Spring is here (again)!

This morning I...

Tried to research costume inspirations for 'The Tempest'
Got bored and began to save images of 1860s actors into my pictures file
Tried on my new black Ann Taylor dress and shoes
Went downtown to go jewelry shopping : )
Stopped at the library
Had Stage Management, History, and Theatre History classes
Ate a salad for lunch

My favorite part: jewelry shopping, of course!
I'm so addicted to jewelry. Proof: I was just at the jewelry store two days ago to purchase jewelry. : ) I held off for as long as I could!

I love this black dress that I found in a TV add. Sometimes it's fun to have only a clip of something you like because it allows you to imagine what the rest of it would look like if you designed it. It's also neat if the image is blurry and you originally think it's something far grander than it really is...but it's good inspiration anyway. You'd think they would use that as a tool for learning how to design or something...it just seems like a good exercise. I know it helps me to be more creative. : )

This semester I've come to realize how much I've learned over the past few years here at PSU. Mainly about theatre, but also about life. And it's GOOD. I'm a much better designer now than I ever was before, and I feel that taking the year off next year will help me to improve my designs even more since I'll have more time to work on acquiring inspiration and pinpointing my style.

My greatest inspirations for color and technique have been my studies of Orientalism. I've also tried to broaden my appreciation for 'costumes' as opposed to historical reproductions. Watching movies like 'Vanity Fair' and 'Marie Antoinette' that show a stylized version of historical clothing is really helpful and it's so good to critique them and see what works and what doesn't and how color and fabric are very important to creating the desired effect. I <3 costumes.