es, I know. Part ONE.
Of THREE.
Good to know I followed the Lesson of 2009 so completely. Ah, well. Let’s do the costumes here, then, and work our way through the year best we can. On to the pretty pictures, shall we?
King of the Trolls
This is a bit of a cheat, since this costume was thrown together at the tail end of December, but since I never talked about it, I’m counting it. The nice thing about this costume is it was very spur-of-the-moment, with everything coming from the Basement of Wonders. The idea was something ShadowRun-inspired, and I think JR and I did a good job with what we had.
Joker Tailcoat & Harley Quinn Cowl
Both made for Superheroes Who Are Super’s production of MAD LOVE. The production was astounding, considering what little time they had to work on it, and it’s kind of sad to see this full costumed, straight reading of comics fall aside to a more comedic, “nudge nudge, wink wink” performances. While the tailcoat was too big for the actor playing the Joker–a last-minute replacement–Harley’s cowl and my Batsuit got plenty of stagetime.
 Steampunk Abolitionist Jacket
Started in my attempt to have a steampunk outfit that meant something. It may, in fact mean too much: it’s taken so long to finish it I still haven’t worn in out yet, and with my new workout regime, it no longer fits in the shoulders properly. I’m either going to take everything off an re-sew it onto another jacket, or cut off the sleeves. Probably the latter, as it would be a nice thing to wear when it’s too warm for a Time Hat.
Thor
I’m a huge Norse myths fan, so when JR said she needed “everyday gods” for a photo shoot, I grabbed my tool belt in a hot second. Not much to this costume, I admit, But I’ve got a huge amount of affection for it, just the same.
Cyclop Visor & Wolverine Jacket
Two more things made for Super Heroes Who Are Super. I was unhappy with the jacket–the colors are fantastic, but it’s painted vinyl, so it looks a little cheap up close. The visor, however, I was extremely happy with. Not only does it have the right look, but it stayed on my head without any earpieces! Sadly, it did not survive the rehearsal process. I may have to remake, though, just because it looks so cool.
Twelfth Night
Curio Theatre’s steampunk inspired production of Twelfth Night was the first time I was asked to do heavy costume design consulting for a theater show. The results were…mixed. Some ideas, like the clock face on Malvolio’s hat, and putting Feste in the steampunk abolitionist coat, worked great. Other, not so much. I had this great idea that each member of the two houses would wear special badges to identify them as part of that family. Unfortunately, most of the badges did not survive the rehearsal period (sense a theme?) and those that did, didn’t read on stage very well. Still, I learned a lot, and it was a great show. Can’t beat that!
 Tee Morris’s Steampunk Outfit
A holdover from 2009′s Halloween costume deal, Tee’s outfit is opposite of my Abolitionist coat. While the Abolitionist coat is weighted with historical significance, this costume is pure fantasy. But, what it lacks in history it makes up for in variety: making up the elements of this costume is wool, poplin, leather, canvas, satin, silver, pewter, bronze and cotton. And Tee looks fantastic in it.
The Lightning BugÂ
Tee’s raygun. His character is gentleman, so he wanted a gentlemanly gun. Hence, a varnished wood variant on the derringer. Being so small and simple, the devil was in the details with this one. But I am quite happy with how it turned out.
The Loxodonta
Everything the Lightning Bug is not. Heavy, brassy and visually imposing. Made for Phillipa Ballantine. To terrorize Tee with, I imagine.
Lovecraft-Inspired Prom Suit
The theme of the Balticon’s New Media party was “Sci-Fi/Fantasy Prom,” so JR and I decked ourselves out in what we assumed was the expected dress code: Sci-Fi/Fantasy themed formal wear. However, we were the only ones who thought so, as everyone else arrived in standard–if there is such a thing–sci-fi/fantasy costuming. We still looked fabulous and frightening, as you can see, and the party was awesome. That’s a win-win, in my book.
Aerial Guardsman
For the launch of Fables of the Flying City, I needed a uniform that was close to what Steve Walker had already designed in the comic and I what I could get away with not sewing. Luckily, a chef jacket matched Steve’s design to perfection. Add a few pins and patches snagged from eBay, and voilà ! Instant uniform. My favorite detail of this costume is the rank pins at my collar: they are quill pens, crossed in an “x.” That’s right, I am the Aerial Guard’s official scribe.
Captain America
My last costume commission for the foreseeable future. I made this for Jerry Rudasill, and it was used by him in yet another production of Superheroes Who Are Super. Jerry wanted a Classic Cap/Ultimate Cap hybrid, and I think we got the best of both costumes. I really need a proper shot of this for the portfolio.
Halloween Party Scott PilgrimÂ
For the SCOTT PILGRIM Vol. 6 Midnight Release party at Brave New Worlds. Like Thor, this was made mainly out of stuff from our closets. But, due to the karma generated from out effort, we got tickets to see the movie early. Plus, JR looks super-hot with blue hair.
Amperstam Raygun
As a request from my editor at Tor to write some steampunk non-fiction, I decided on a step-by-step construction of a typical Amperstamian raygun. While the gun came together perfectly and was extremely well-received, it is sadly no longer with us. It fell off the table in December, breaking it’s glass sphere. Expect a far more resilient version to appear in the coming year.
Professor Venomous Xenagogue
Xenagogue is a weird little character that I invented long ago but never had the right story for. Luckily, I don’t need a story for a costume, and wore this to the costume reception portion of JR’s cousin’s wedding. Frighten the bejesus out of the little kids. And some of the adults.
Tron: Legacy
This was for a party right before the wedding, so, not wanting to damage our wedding duds, we had these back-up costumes. For something put together in an evening, they came out exceedingly well. The “light-up” bits are just light-reflective fabric, but in researching the design got me extremely interested in the potential of EL Wire, as you can see in the last costume element I made in 2010
Time Topper
The Philadelphia Sketch Club asked JR and I to host their 150th anniversary, and which we did as time travelers (as you do). The means of time travel conveyance was, as you can see, my Time Topper. The hat has now become a staple of my steampunk wardrobe; so much so that I have designed a jacket to go along with. Expect to see pictures of that very soon indeed.
Altogether, this year has shown me what I like and don’t like about costuming. At the very least, as much as I like being the one people turn to for costumes, I have to stop being that guy. It’s too much time, and quite frankly, it’s not my planned career. That will be explored next post, when I talk about all the writing I’ve done last year.
Costumes for 2011: The Troll King is making a comeback, the definitive Jared Axelrod Batman–light-up bits and all–will be finished, an X-Man of some stripe is bound to turn up, a devil is in the works, a steampunk outfit full of meaning and one that is meaningless will be completed and very particular costume is planned for April.
I make no claims about Halloween.
Once again, I am scheduled to make an appearance at the Steampunk World’s Fair. While I am, of course, overjoyed at the prospect of returning–another reading in the Library of Lost Literature! Panels with Tee & Pip!–due to poor planning, I find myself frantically finishing a new outfit for the occasion. I mean, yes, I do look simply fantastic in the photo to the left, perhaps even peculiarly so. But that is only an outfit for one day! As you can see below, I intend to be at the Steampunk Worlds Fair for not one, but two–count ‘em! Two!–days. And while I clearly I have my Illuminated Dandy for when I have to be respectable, I’m hard at work on something a little more…raucous for when I don’t.
arly morning Saturday, still night, really, with a sky that dark. Feels strange to be up. But I’m up, begrudging, 
s I’ve said many times before, the irony of blogging is that if you’re doing something worth blogging about, you don’t have time to blog. 
