Thursday, November 10, 2011

COSTUME/COSPLAY #002: Lady Gaga 2010 MTV VMAs Meat Dress





I made my own Lady Gaga Meat dress costume! I debuted it at SPACES gallery's POP ROYALTY benefit costume party.

I've been itching to make a costume based on Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress. I bought the materials for it last year, but hadn't got around to creating it. For the wig, I purchased an all white long haired wig, then spray painted it with turquoise and silver temporary hair spray paint. For the necklace and bracelets, I glued gems onto leather strips and turned them into velcro bracelets.  As for my "Meat Dress," I made entirely out of red felt, red jersey knit for the lining, and fabric paint <3  (I like using knit fabrics for the stretch in costumes - it's more forgiving on fit than wovens.  However if you are more comfortable with wovens, follow this tuturial but leave 1" to sew in a side seam or back zipper to get in or out.)

Personally I loved all the outfits she wore to the 2010 VMAs, she looked gorgeous in her S/S 2010 Alexander McQueen 1st outfit, and her custom black Armani couture gown for her 2nd look.  Her 3rd look, now known as "the Meat Dress" left people loving it or disgusted. What draws my attention to this outfit are the colors:  The white/grey and turquoise ombre hair with the start contrast of the red and white of the meat. I LOVE IT.  Her shoe wraps remind me of chunky platform shoes of the late 90's.  Not to mention she was dripping in jewels.  That's what I liked most about it, the colors...THE COLORS. I loved her Meat Dress 2010 MTV VMAs outfit so much I even included it as an illustration in my 2011 Sketchbook Project.

Meat has been used in art as material and fashion photo shoots time and time again. It was a very Dada-esque thing to do. (Marcel Duchamp, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Salvador Dali would have approved). Kind of a big "F*%& You" to the red carpet and PETA.
Meat Gaga" by Lisa Malanij, The Sketchbook Project 2011

In this video of the Pop Royalty party from CoolCleveland.com, you can see myself and my Katy Perry girl friend at :15 sec, and my girls Pam, Laurel, and Carolyn at 1:26 sec.

The Pop Royalty party was a blast. Among many other pop stars running around, I made friends with a girl dressed as Katy Perry (Though she had an awesome blue bob wig that could have totally passed for CFDA Fashion Awards 2011 Gaga). After the party, my friends and I decided to get food at XYZ Tavern in the Detroit Shoreway area.  I didn't have a change of clothes, so in my full Gaga ensemble I bravely went to the bars with no shame. HAHA. I am truly a brave soul.

Here are my "red carpet" photos taken at SPACES Gallery during their Pop Royalty event :]

SPACES Art Gallery in Cleveland throws the most awesome annual charity event theme parties.  Last year SPACES 2010 charity event party's theme was "App To the Future"  based on all all kinds of technology, where I made Game Boy Dresses to wear at that event.  This year SPACES theme was "Pop Royalty" which any kind of popular art,  celebrity, or soda pop was fair game for costumes!



I befriended a Katy Perry at the Pop Royalty Party! This girl was awesome :]
*Katy Perry and Gaga air kiss*

Here are photos of my costume on my dressform:







GAGA MEAT DRESS MATERIALS USED:
  • 3 yards red felt

  • 2 yards of red jersey knit (get cheapest you can, you'll be covering it anyway)

  • 1 large bottle of white fabric paint

  • 1 long white wig

  • 1 can of temporary silver hair color

  • 1 can of temporary turquoise hair color

  • 1 large alligator hair clip

  • butcher twine, thin rope, or yarn

  • 1 sheet of golden glitter foam sheet

  • red sewing thread

  • sewing machine or serger

  • velcro

  • 1/8 yard of black leather, pleather, or vinyl

  • bag of crystal craft gems

  • gem or hot glue + gun

  • 2 or more gawdy large crystal rings


INSTRUCTIONS ON MAKING YOUR GAGA MEAT DRESS:
  1. To make my Gaga Meat Dress, I copied or knocked-off  a pattern to a simple halter knit dress I already had.  A halter tank top will work as well as long as you extend it to cover your lady bits. Once you've copied your halter dress pattern, cut and sew your red knit halter dress which will serve as the base for your Meat Dress.

  2. Take your red felt and start cutting it into random large chunks in similar shapes to Gaga's Meat Dress in photos. Put your red halter base dress on a dress form or lay flat on table. If you don't have a dressform but have a friend, significant other, or patient family member - have them help pin the felt "meat chunks" to your body while you wear the dress.

  3. Pin the "meat chunks" at the top so they hang loose like armor.  You will only need to sew the tops and select sides on some of the pieces.  When you get a good portion, pin and sew them down.  Continue till the most of the front and back is covered.

  4. For the dangly meat chunks hanging on the sides and back of her dress, you can do it two ways. You can either cut strips of red felt, or you can drape a large piece of felt and cut your own shapes into it. I cut my own asymmetric strips out of one large piece for the back and two pieces on the sides. For more realistic effect, cut holes in the thicker parts of the strips like the meat would be falling apart.

  5. Pin the hanging meat chunk straps asymmetrically under chunks on your dress. Make sure to try on your dress so the strips are not to long or short and fit you just right.

  6. Sew all the tops and sides of your chunks down on the base of your dress.

  7. When your dress is sewn down and finished,  it's time to paint!  Put your dress on your dressform or lay flat on table.  Begin to paint with fabric paint the white patterns of the fat in the meat chunks. Use your fingers for smearing, and a foam brush for smearing large sections.

  8. To make the meat shoe coverings, I took the shoes I would be wearing (Jeffery Campbell wedges) and measured the width and height of the shoe. Give 2 extra inches around your measurements for ease. Paint the rectangles with the fabric paint to look like meat.

  9. For the Meat Purse, I found a makeup bag roughly the same shape and just made a cover.  Covering a clutch or small purse at the thrift store would work too. Trace the bag or clutch on to pattern paper or directly on the wrong side of the felt. You can hot glue the pieces directly to your purse if you don't plan on using it again.  If you want to make a cover, add 1/2" seam alliance and sew up your "cover."

  10. For the jeweled purse broach, I cut a crown and heart design out of golden glitter sheet foam and hot glued it to the meat purse.  I suppose gold glitter and hot glue glue would work too.

  11. To make Gaga's choker, measure the width of your neck and add an extra inch for breathing room.  Cut a strip of your vinyl, pleather or whatever you chose about 2" thick.  Sew or stick your velcro ends on opposite sides of your choker.  Lay your chocker flat with newspaper underneath.  Cover small sections with the gem glue or hot glue gun.  Cover the entire chocker surface with the crystal craft gems. It's easier to do a small section at a time. Let dry. Repeat the same for bracelets. (My bracelets cracked so I didn't wear them :[ )

  12. To make the wig, spray your white wig with the grey temporary hair color spray paint first, then spray the turquoise at the ends and spots like her hair is in photos.

  13. To make your meat hat, cut an oval about 6" to 7" long, paint with fabric paint. Hot glue your large alligator hair clip to the middle. You could also cut a small strip of felt and sew around the strip to stick your alligator hair clip through. (Or you could just bobby pin the meat hat to the wig).

  14. For the meat shoe covers, you'll want to assemble them as the last part of your outfit before you are ready to go out.  Put on the shoes you will be wearing and put double stick tape around the top and bottom of your shoes.  Then lay the rectangle meat cover over your shoe.  I used straight pins to keep my meat rectangle in place. You could also use double stick tape to keep the rectangles closed. Wrap your shoe cover with the butcher or craft twine nice and tight. Cut, and repeat on the other shoe.
Put them all on and you're all ready to accept your eight MTV moon men awards!










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