What is CostumeCon
Costume-Con 25 Historical
Masquerade
(A guide for the first time attendee)
If you've never been to a Costume-Con before, then you're in for a real treat: a travelling convention solely devoted to the art form of costuming. It is a traveling, International convention - organizations bid 3 years in advance to host it. It is open to amateurs and professionals, whether you make costumes or not. Attendees come from all walks of life, whether they are healthcare workers, computer programmers, office clerks or students.
Costume-Con features multiple track
programming. Subjects may include:
Hands on Workshops- Blackwork, decorative beading, Mask-making, the basics of
sewing.
Lectures - Color theory, hat construction, research, prop-making, wing
construction, Armor construction, fabric manipulation, fabric dying,
stagecraft, photography, Dressing for body type, the business of
costuming, Headdresses, accessorizing, History, and Leatherwork, to name a few.
Demonstrations - Machine embroidery, Hand beading, Draping Fabric and
corset-making
In addition to the above, there are also 2 shows, a Social and a Fashion Show
where costumers can show off their creations. Now, let's go a little more
in-depth.
The Future Fashion Folio
The Future Fashion Folio (or FFF) is solely a design competition published prior
to the convention. No construction is involved and it is open to
everyone - you do not need to be a member of the convention to
enter. Each year, the FFF receives submissions from all over the
world. The editors encourage anyone to try their hand. You need not
be an artist or be able to draw well, so long as you can roughly draw your idea
and explain it so that someone could make it.
There are online resources to help in this endeavor.
There are, however, a few things you should know:
1. All designs must be original.
2. Those whose designs are selected for inclusion in the FFF will receive a copy
of the publication. If there is a sponsored category, they may
receive some special award or even small amounts of money.
3. Inclusion in the Folio provides no other benefits: winners do not
receive a membership to the convention, nor any paid travel, to attend.
4. Inclusion in the Folio provides no other benefits - no membership, paid
travel, etc.
What does the FFF contain? Design concepts of what people (and aliens) might wear in the future. The possibilities are limitless - bridal wear, work wear, leisure wear, sportswear, uniforms: original costumes for well known characters from media sources (comics, TV, movie, etc.).
What kinds of things are there to do at
Costume-Con?
The first night of the convention is the Friday Night Social. It's the
best opportunity to meet fellow costume fans in a relaxed, non-competitive
atmosphere. There is usually a theme to the party, which attendees can
choose to wear something that relates to it - or not. Light refreshments
are served and themed music is sometimes played (live or recorded).
Costume-Con features at least 3 events for costumers to display their creations on stage. They are the Science Fiction and Historical masquerades, and the Future Fashion Folio Show.
If you are unfamiliar with the masquerade
format, costumers present their creations on a stage, along with stage lights
and sound, before a friendly audience of their peers. Participants
frequently use a combination of music, narration and movement to bring a
costumed character to life. Some presentations have been described as
"one minute performance art", but it's not required to present in that
fashion.
Registration is required before one can participate in the
masquerade. This is several hours prior to the event itself.
There will be a table set up somewhere at the convention during the weekend for
people to sign up.
A couple of hours before the masquerade, there is a special "staging
room" (also called the Green room) nearby where entrants can make final
preparations with their costumes before going on stage. (Note: this is not
for building your costume in the room). Sometimes, there are
"repair stations" where minor items like scissors, safety pins and the
like can be borrowed for last minute emergencies.
After signing in to the Green Room, participants are organized into
"dens" where a small group of fellow costumers can be attended to by
"Den Moms" and "Den Dads". These helpful people can
assist with getting costume pieces on, leading people with limited sight to the
stage, hold personal items, etc.
Located nearby is an Official Convention Photography area where costumers have
the opportunity to have their picture taken for buying prints,
later. There is usually some accommodation by the convention
organizers for the audience members to take photos as well. Note: No flash
photography is allowed during the shows themselves, for the safety of the
masquerade participants.
Videotaping of the performances is allowed, so long as it is for private
purposes, only. At many Costume-Cons, there may be an opportunity to
purchase an official video of the shows. Note: All entrants are required
to sign a release form authorizing their image to be recorded.
Anyone refusing to sign the form will not be allowed to participate in the
shows. Any sales of said images will be primarily to the members of
the convention, only.
Participants on stage are judged by a panel of their peers. There are two
competitions within each masquerade - Workmanship and Presentation.
Workmanship (usually done backstage before the show) is for the opportunity to
be evaluated for an award based on a costumes attention to detail and
craftsmanship. It is not mandatory to be judged for Workmanship, but it is
encouraged because it's another opportunity to be considered for an
award.
Presentation awards are given for the general overall impression a costume gives
on stage, as well as for how it is presented. Entries can be by a
single person, or groups. These presentations are typically limited to 60
seconds in length, with limited exceptions for larger groups.
To make things more fair, the competition for awards are broken down into 3
skill level categories: Novice, Journeyman and Master. Definitions vary
slightly from one convention to another, but generally speaking, Novices
and Journeyman must have only won 3 awards at Regional or International level
(defined as a Costume-Con or Worldcon masquerade) at their respective levels
before they are strongly encouraged to move up to the next Skill Level. A
person may enter at any level, but if they win an award, they must continue to
compete at that level in the future. To not do so is considered
"sandbagging".
After all entrants have made their presentations, the judges retire to
deliberate. This may take some time. There is usually some sort of
audience entertainment in the meantime. Recently, there has been a
trend to have all the entries come out on stage one at a time so that members of
the audience can take their own photos.
When the judges return, winners are called up individually and recognized for whatever was seen as worth noting for excellence. The awards are typically a certificate of recognition and/or a ribbon rosette and audience applause. There are no money prizes.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Masquerade is for any costume of a Science Fiction or Fantasy nature. Genres of costumes can be from Japanese anime, Mascots, television, film, comic book, mythology, theatre, interpretations from books, "furry" (anthropomorphic animals) and original designs (of course!). A costume must have a significant percentage made by or for the presenter. Accessories such as shoes, hats, weapons, etc. are usually not included in this requirement.
A copy of the Future Fashion Folio is mailed out prior to all members of the convention (those who register at the door will receive one in their membership packet). Those members can then choose to reserve a design to make up, to present at the Future Fashion Folio Show. Designers have right of first refusal on their own creations. The format of this event is much looser : it is staged like a runway fashion show (no presentation skit). The real challenge is for the costumer to stretch their interpretation skills by working from a sketch.
The Historical Masquerade is the event for the presentation of Interpretation or Recreation of historical clothing through the ages. While the skill levels are the same as for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Masquerade, the judging standards are vastly different. In general, documentation is expected to be submitted to show the extent to which you have a knowledge of your garment construction. Interpretations of an historical garment is less strict and may depend on the Masquerade Director.
An Historical Recreation is meticulously researched and documentation of actual historical clothing. This will almost always involve references from books, photographs and any other data that supports your knowledge of the costume you are having judged.
Historical Interpretations are based on actual historical garments, but with allowances for variations (colors not used in that period, mixture of periods, etc.)
Entrants in the show are judged separately on
Workmanship, Presentation, and Documentation. Often, the
documentation and the workmanship of the garments are judged the day before the
masquerade. The format of the show itself is the same as the SF
& F, with an audience and judges. The costumer may choose to present
their costume in a skit or merely walk across the stage.
"What else is there to do at Costume-Con?", you may
ask.
In addition to the shows, demonstrations and lectures, Costume-Con features an
exhibit of previously competed costumes from other costume venues, props,
photographs and slide shows.
The Dealers Room has merchants from all over the U.S. who specialize in costume-related wares such as beads, hats, books, props, fabrics, patterns, trim, jewelry, sewing accessories, pre-made garments, and much, much more.
There is usually some sort of Doll Costume Contest display, as well. As the name implies, this is costuming in miniature. It's another costume competition, only the outfits are quicker and cheaper to make!
The Costumers Suite is a hospitality room where attendees can meet fellow members and relax between activities. Often time, the refreshments served are provided by future convention site committees. Video of the shows are played back in the Suite after the masquerades for the benefit of the performers, and anyone else who'd like to see them again.
Finally, there is the annual meeting of the International Costumers Guild. The ICG is "is an affiliation of amateur, hobbyist, and professional costumers dedicated to the promotion and education of costuming as an art form in all its aspects". It is for the benefit of its members to conduct business in person and address other concerns, but it is open to the public, as well.
So that's it: Costume-Con in a nutshell. We hope this answers many of the questions you may have as a first-time attendee. If you have any further questions, though, please feel free to contact us and we'll be more than happy to accommodate you. We look forward to meeting you
This site sponsored by
the CC25 Committee, the SLCG,
and Friends.
Costume-ConŽ is a registered service mark of Karen Dick,
used
by permission.