Mother Nature

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Personal designs and construction of the personifications of the Earth, the moon and the sun.
Mother Nature, based off of the Xhosa peoples.
Cotton, lace, faux leaves, beads, sheer fabric, body paint, wig added.
Unfortunately, all of my process photos were lost for my Moon, Sun and Earth project due to a computer crash. These are some behind-the-scenes photos from the photoshoot, where I will still explain my process of making this costume with the captions. 
I bought all materials used to make this costume.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. I used this photo as a reference for Xhosa face painting. This also helped develop my ideas of patterns and colours for Mother Nature's fabric and outfit.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. I used this photo as a reference for Xhosa face painting. This also helped develop my ideas of patterns and colours for Mother Nature's fabric and outfit.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. I used this photo as well as a support of my idea to use dots in Mother Nature's face paint design.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. I used this photo as well as a support of my idea to use dots in Mother Nature's face paint design.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. This image solidified my idea to put stripes on Mother Nature's chin and nose.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. This image solidified my idea to put stripes on Mother Nature's chin and nose.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. This Xhosa family are wearing traditional Umbhaco with a shoulder covering and beaded strip of fabric attached to the belt of the woman's dress.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. This Xhosa family are wearing traditional Umbhaco with a shoulder covering and beaded strip of fabric attached to the belt of the woman's dress.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. Xhosa people usually use stripes in their traditional clothing, as well as some form of white clothing.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. Xhosa people usually use stripes in their traditional clothing, as well as some form of white clothing.
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. The shoulder drape and striped skirt developed my ideas of a horizontally striped part and a draped piece of Mother Nature's outfit
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature. The shoulder drape and striped skirt developed my ideas of a horizontally striped part and a draped piece of Mother Nature's outfit
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature
Reference and inspiration for Mother Nature
First concept for Earth/Mother Nature
First concept for Earth/Mother Nature
1. Final concept for Earth. The warm toned horizontal stripes were meant to represent the sky at sunset. The skirt patterns represents the greens of a forest and plant growth on the earth. The shoulder drape was the sheer flow of water and the feathers at the bottom of the drape was the foam of rushing water. The centered strip of fabric on the skirt also mimics a waterfall. Her hair is braided with flowers and butterflies as new life blossoms through the earth.
1. Final concept for Earth. The warm toned horizontal stripes were meant to represent the sky at sunset. The skirt patterns represents the greens of a forest and plant growth on the earth. The shoulder drape was the sheer flow of water and the feathers at the bottom of the drape was the foam of rushing water. The centered strip of fabric on the skirt also mimics a waterfall. Her hair is braided with flowers and butterflies as new life blossoms through the earth.
1. To find the fabric for the costume, I searched through the curtains and tablecloths at my local charity shop. The fabric for the skirt and the top were found from two dresses, which I seam ripped apart. I found the sheer shoulder drape in the curtains and sewed feathers along the bottom of the fabric as the foam of water. For the top, I took the bodice of a dress and seam ripped it from the skirt, turning it into a tunic, hemming the raw edges and adding turquoise teardrop beads to the front bottom and green glass beads at the at the top. For the sides of the top, I sewed faux autumn leaves into sheet and attached the sheet to the sides of the top. These colours blended well together with the warm tones of the striped top, which mimicked sky at sunset, and included the browning of the autumn leaves.
1. To find the fabric for the costume, I searched through the curtains and tablecloths at my local charity shop. The fabric for the skirt and the top were found from two dresses, which I seam ripped apart. I found the sheer shoulder drape in the curtains and sewed feathers along the bottom of the fabric as the foam of water. For the top, I took the bodice of a dress and seam ripped it from the skirt, turning it into a tunic, hemming the raw edges and adding turquoise teardrop beads to the front bottom and green glass beads at the at the top. For the sides of the top, I sewed faux autumn leaves into sheet and attached the sheet to the sides of the top. These colours blended well together with the warm tones of the striped top, which mimicked sky at sunset, and included the browning of the autumn leaves.
2. The white geometric lace for the neck of the top was very similar to the patterns I had seen in traditional Xhosa Umbhaco. I seam ripped the fabric from a dress and hemmed the edges, pushing the glass beads of the striped top through the holes of the lace and sewing clasps to the back of the neck so the white lace could be removed separately.
2. The white geometric lace for the neck of the top was very similar to the patterns I had seen in traditional Xhosa Umbhaco. I seam ripped the fabric from a dress and hemmed the edges, pushing the glass beads of the striped top through the holes of the lace and sewing clasps to the back of the neck so the white lace could be removed separately.
3. In the wig, I added faux flowers and leaves as if plants were growing straight out of the costume. I pinned the sheer fabric of the shoulder drape to the straps of the striped top.
3. In the wig, I added faux flowers and leaves as if plants were growing straight out of the costume. I pinned the sheer fabric of the shoulder drape to the straps of the striped top.
4. For the skirt of the costume, I seam ripped the skirt apart from the bodice of its dress and sewed elastic into the waist of the skirt. At the bottom hem of the skirt, I sewed in faux leaves. For the middle strip of fabric, I cut geometric lace from a thrifted dress and sewed the raw edges. Adding white lace from the neck of the top to the bottom of the strip of fabric, I created the strip to mirror the fall of water like the shoulder drape.
4. For the skirt of the costume, I seam ripped the skirt apart from the bodice of its dress and sewed elastic into the waist of the skirt. At the bottom hem of the skirt, I sewed in faux leaves. For the middle strip of fabric, I cut geometric lace from a thrifted dress and sewed the raw edges. Adding white lace from the neck of the top to the bottom of the strip of fabric, I created the strip to mirror the fall of water like the shoulder drape.
5. After putting together the entire costume, I added a glass flower bracelet, faux flower bracelets, a crown of orange berries, and a band of seashells which I created to fit over the shoulder of my model. I painted colourful designs onto the face of my model and simple painted bands around the arms.
5. After putting together the entire costume, I added a glass flower bracelet, faux flower bracelets, a crown of orange berries, and a band of seashells which I created to fit over the shoulder of my model. I painted colourful designs onto the face of my model and simple painted bands around the arms.
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