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About mcgrewsadmin

Big fan of all art forms, systems theories, cultural studies, fantasy and sci-fi, costume and fashion history, monsters, essays, novels, biographies, films, politics and most music.

Custom Carnivale Costumes: Rio De Janeiro

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Custom costume for a 2017 client, vacation bound for Carnivale in Rio De Janero.

Modeled here for us by the lovely Yaz, with photos by Chris Blackburn Photography.

 

Couture bra and belt, pheasant feathers, goose biots and many, many hours of hand beading on a fantastic model = one beautiful vision.

All the tall feathers are insertable and secure, but also removable so ALL items can pack flat for safe travel and storage.

 

 

 

Visit Chris Blackburn Photography

Custom Outdoor Sunbrella Covers

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Damen-Titchner Pavilion cover in Sunbrella

 

Our instructions were:

Create a cover that could fasten without any auxiliary hanging hardware installed on their backyard pavilion. Sunbrella is a great fabric, rated for years of sun (obviously) and weather resistance. This Logan, Utah couple stores many items in the pavilion during winter and it’s a perennial treat for us to see their custom cover getting such great mileage and use.

 

 

Snug and enclosed for winter, protecting lots of stored items within.

 

 

The Pavilion cover in summer. A great spot for entertaining and hanging out.

 

 

Project notes, measurements and details.

 

Yep, the pieces were so large that we used the parking lot to lay some of them out!

 

 

Mark and Suzanne, using the plumb line to snap straight chalk lines…

 

 

Our basement on Pierpont Avenue got a LOT of use during this project. We set up extra tables to work with this big project.

 

 

Fastex hardware. Buckles with straps down each of the four corners of the pavilion cover.

 

 

HMA (Hide My Ass) Commercial Costume Design: Chamber Media

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Many good, innocent people lost their clothes in this fun commercial that underscores how vulnerable you are whenever using unprotected public wi-fi. For client, HMA (Hide My Ass) app.

 

Thank you to KJMagnetics, a great resource for the rare-earth, neodymium magnets we used in our effects. Thank you also to props wiz Wray Featherstone- your off-camera choreography made the execution of all our breakaway wardrobe possible. Turns out, too, that saving all our metal corset stay ends and bits for all those years was essential. Awesome concept, crew and content:) Thank you,  Chamber Media!

 

Ad Stuffed With Nudity and Shaved Back Hair Makes a More Serious Point About Wifi Security

“Butt Bumper” Commercial Costume and Props Design: FiftyFilms

Commercials Corsets and Waist Training Props / Sets Tailoring No Comments

We built and installed the visual joke that sells The Advocates’ message in FiftyFilms’ hilarious 2015 commercial.

 

 

 

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McGrews’ production designer Hraefn Wulfson vacu-formed a real bumper several times, laminated all the pulls together, then attached them to a custom wooden frame.

After some choice rumpling, primer and some chrome paint, he treated the tail lights to some fun effects as well – – one broken and one flashing- akin to how your own car’s tail lights would be after an accident.

 

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Costume designer Jen with actress Cherie wearing a corset (underneath her blouse). Two specialty plastic gun holster clips sewn to the corset’s back hold the bumper’s strap in place, as Cherie does her grocery shopping, knocking merchandise off the shelves.

 

The commercial’s unmistakable message: Some accidents just follow you around and keep causing trouble unless your lawyers are The Advocates!

 

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Our thanks to everyone on the FiftyFilms production crew. This was a fun design challenge plus a most entertaining shoot that kept us constantly laughing:)

Custom Irish Dance Costumes: BYU

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Have you witnessed “Christmas Around the World”?? Absolutely stunning. BYU Folk Dance Program’s amazing production had me in tears during several of the performances (the Samba, in particular– ask me about it sometime and I’ll try to describe how amazing it is– and the Irish dance, of course, had my DNA vibrating at a particularly high frequency).

 

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THESE are the new Irish Dance costumes our shop made for these dedicated lovelies.

All-star performances from everyone and great leadership from champion Irish dance captain Victoria Ringer, Folk Dance faculty Jeanette Geslison and wardrobe manager Amy Handy. The program decided it was time for a costume redesign with a sparkly new look and feel, and we were thrilled to work with them to produce these.

 

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Mesmerizing, in performance at BYU’s Marriot Center

 

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Early prototype skirt in production. With mint green lycra underneath and sparkle netting. It was nixed when they decided their netting added too much fullness.

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Cutting circle skirts. You can usually identify which patterns our shop develops. Years ago. I bought a giant roll of red paper and we’ve been using it ever since.

 

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Sleeves. Being cut in three sizes.

 

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Tops of the bodysuits with zippers installed, inside out and ready for the black shorts to be attached. I loved how they reminded me of pelts.

 

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Fluffy skirts! 2 layers of mint silk chiffon over silver sparkle lycra.

 

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Yaz and Diane. Rhinestoning necklines.

 

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Diane. Ever methodical about her work.

 

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Fantastic attention to placement and detail by Diane and Yaz…

 

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Backstage at the Marriot Center for the Performing Arts-

 

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With Annie!

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So psyched (and grateful) that Eliza Crosby and Annie could come to dress rehearsal! Champion Highland Dancer Annie getting her pic taken with the whole BYU Scottish troupe. And me, too, — because of the Scots-Irish thing, of course…

 

Extra love to good elf helpers Eliza Crosby,Diane Thompson, Yazmine Tatiana and Michelle Marie. My superstars:) xo

 

Happy holidays everyone!

Custom Boots and Spats: Kris Kringle the Musical

Cosplay & Characters costumes Tailoring No Comments

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Holy tap-dancing elves!

In 2015 we made a bunch of custom elf boots as well as some elf SPATS for Ohio production and costume designer Inda Blatch-Geib. She designed the new production, Kris Kringle the Musical, that premiered Friday, December 4th 2015 in Olmsted Falls.

 

Thank you Inda for giving McGrews a nice shout out in The Akron Beacon Journal http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/kerry-clawson/kris-kringle-is-a-rich-magical-world-of-color-texture-for-akron-costume-designer-1.643784

 

These stage production pics are from http://www.kriskringlethemusical.com/photos.html

 

 

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The ones in front are boots. The rest are SPATS worn over their tap shoes!

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Great assistant and good helper elf, Peri C.  showing off our hard work!!

 

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A visitor is unexpectedly asked to model some boots in progress-

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Custom Superhero Costume: Littlest Wonder Woman – Josh Rossi Photography

Commercials Corsets and Waist Training cosplay Cosplay & Characters costumes Props / Sets Tailoring 7 Comments

Famous Photographer, Famous Daughter

 

 

A project that’s had 33 million views and counting as of January 2017.

 

When Jessica Alba, George Takei, plus even the new Wonder Woman film director Patty Jenkins are talking about your work, trust us, it’s pretty cool.

 

McGrew Studios and Josh Rossi Photography have wanted to work together on a project for several years, and at last we finally have!

 

10/20/2016

 

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The convergence of his daughter Nellee’s 3rd birthday,  the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman, Halloween 2016, plus the new Wonder Woman movie trailer all culminated in a personal project for Josh that hit viral status within just several days.  As Josh told KSL TV in an interview at our studio, “All the trending buttons have been hit with both the timing and subject matter of his project,” (not to mention Full Time Photographer‘s original click-bait article title that waves a design and labor rate in readers’ faces).

 

 

Josh’s project has generated a BIG range of discussion, contention, admiration and even scorn– throughout comment threads on all the websites that have reposted the project or created their own new features about it.

 

At McGrews, we are naturally just agog at all this activity and very proud to have played our role in this fantastic project.

 

Some of the videos, articles and links:

joshrossi.com

INSIDE EDITION’S Feature

Hanssie Ho’s *Full Time Photographer* article

KSL TV’s Feature

People Magazine’s Feature

 

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Nellee is one cool, three-year old superhero!

 

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Costume made by McGrews’ cartel members Jennifer McGrew with Diane Thompson, plus custom sword and shield by Randy Crit Killen. We love how great Josh’s photos make our work look:)

 

We made Nellee’s costume using several types of leathers along with worbla details, lacing, grommets and a variety of trimmings. We designed her leather bodice to be adjustable in the back as well as on the sides, because she will grow fast!

 

Her leather skirt pieces are sewn onto their own waistband which is attached under the bodice, and this whole element is alterable so it can also be adjused as she grows. Nelee’s armored spats lace up over her boots and should also endure two or more shoe-size increases. We made Nellee’s shoulder straps expandable, and for adjustability over time,  plus created her pauldrons to slide on her straps.

 

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Something Josh brought up after the KSL interview at our shop was the idea of creating and marketing patterns for kids’ costumes. Based on the overwhelming response to this project’s release on the web, it’s something we may seriously consider.

 

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We wanted this costume to be something that replicates the cinematic version and something that she’ll enjoy for a long time. We predict she may wear it until she is five or older!

 

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Would you like a pattern for this Wonder Woman costume that you could create for your own 2-4 year old? Tell us what you think.

 

Tags:

wonder woman toddler photography surreal kid photography child photography comic con photography comic con cosplay cosplay fashion wonder woman outfit marvel costume DC comics wonder woman costume dad spends $1500 on daughters costume josh rossi photography full time photographer

Props and effects wizard Crit Randy Killen’s process photos.
He made Nellee’s Wonder Woman sword and shield.

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Crit even made a cool bag for Nellee’s sword and shield.

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Johnny Killen helped his dad, Crit, with this project.

 

 

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Sword and shield delivered to Josh!

 

Follow and see more from Crit on Facebook-