Some inspiration on the hottest bitch in the arcade:
Out on the town.
I have only a few weeks to get my Ms. Pacman number costumed, sound mixed, choreographed, and rehearsed! The girls of Rose City Shimmy have stepped up to be my ghosts!
Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde!
I have been planning this number for months and this show, with it's retro video game theme, was perfect. I had thought that I would start this in the beginning of summer but the funds didn't come through. Finally, armed with a stack of coupons I was able to procure a pile of mattress foam, yards of colored satin and these:
I'll let you guess what these are for...
I've looked up a lot of Pacman costumes online and there are some very clever ones but none exactly like what I had in mind.
This is closest to the shape that I'm going for.
Most tend to be of the side view which makes sense because this is how she looks in the game, but...
...I want to be this version. There's something so much more comical to me about her human face and sexy legs on that giant puffball.
This is a pretty ambitious project and time is running out. This will be a great challenge in foam construction. I'd be lying if I said I'm not nervous that my concept will fail miserably. Wish me luck!
I tried to take photos as I made progress. I had no pattern to work from, just an idea of what *might* work. There was a lot of experimenting, a lot of things that had to be changed as I went along, but that is how most burlesque costumes go. They are unlike Halloween costumes, theater or film costumes in that they have to be removed in a way that is not only pleasing to the audience but works with the choreography, the theme, and of course, the rhythm of the song.
* I started with a few sheets of foam that were intended as mattress pads. * In order to create a round shape I cut them into strips and glued the edges together loosely so they would hinge, tapering the tops until I had finally worked it into a shape that was not only rounded but large enough for me to fit inside. * Once I had this shape I marked the face. I needed eye holes and a mouth hole because in the number I eat fruits and a pretzel. Then I cut arm holes (which had to be moved later and never really allowed me a whole lot of movement. I might have to make them larger but then my skin would be visible underneath....hmmmm) * Then I cut the whole shape in half and stretched this yellow velvet over it. I needed something stretchy and I wanted texture that would catch the light. Also I thought the velvet had a nice Muppety quality. Fabrics For Less in Portland is an invaluable resource for cheap fabric! Once everything was glued on I used the excess foam to pad the inside of the costume so that it would hold it's shape and keep my head centered so that I could see out the eye holes on stage. Then I used snaps and Velcro on the edges to hold the two halves together so that they could pop apart for the final reveal! Remember how the Pacs die, sort of withering like a peeled banana? * Next I wanted to make the eyes look like hers but still be able to see out of them. I got a great suggestion from a friend who's a puppeteer. I hot-glued colored thule to a wire frame in the shape of the eye socket so that I could set the whole thing in the hole with more glue. Not pictured: I added glittery black lashes cut out of vinyl and used puff paint (still useful even though the 80's are over!) to line the eyes. * Then came the fun part - accessorizing. Of course I needed a giant pink bow! And the burlesque staple, glitter lips! Not pictured: A sequin mole! I also used my own cream blush to give her rosy cheeks. * Ghost time! Fabrics For Less has TONS of cheap satin in all different colors. Using the umbrella hats as a guide I made a simple pattern and cut and sewed and resewed, and fixed and fussed until they were close enough! I used colored thule again on the eyes but no wire. Inside I sewed a little pocket under a slit so that the ghosts could carry fruit and use their hands when needed. Check out the finished costume below!
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