FLAPPER PRESS
Nov 15, 20212 min
By Resa McConaghy:
A dear friend of mine, Isabella, is fighting cancer, and I wanted to do something special for her to show my support. As always, my answer was . . .
“I’ll make an Art Gown and dedicate it to her!”
Do you remember when the red ribbon was adopted for AIDS? It was the first “awareness” ribbon that I remember.
Now we have many ribbons for many causes. Yet, no illness has claimed more ribbons than cancer. Unfortunately, there are many diseases demanding research dollars. I fear we need to revisit supporting cancer research; you need only look beside you to see that cancer is still raging away after all these years.
As Art Gowns must reuse, up-cycle, or repurpose, I challenged Isabella to donate something she’d been hanging on to for years but didn’t use anymore.
She challenged me back and gave me a very textured dress. The color made me think of a purple peacock. Does such a creature exist?
I also thought of the pink ribbon for breast cancer and the purple for pancreatic cancer.
The dress was dismantled and draped on a different angle. The textured bodice demanded a skirt to surpass it.
I found a pic online, but it looked manipulated. Nonetheless, I was up for something peacock-like.
Bouffant mock feathers were assembled.
Random strips were cut from a vintage curtain lace, bought for $0.75/yd at a liquidation sale. Acrylic paint with fabric medium was daubed on irregularly, creating a visual texture.
Partial random ruching created volume and a feeling of ruffled feathers. I kept piling on the ruffles.
She was a joy to shoot! I shot her in various lights:
On a cloudy day
At night under a red lightbulb
Backlit
Mini Isabella found a cancer ribbon chart.
An established costume designer in film, television and digital media, Resa McConaghy has worked on productions for Showtime, ABC, Disney, CBS, CBC, Hallmark, and more.
Her mission: to enable the articulation of character through wardrobe.
Take a look at Resa's other Art Gowns:
Art Gowns: Goddess Mnemosyne & the Nine Muses