I decided after
Heroes Con that I wanted to focus on costuming in my Dragon Con
coverage this year. I knew I had one of the best costuming resources
I could ask for amongst my friends, the DCW Hooligans. Up until now
you have known her as Little Pond, but Sara Pope is actually a master
costumer on both a hobby and professional level.
This lady is
such serious business that one of her projects is going to be
featured in the Dragon Con Costume Exhibit. One of the most
impressive pieces Sara has made is a recreation of Pamdé Amidala’s
funeral gown from Star
Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,
which you can read about below. The Dragon Con Costuming Track will
be displaying the cloak from this piece as part of their Costuming
Exhibit.
1)
What are your top geek passions?
A)
I’m a super sci-fi lit nerd, especially Ray Bradbury. I have a
huge collection of 70’s paperback sci-fi books (because those have
the best cover art). I also love comic books and more importantly,
comic book discussions i.e. who would beat who in a fight, who would
win a hotdog eating contest (the Flash, ask me and I’ll tell you
why), who’s more creative: Kyle Rayner or Plasticman, etc. And
Wampas. I love wampas.
2)
What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
A)
I was a My Little Pony girl myself, but I used to hang with the kid
across the street and we would set up these elaborate scenarios
involving GI Joes running around in the Ewok village while the
Decepticons attacked, plus dinosaurs. So I guess the dinosaurs were
my favorite toy.
3)
What is one album everybody should own?
A)
Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’m going to grudgingly settle on
Physical Graffiti, by Led Zeppelin. Some of my favorite songs are on
their other albums, but this one covers so much of what is good about
them. Honestly, if you can’t appreciate Led Zeppelin, then you
have no business owning albums in the first place. Second runner up
is Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys.
4)
Who is your favorite wrestler and why?
A)
Chip Motherfucking Day, of course. It’s the hair.
5)
When and how did you discover you had a talent for costuming?
A)
When I started making costumes is a very different time than when I
had a talent for it! Honestly, it’s a skill, and just like any
other skill it takes years of hard work to be good at it. I’ve
been playing dress up since I was old enough to wrap a shawl around
my waist and declare myself a princess and the first garment I made
was a dress I cut out of a king size pillow case. So I guess I’ve
been costuming my whole life, but I’ve only gotten any good at it
over the past 15 years or so. In college I was introduced to the
fantastic world of nerd conventions which, to me, translated into
having an excuse to wear costumes more than once a year. I’ve
always made everything myself and I rarely see the whole finished
outfit before I put it on at the convention so it’s an exercise in
faith in my own ability that has gotten more rewarding as I’ve
improved over the years. I only know I’m decent at it because
sometimes I’m satisfied with the end product.
6)
What’s your costuming background?
A)
Let’s see, I did some stage costuming in high school and college,
some custom bridal design at a shop in Buckhead for a while, then I
worked in the costume shop at Busch Gardens in Florida for several
years, plus I’ve been making costumes for myself the whole time, so
I guess I’ve been at this for about 17 years now. I have a BFA in
textile design, which has really helped with some of those Star Wars
replicas, and I’m on track to start work on my MFA next year.
7)
If you could pursue any project, what would it be?
A)
Ah, well, it’s no secret that I’ve been working on a Skeksi for
years, so having the time and space to complete that one would be a
dream.
8)
What's a favorite con memory?
A)
In 2002 I attended my second Dragon Con with my friend Mary. We had
come the year before with a larger group, but this one was just the
two of us and it was one of the best con weekends I’ve ever had. I
think I actually even went to panels that year. I made friends there
that ended up leading my life in a whole new direction and the ripple
effect continues to this day. Not to mention, everyone there had way
better costumes than me so I learned how much I needed to step up my
game.
9)
Which actor do you feel like you could sit and watch for hours no
matter what they were doing and why?
A)
Shia LaBeouf. SIKE! For real though, Harrison Ford never gets old
for me, neither does Jeff Goldblum bless his nutty soul, and for the
new kids, I’m going with Seth Rogan, I’m a sucker for curly hair
and a sense of humor, and the dude just doesn’t take himself too
seriously. Sorry James Franco, I still love you but you’re so damn
weird!
10)
What advice can you give to somebody just starting out making
costumes?
A)
Be prepared to learn constantly without ever reaching the end.
Sewing and costuming has been around for centuries, you will never
know all the right ways to do something and there will always be
someone willing to teach you. Especially with the internet existing
and all, you might not have to hack your way through it as blindly as
I did back in the dark ages. Also, be creative, use what you have on
hand, non traditional materials can lead to the most amazing costume
creations.
11)
Which costume did you learn the most from making?
A)
Definitely Padme’s funeral gown. That outfit is entirely technique
driven. I had learned most of it in school, but having to reverse
engineer all the fabrics from photos was an adventure. The dress is
hand pleated, smocked, and painted while the cloak is screenprinted
velvet burnout that is then hand painted. The whole thing is topped
off with aged sequins that had to be applied one by one. The biggest
thing that outfit taught me was patience (and a few new expletives).
12)
Is there a movie that should never be remade and if so which one?
A)
When Harry Met Sally.
It was perfect, the hair was perfect, the actors were perfect,
everything was so wonderfully character focused. If they remade it
today they would pick super hot teenie boppers who couldn’t carry a
movie built entirely on the interaction between two people over
several years. I would throw a tantrum if Gomez and Beiber were to
shit on this one.
13)
Closer – what is your favorite costume that you’ve worked on and
the story behind it?
A)
Oh Buddy, this is a toss up. Back in 2004 I made Teela from the
(then) new Masters of the Universe. I built it out of so many
bizarre things; the round pieces on the belt were repainted google
eyes from plastic party glasses! My other favorite was the Riddler
from Batman in 2006. I got to use all sorts of fun skills on that
one; it had beading, tutus, props, and a hat! Plus we had a whole
group of amazing costumers working together for the whole set of
villains. In the end that is what it is really about for me, the
designing is fun, the construction is fun, but I really do it just to
have an excuse to hang out with all the amazing friends I’ve made
through costuming over the years. It’s no fun if there isn’t
someone there to appreciate all my hard work because they know how
tough it is to sew the perfect welt pocket or appliqué on knit.
Costuming for me has been a hobby, it’s been a job, but most of all
it has been a path that has led me to having some of the
coolest/nerdiest friends a girl could ask for. Plus dinosaurs.
So, do you get
it? Sara is not messing around when it comes to costumes. Keep an eye
out for her Pamdé cloak in the Dragon Con Costume Exhibit and look
for some new creations at Con.
And be sure to
check back in tomorrow, as Needless Things has a chock-full schedule
leading into Dragon Con this year. This is exciting stuff,
Phantomaniacs!
-Phantom
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