Costume Work in Progress for Anticipation: Liberacicus (mk II)

[kproche]

For the It's Volcano Day! party at Gallifrey One last February, I threw together a "Roman" themed bit of costume silliness that was supposed to be the floor show lounge singer's stage costume. It consisted of one of those goofy "Trojan Kilt" things in silver PVC(a set of strips hanging from a waistband) over silver hotpants, a sash draped out of a piece of silver knit with little silver holographic sequin dots all over it, and classic laced-up-the-calves sandals. From 3 feet away the sequins looked like rhinestones, and the costume was duly dubbed "Liberacicus" at the convention.

I really liked the overall effect, silly as it was, and when a 54"x24" piece of blue glitter banquette vinyl came my way, I decided to build Liberacicus mk II.

After about 6 hours work(!) I've got the main pieces for the kilt all cut and ready to assemble:

First, a review of the original...
	Liberacicus mk I: "Trojan Kilt" for the Volcano Day Party It's made of a slightly stretchy snakeskin-textured lightweight vinyl; waistband was half assembled (there is curtain tape inside it to stabilize the vinyl), the pendant pieces were then riveted in place to get the placement exactly right, then the waistband was stitched closed. This puts the back of the rivets *inside* the waistband, so they won't rub on whatever is (or isn't) worn under the kilt.
Now, the new, SHINIER version
	Freshly cut pieces for Liberacicus mk II The pieces from a different angle. The scraps in the back are going to be put to use on bracers (gauntlets)
	The pieces ready to be assembled All the tabs have now had a black cotton lining panel attached, first by tacking it in place with "Bonding Agent 007" and then by very careful topstitching. The vinyl clearcoat is gummy enough that the topstitching had to be done through tissue paper, then the paper torn away.
	Shiny! Thats the waistband underneath; it has some interfacing bonded to it to provide extra support during the riveting process.
	Closeup of the lined and stopstitched tabs Needle thread is metallic silver (twisted Sulky), bobbin thread basic black polyester
	Closup of the back of one of the lined tabs

Tonight I'll punch and rivet the pieces together, then topstitch a lining inside the waistband and through all the layers (the rivets give me precise alignment, the stitching is more dependable for long-time durability since the vinyl *will* stretch off of the rivets).

Then I just add the buckles. I've already got the metallic blue shorts to go under it.

The wrist bracers (or gauntlets, if you prefer) will be black leather with bits of the dagged vinyl leftovers as trim; I may make some leather greaves similarly. Then for the sash, I was given some Fortuni pleated blue tissue lame (with a backing to stabilize it). I may make a stupid hat out of some of that, too.

The nice thing about this: all the pieces open up flat for packing (even the stupid hat I have in mind). I can put a cellphone pocket at the bottom point of the sash, and ID/money pockets in the bracers.

If I had any blue liquid metal on hand, I'd be tempted to add a short superhero cape and make a mask out of the pleated lame, too. He'd have to be called Stingray, because the banana saddle on the Stingray bike I had as a kid was covered with this same blue glitter vinyl!

Comments

[sarahbellem.livejournal.com]

Ooooohhhh.... sparkly!

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

That looks AWESOME! I'm glad you put the vinyl to such fabulous use! :)

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Really rather fab! I think it needs rhinestones, though.

It Looks Fabu!

[dinogrl.livejournal.com]

It'd be a hoot if you had a bit of red sequined fabric somewhere on the final costume to look "Montreal-esque". But, what do I know?

[lilacwire.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'm excited to see this completed!

[baronlaw.livejournal.com]

That is very shiny. In both the normal and Firefly meanings. ;)

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

The highlight of my honeymoon in Vegas was going to the Liberace Museum. He was so full of WIN and FABULOUS, and he willed a permanent trust for arts students at UNLV through his museum. Even if you didn't intend it as such, thanks for the tribute.

[kproche.livejournal.com]

I've always had a soft spot for him myself. Even as super-villain "Chandel" on the old Batman series.

I loved his approach to being an entertainer -- the package was as important as the talent, and both were fabulous.

So, yes, it is a tribute. hence Liberacicus.

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

You always out-shiny the rest of us! Yay!

[esprix.livejournal.com]

See icon. :P

[arsenicold-lace.livejournal.com]

I adored the Liberacicus before, and this one looks to be way shinier.