Hogan's Heroes - Crpl. Lisette Lebeau, French Security Animal Trainer

First of all, ISN'T THAT BERET ADORABLE?!

This outfit is inspired by Corporal Louis Lebeau, who, along with being in charge of cooking, also trained the German Shepherd guard dogs to not attack him or his allies.

Lebeau was very short, and like many very short people was often viewed as childlike, so with this outfit, I wanted to play up a schoolgirl/juvenile orphan look.



















It's funny that I started with the concept of the jacket being the main focus of this ensemble, and ended up liking the interior much better. I think the jacket is cute and a nice shape, but if I were to make one like this again, I would definitely choose a different fabric such as a nice tweed. The material I used wrinkles extremely easily and would benefit from a deeper texture.




















































So, when originally I was thinking of making a simple skirt and blouse under the jacket, maybe a vest, but then I decided why not make something more interesting? So I designed this cute little jumper, a style which I have made before, with a little extra details such as a button up front and offset seams. Hanging on the side is a little matching satchel to carry nice puppy treats! Speaking of puppies...








Okay, I have to say this picture was the hardest one to take ever! The dogs are NOT allowed in my sewing room, so they were utterly confused as to why all of a sudden I was pulling them in rather than pushing them out like I normally do. Also I wasn't using a flash because I didn't want laser eyes. So with the longer exposure time, I got blurry, furry blobs from squirmy goggies!



























Huge lesson learned this round was how to use the plaid for me and not fight against it, like I did with my previous outfit. With a plaid pattern, box pleats are a snap, because you don't have to measure or meticulously mark where the folds go. It's already marked for you on the fabric! This material was also great for adding dimension with highlights and shadows in intentionally placed areas of the dress.

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Hogan's Heroes - TSgt Andrea Carter, American Explosives Specialist

Next up is the lovely Trina as an American explosives specialist, inspired by the character of Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter. I think the outfit turned out super cute!


Again, I took some signature pieces from the original character's outfit and reworked them.
I lined the vest and collar in some cheap fake fur that I have been itching to use to echo Carter's fur-lined bomber jacket.
Sgt Carter's hat and gloves were also always present. I didn't make the gloves, but I did actually made that adorable newsboy cap!

(The actor who played Carter, Larry Hovis, was married, unlike his character, so they always put him in gloves to hide his wedding ring.)




Making this outfit, especially the multi-piece vest, really reminded me that working with plaid is a PAIN! Everything has to be lined up perfectly or it looks like hell. The end result is worth it when it turns out well, though.



I'm categorizing this combo under the "60's" genre, although "20's" and "40's" would also be really appropriate.






Hogan's Heroes - Corporal Petra Newkirk, British Pickpocket

The thing that I love about "Hogan's Heroes" is that each of the principal characters had their own specialty and their own look. After a HH marathon on TV Land this weekend, I was greatly inspired to create a few dresses inspired by the different characters, especially by the useful "roles" they played in their undercover duties.

The first outfit is a "pickpocket" dress inspired by Corporal Peter Newkirk. As you can see by the link, it's not even close to a direct copy of the original. That's where the term, "inspired by" comes in handy!

I designed this dress to retain a practicality for a pickpocket. It's baggy around the side pockets, so as to store items without letting them be seen too much, and the large folded down false lapel on top is also a pocket, designed for the thief to be able to drop items into it while disguising her hand movement as if she is simply touching her shoulder.








And it is probably unnecessary to point out the ultra-short miniskirt as an additional tool for discraction tactics.










Of course, let it not be said that I don't take inspiration in constuction from the TV show. It's there if you look for it. Our operative is utilizing Newkirk's turtleneck, and the cuffs at the end of her sleeves are meant to reflect the corporal stripes on his uniform sleeves.


























I also like the look of the way the Germans used the already-existing buttons from their double-breasted coats to hold their lapels open, so I nodded at that as well.


Villains and Vixens Collection Entry I - Capt. Lewis from "Private Benjamin"

I remember watching "Private Benjamin" as a kid. I often would ask my parents, "WHY is that lady (Capt. Doreen Lewis as played by the worship-worthy Eileen Brennan) so mean?!" For a character so cold-hearted, I could not help but to like her, and especially looked forward to seeing the recruits get back at her each episode (blue food coloring in her showerhead, removal of the brake lines in her jeep). Love her or hate her, Capt. Lewis was a bad mamma-jamma.

As the first in my installation of a TV "Villains and Vixens", I sexified the Captain up... um... just a bit? I like to imagine this girl walking down a city street toting a Doberman and a single grocery bag filled with wine and ridiculously overpriced french bread, just DARING anyone to talk to her.

(In case it is not obvious to you, I will note the boots in this picture were photoshopped in, so as not to take credit for them.)











So character explanation aside, this outfit was NOT incredibly easy to make. There are a lot of details and mixtures of softness and toughness going on. This outfit was kind of an excercise in sewn-in pleats with one open end. You can see examples of this in the sleeves of the blouse as well as under the bust of the jacket in the picture below.


This outfit was also an unexpected learning experience for me. I can't design shabby. I had in my head for this peice to be a little bit more raw, with unpretty elements like unfinished edges and parts that didn't exactly fit perfectly. Well, as you can see by the tailored look of it all, it didn't exactly turn out that way! That's good, though. I can more than accept that I like to design clothes that fit and look clean.







Villains and Vixens Collection Entry II - Jeannie's Sister Jeannie

As many of you know, "I Dream of Jeannie" is one of my all-time retro TV favorites. I have always Loved the character of Jeannie's Sister Jeannie. The fact that they have the same name, hairstyle, and (to an extent) costume? Genius.

Today, I have made Jeannie's Sister Jeannie a bad-girl club chick. According to her history, she had had 48 husbands and was going for #49, so it's not far-fetched for me to think that she would love the meat-market club scene.With this outfit, I definitely knew I wanted to start with the signature gathered bra of the original Jeannie, and build from there. I also mimicked the shape of the yoke from her skirt a bit in the top of the pants.



I know it's ON THE VERGE of being "costumey," but I think considering what the hardcore club girls do wear, this one would be quite appropriate.

The material from this outfit came from (I hope you don't kill me, Sara!) this bridesmaid's dress that was donated to me. It was part of a designer's "couture collection" and the fabric was VERY high quality. Believe me, I used just about every bit of the material. Notice the jeweled band at the waist of the dress. I re-used it as edging on the collar of the new outfit's top.



I chose to go with pants for a few reasons. First, I didn't want the outcome to look like a literal translation of the TV version or too similar to a previous outfit I made. Second, practice making pants is always good. Third, combining a see-through lace open-front floor-length skirt into the yoke of green satin jean-fit flared trousers is so insane, it's AWESOME!



Also, as a note, it appears that Raine might like this outfit... Are there hints of an actual SMILE in some of the photos? (Or perhaps it just might be her face being pulled by the two wigs, braided extension hair piece and three necklaces that I used to create this hairstyle...)



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