It’s been a while since I blogged! 2019 was a lot of work and getting things done! 2020, I decided to turn down a lot of work so I could focusing on exploring new careers and getting back to what I want to do.
I began getting back into my photography (it’s been a very long time!) and wanted to see what other departments I might want to work on. I took the chance on working on an indie film as a last minute wardrobe stylist, and it was the best thing I could have ever done.
Coming from a background in retail, I always enjoyed putting outfits together, but I really hated actually working in retail. My experience in retail were often being stuck in a fitting room with people either trying on clothes they were not buying, or theft. Occasionally, there were customers who genuinely needed advice, and I was happy to help. I think lack of actually putting together outfits in retail dulled my idea of wanting to work in Wardrobe in TV production.
I took a chance at responding to a post for Wardrobe, but they reached out to me and asked for help, and I took it. I had to create an outfit for 8 characters within a week prior to filming and figure out what made sense for a space I never saw, which was insane! I doubted myself at first, but I went ahead and created my own layout based on the script and mood board for each character and was able to get outfits to fit the mood of each character.
The experience was very challenging, but absolutely fun! I needed to prove to myself that I am capable of creating an outfit and making it work for a film. My favorite part of putting outfits together was the ICP outfit that needed to be worn by one character. The name ICP brought me back to the times of working in Spencer's Gifts, and in the spring time when the carnival came to the mall, carnival employees specifically came for ICP merchandise. The idea of having to make an ICP outfit made me run wild with imagination and memories of watching mallrats wearing ICP shirts and UFO pants (I could never wear those!)
Overall, I loved working on this film because it allowed my creativity to flow freely and bring together a visual of what the Director, Ruby, wanted to see in her film. I wanted to also bring my own style out in the film and show that I knew how to color play and make the contrast work visually. I cannot wait to see the film when the final cut is made! Look out for the short indie film Nadya’s Sleepover, Invite Only!