes extremely sparkly under indirect lighting such as at night.

The Mask

The Festival mask is created on a neoprene base, and uses sequin fabric scraps stitched together to create yardage. The seaming is disguised at a distance due to the neutral color of the base fabric and the distracting sparkle. The sequins are attached via chainette stitch with invisible thread (think superfine monofilament). The edges of the mask and the eyeholes are bound in a silver metallic foiled spandex.

Lived/Loved Garments

Attachment hole located at the top of each sequin allows for movement which can increase sparkle more than a sequin secured at the center hole would. Unfortunately, this also increases the likelihood of the sequins catching on each other, which is an ongoing issue with the bellbottom pants of the festival outfit. The garment thus requires a considerable amount of maintenance after each event, with sequins reattached securely by hand, tied off to add durability. The maintenance, instead of an irksome task, becomes a meditative way to reflect on the festival experience. While the costume appears perfect from afar, closer inspection reveals the wear, tear, and repair of the fabric indicating the importance of the garment, which can be seen in the composition of the Plague Doctor-style mask below.

The Festival mask

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

May 20, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#3/20: Dazzle/Razzle

What is Dazzle Camouflage?

The bold black and white stripes of the Dazzle/Razzle masks are inspired by dazzle camouflage, a surface treatment used on battleships in World War I. The technique “dazzles” the eye, confusing the direction of travel due to the jarring stripes and shapes used in the painting (Kiger, 2019).

A dazzle camo battleship — By U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-1208, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97192563

Design Inspiration

The Dazzle/Razzle masks are designed to complement a costume created in 2019 for attendance to the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas. The look of the costume was aesthetically influenced by the striking contrast striping of dazzle camouflage and the silhouette of a Victorian-era corset held in the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection, made in 1876. The silhouette of the corset used in the EDC look was exaggerated to dramatically expand the hips, accommodating for a removable ruffle skirt to be added to the inside of the corset. The black and white striping of the classic dazzle camouflage look was offset by the addition of fluorescent yellow contrast fabric, adding an interesting juxtaposition of visual aesthetics meant to simultaneously camouflage and call attention.

A black, white, and yellow corset and shirt. — Razzle Dazzle EDC Costume closeup

A woman in a black and white costume with yellow shirt — JL in Razzle Dazzle EDC Costume

The Masks

Simple in design, these masks are intended to highlight the striking aesthetics of the dazzle camouflage look with minimal additional embellishment. The Plague Doctor styled mask is made of a neoprene base with an overlayer of printed stretch nylon fused to white canvas. The eye holes are bound in upcycled neon yellow high-vis safety tee shirt, and the bias binding around the face is high-vis safety fabric. The complementing daily wear face mask is created with a lining and binding of upcycled neon yellow high-vis safety tee shirt fabric, topped with a layer of printed nylon fused to black cotton twill. The modular fastenings of the mask are stretch cords of the same printed nylon and hot pink spandex for aesthetic effect. The mask can be tied behind the head and neck, or configured (as pictured) with stretch ear loops that can either be tied in place or fastened behind the neck. Finally, further inspired by the concept of visual camouflage, the plastic pony beads on the ends of the mask ties contain a secret: while the black and yellow beads are merely decorative, the white beads on the pink cording spell out the artist’s initials of J and L in morse code.

A beaked face mask in black and white stripes with neon yellow binding. — The Dazzle Plague Doctor mask

A striped face mask on a head form in black, white, neon yellow, and neon pink with beaded ties. — Razzle daily wear mask, Left side

A striped face mask with beaded ties — Razzle daily wear mask, Right side

References:

Kiger, P. J. (2019, March 14). The WWI ‘dazzle’ camouflage strategy was so ridiculous it was genius. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/dazzle-camouflage-world-war-1

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

May 19, 2021Jenny Leigh Du Puis No Comments

#2/20: Flamingo

Inspiration

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, little was known about face mask needs for the general public outside of general recommendations for wear. Disposable ‘surgical’ masks became scarce due to the need to prioritize supplies for healthcare workers, and people with sewing abilities were enlisted in the thousands to volunteer to make cloth face masks for family, friends, and strangers. Early guidelines recommended woven cotton to be used, and patterns could be found online and in resources like the New York Times, which featured detailed instructions to create pleated face masks.

Piles of cloth face masks on a table. — Masks made for donations.

A mask, a note, a ribbon — Closeup of mask cover, ear saver, and thank you note for healthcare workers.

Like many others with the necessary sewing skills, I created masks for family members and friends, and donated hundreds of cloth N95 mask covers to healthcare facilities in Las Vegas and Houston. These masks resulted in loads of scraps – in an effort towards sustainability the scraps were saved for a future project, which became part of the BeMask’d wearable art mask series.

The Flamingo

A patchwork beaked mask — Flamingo 3/4 view

The Flamingo mask was created as a tribute to the volunteer stitchers who donated their time and materials to sew masks for other people in a critical time. The design follows the Plague Doctor silhouette, and is comprised of a stretch denim layer made from upcycled jean pants scraps, an outer layer of patchworked woven cotton scraps seamed together, and an inner layer of cotton quilt batting. The layers are hand stitched together with white basting stitches. The eye openings are a pink and white cotton gingham bias tape left over from homemade mask straps.

The patchworked fabrics were assembled as yardage, then cut to different mask pattern sizes. Remaining scraps were then seamed together to create new yardage, with each successive mask’s patchwork featuring smaller and smaller scraps until they were finished. There were enough scraps to create 3 additional face masks in a shaped style that is contoured to the face. These masks similarly are comprised of a stretch denim base with cotton quilt batting and patchworked scraps as the outermost layer.

Patchwork face mask — Mask 1, Right side

Face mask in patchwork — Mask 2, Right side

A patchwork face mask — Mask 3, Right side

This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.