Not long to go before Shambala, and Gary and I still haven't made a costume for the Saturday night yet. Last night, I got my thinking cap on and came up with…da da da..a Bauta! For those who are not familiar with the term, a Bauta usually refers to a particular type of mask popular in 18th century Venice. It is worn with a cloak and veil and is designed to disguise both the identity and sex of the person. The particular shape of the mask, with it's large protruding lip, even disguises the wearer's voice. For more information on the Bauta, here is a lovely, Italian-based site (also in English)
But how on earth am I to make this outfit? well, I have three days, a phone and an A-level in art. Let the journey commence…..
I was originally going to form the mask out of modroc (plaster impregnated bandage) but a quick call to my mask making friend Pyn, quickly informs me that this will be far too heavy. Instead, she suggests gumstrip and papier mache, moulding the gumstrip to our faces and covering with papier mache. That will be tonight's mission then.
Tomorrow we're planning a visit to the rag market to get the rest of our materials. The colour scheme will be based on a lovely bit of fabric that I found in the rag market (which I'll be making into a corset top), so black, pinks and purples. I guess we could use flowers and feathers in that too. Now this is the part that I am least worried about. Sewing I can do, a cloak and veil can be whipped up an about 1/2 hour. But then there's the hat….
Tricorn hats. Now I've already attempted to make these with very limited success. I think I need stiffer fabric, so again, I'm going to see what the rag market has to offer. I found a few articles on hat making on the net last night, and they all seem to be using leather (a la Capt. Jack Sparrow) but I'm on a budget here, so maybe fake leather will do the job? We shall see.
I'll keep you posted….