The Science Fiction & Fantasy Masquerade is the masquerade for costumes from science fiction, fantasy, mythology, theater, or other realms of the imagination. It was held Saturday night.
Costumers who compete at Master level in the Historical Masquerade are encouraged to compete at Journeyman level or higher in the SF&F if they feel their skills make it reasonable to do so.
Contestants entering as re-creations generally provide some documentation for their costume -- a still photo, color xerox, or whatever.
Awards are given within the skill divisions; all divisions are eligible for Best in Show.
The Historical Masquerade was held Sunday night. Unlike the SF&F Masquerade, each entry in the Historical Masquerade was judged in all five of these categories:
There are two costume categories: Recreation and Interpretation.
The Recreation category is for all entries which are attempting to re-create an actual garment. Documentation should show pictures of the original.
The Interpretation category is for all other entries. This category is for costumes which would have been possible, given the locale and time; for costumes which would not have been possible due to differences in locale or time; and, for modern theatrical pieces. The documentation standards for Interpretation are no less strict than for Recreation. Only the intent of the costume is different.
The following ranking system applies: Novice, Journeyman, Master. A contestant's ranking in the Science Fiction & Fantasy masquerade does not affect his or her ranking in the Historical Masquerade. However, the standards for determining ranking will be the same as in the SF&F masquerade.
These general rules applied to both the Science Fiction & Fantasy and the Historical Masquerades:
The Masquerade Directors reserve the right to remove anyone from competition for any of the following: violation of the above rules; concern for the safety of the audience, crew, and other contestants; or for any other reason deemed sufficient.
This is your chance to be creative within a structured environment! Contestants will select one of three patterns from those indicated below. Make them up as you choose; embellish as your fancy pleases. At the convention, a panel of judges will view all the finished pieces to select the winners. On Sunday all the entries will be shown as part of the Fashion Show. The winners will be announced then, and prizes donated by our sponsors AlterYears, Fashion Blue Prints, Sewing Workshop and Costume-Connection will be awarded.
Haiku Jacket from Sewing Workshop. Very loose fitting, unlined, below the hip jacket has extended shoulders and long two-piece sleeves. Back yoke and back sleeve are one piece. Front folded collar drops from shoulder to hem. Optional patch pockets. Especially suitable for wearable art applications, contemporary stylings. Multisize 8-18. Price $19.95
Afghani Nomad Dress and Coat from Fashion Blueprints. Simplified version of Afghani peasant clothes. Yoked top with gathered high waist, can be made as dress, coat or both. Three length options. Relatively easy to make. Adaptable to a wide variety of fabrics. Multisize: sm/med/lg. Price $10.00
Man's Japanese Kimono and Hakama Pants from Costume-Connection. Man's kimono with wide sleeves in short or long versions plus tie-on pleated wide pants. Constructed almost entirely of straight seams. Adaptable to
classic ethnic versions, wearable art or fantasy variations. (Could be made by ladies too.) Multisize chest 30"-52". Price $16.00
The pieces must be finished by the time they are judged on at the convention, which may be as early as Saturday. Yes, we know you won't be showing them till Sunday, but the judges need to see them complete.
The pieces may be judged on originality of concept, workmanship, use of textures and materials, creativity in embellishment and general esthetics, as the judges choose. And, yes, humorous entries will be taken "seriously."
4. Pre-registration is not mandatory, but strongly requested, so I know roughly how many entries to plan space and judging for. You must be a member of the convention to compete. Please notify me by May 15, 1997.
All competing garments will be shown in the Fashion Show on Sunday. If you cannot or would prefer not to wear your own garment, let me know well in advance, and we'll find a model for you.
All three patterns are available through AlterYears or from their source as noted above.
The Costume-Con Fashion Show has its roots in the science fiction conventions of the 1970's. Bjo Trimble (of STAR TREK letter-writing campaign fame) used to run "Futuristic Fashion Design Contests," whose winners were made up into 3-D form for the Fashion Show. The Design Contest/Fashion Show was a different mind set from the convention masquerades at the time, as it actually took some design skill to win awards in the Design Contest, while masquerade awards were routinely given to the ugliest alien or nakedest female. The Design Contest/Fashion Show also was broader in scope than the masquerade and had categories (Daywear, Business Wear, etc.) to deal with designs that were more clothing than costume and did not make a big splashy/flashy/theatrical impact on stage, but were nevertheless good designs.
Time marched on. The Futuristic Fashion Design Contest/Show fell into disuse in the late 1970's/early 1980's, but was revived as an art form at Costume-Con 1 in 1983. In recent years, as Costume-Con has expanded well beyond its initial science-fiction roots, the Fashion Show subject matter also has expanded to include other design concepts besides futuristic ones. At Costume-Con 12, Kevin Roche renamed the Futuristic Fashion Design Contest the Dimensions in Design contest to reflect the change. We chose to re-use this name for Costume-Con Fifteen.
Throughout 1996, Costume-Con Fifteen conducted the Dimensions in Design contest, which was open to anyone of any age, whether they were members of the convention or not. Designers were asked to submit original fashion drawings which could be either costumes or clothing, fantasy or futuristic. Ethnic and historical elements were accepted as long as they were not used in a "by the book" manner. Designers were encouraged to submit designs for men, women, children, teenagers, heavyworlders, aliens, pets...whatever! The results were 269 designs from 53 designers hailing from 5 different countries. The designs were judged in November 1996. There were 97 winning designs by 26 designers, which were published in the Dimensions in Design Fashion Folio. Members of CCXV were encouraged to select designs and make them a reality. What you will see onstage on Sunday afternoon is the labor of love of some very talented designers and technicians. Please come see their efforts!
A few words about some of our special design categories this year.
We had four "specialty" categories, publicized in the Costume-Con progress reports and on all the flyers for the design contest:
All of these categories had lots of entries, and we are pleased by the turnout. Congratulations to all you creative people out there!
We cannot finish this section without commenting on Julie Zetterberg's entry. LISA'S BIG NIGHT. Julie entered in all fours speciality categories with ONE design: Lisa Simpson (an animated character) goes to a themed prom as the ("classic" monster) Bride of Frankenstein, wearing a dress made of serger cones! It didn't win in any on the four categories because the judges found it so imaginative that they awarded it BEST IN SHOW. Congratulations, Julie!
Also, we would like to thank all the designers who entered their work in the Dimensions in Design contest, and offer congratulations to all the designers who won. Thank you for supporting and participating in the fashion design competition /fashion show as an artform, and we hope you continue to enter your work at future Costume-Cons.
The stage for Costume-Con Fifteen is 24' wide and 18' deep, with an additional platform for the MC on stage left. The stage will have two entrances, left and right, with the primary entrance stage left. Both will have a 6' by 8' stage level offstage platform reached by an 8' wide 2 step stair unit. All exits are stage right. There will not be a runway or an exit on the front of the stage.
The stage backdrop will be a white cyc that can be colored with red, green, and blue lighting. The entrances will be masked by black draping. Stage lighting colors are warm (slightly pink) and cool (slightly blue) white, true white, red, and blue.
As usual, backstage space for large props may be limited -- so please contact the Masquerade Director if you plan any large or bulky props. Access to the stage will require climbing up two steps, so let us know if you have any special mobility or access requirements. Finally, the Hilton Towers is an old hotel with many narrow hallways and doors. The Ballroom level can only be reached by stairway or passenger elevator -- there is no freight elevator available. All props should be constructed to fit through a 3' by 6' doorway and fit inside a 6' by 6' by 8' elevator car.
CCXV is providing all contestants with a rehearsal room, including a taped-out replica of the stage for the purposes of practicing presentations outside of scheduled tech rehearsal. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have changed the stage entrance from standard stage right to standard stage left. We know that many of you practice your costume presentations well in advance of the convention, and this space is available to you on a first-come first-served basis, to use for re-blocking (if necessary) or for simple practice. The room has tables, chairs, electricity (no tape recorders provided) and an in-house bathroom facility. There will be a sign-up sheet posted at the room with time units blocked in half-hour increments. Please use the honor system, and make sure to reserve your rehearsal time as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please see us in Con Ops.