RE: Costume Con 2022
Irene > April 5th, 2022, 04:55 PM
Costume Con is a convention for people who like to make costumes, watch costumes, attend workshops, and talk about fabric, leather, sequins and rhinestones.
This is only the third of these that I have attended. My attendance is purely based on how close to home the event is.
Having said this, I am just back from the 40th event outside of Washington DC near Bethesda MD, and the first convention since costume Con 38 was canceled just two weeks before it was scheduled to happen (March 2020).
There were 4 full costume presentations [One the "set patterns" from 2020], and lots of hall costumes. I myself, normally a T-shirt & slacks person, brought a costume for me to wear.
There was Vendor area, two exhibit areas, and a small competition of quilts, tiaras and "plague masks".
Some of these people are obsessed. Most start planning the costumes a year in advance. One woman decided to weave her own fabric for a costume. Others need a couple of years to come up with an idea, fabric, and make .... Oh, say Henry the Eighth (of England) and several of his wives. These people drive a car load of costumes in.... much to my enjoyment.
My favorite presentation, was a 19th century dress made of a gray striped fabric, and the same fabric as each generation cut down the dress to be worn by themselves.
Another "historical" presentation was a set of clowns from a Pierriot to a Ronald McDonald.
The Fantasy & SF costumes included a Merman, and a female Groot [Guardians of the Galaxy], as well as majestic aliens and one woman with a set of wings that opened to their full feathered glory.
There were workshops on Beading, rhinestone application, and the state of the big 4 Pattern companies. One woman discussed, and brought, her collection of antique sewing machines. I presented a How-to on making a T-shirt quilt to 6-7 people.
They let my friend present her "volunteers lament" on how someone once asked in the Consuite area for Himalayan salt. (The Consuite is open to all and filled with just enough food to keep people from starving.... i.e. eggs & bagels, fruit, and carrot sticks.) Against my better judgement, I went on stage to present one of the Salt choices.
For me the most fun event was the costumers flea market. Many costumers brought their fabric. ribbon, buttons and stuff. I bagged a couple of skeins of yarn, an Afgan hook, and a few buttons.
I managed to NOT purchase that antique sewing machine. I did manage to get everything back in the suitcase (a big carry on size), and walked to the closest Metro station with a friend who had two huge suitcases. She did some mental calculations, and only had about 7 costumes with her.