Burnett Week Part II: Trina is a Tramp. What?!

I had fun with this one because the skit that this one-day dress was inspired by still makes me smile like an idiot no matter what I'm doing or where I am!

Carol once did a musical number for "The Lady is a Tramp" on her show, dressed like a nerd. For no reason! I remember laughing hysterically the whole song the first time I watched it, I couldn't even hear that she actually did a great job singing.

Check out this video to see the original scene!








So, obviously, I did not do a nerd outfit, but I took the stripes from the TV outfit and changed it to a long skirt and the old brown skirt was made into the top. This type of dress is what I would imagine Carol's character was thinking she was wearing. If I had given myself more time than one day to create a multi-peice look, I would have made a coat to echo the shapes of the sweater that she was wearing in the skit. Maybe some time in the future!










You might have to look a little close at the detail, but the turtleneck has an interesting gather pattern. I didn't want to do something plain, since I have used turtlenecks a few times before. So I did a little dart manipulation technique to make an asymmetrical gathering that travels diagonally across Trina's bust.



The skirt is make from a funky 70's pattern stretchy fabric that is VERY see-through. I had to make a slip underneath to keep the outfit decent which you can see a little in the pictures. I'm so glad that I got to finally use that fabric and I wish there was a way to show how it swings and bounces when it gets moved around. Trina refuses to let anyone see her walk, though. She's shy.

Burnett Week Part I: Carol Says Hello

Last, week, I lamented that I could not do one of my heroes, Bob Mackie, justice due to the subject of the challenge. So this week, I wanted to take one of the fabulous shows that he used to costume, the Carol Burnett show, and bust out a little three-day collection.








Every week, Carol used to come out on the stage and turn the lights to the audience so they could ask questions. It was one of my favorite parts of the show because she was so funny playing with them and also she would come out wearing a great Bob Mackie gown that would normally be not fitting for an actress performing comedy to wear, but she always pull it off.

It was partially because the outfit was glam, but not too glam, which is a testament to the designer. It put her on a higher level than a regular woman, but kept her still approachable, like she wouldn't mind if someone walked up to her and asked if they could touch her dress to feel the texture of the shiny fabric.




For the top of this dress, I bravely opened up my "special vintage" fabric box to use some very old lame' fabric that I got at a garage sale. (I'm sure it's more valuable than what I paid for it) Other than the stripes that are inset to the material, it is very see-through, so I had to adjust the position of the largest stripe very strategically as I drafted a bodice that gathered and pleated into the diamond-shaped center.









The skirt is very simple with a slight pull-up in the front. There is so much going on on top, I did not want to make the bottom too active. Looking back, I could have actually complicated the skirt a little more, so I will be sure to do that next time.

Run, Carol! Run!