McGrew Studios

Specialty Costumes, Production Design and Fabrication for the Creative Industries

Specialty Design, Fabrication & Production for the Creative Industries

Corsets

Custom 18th Century Dress: Filmed in Utah Awards Show

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A promotional three-piece gown, created and worn specifically to present the award for best costume design at the 2nd Annual Filmed in Utah Awards Show, 2013.

With little more than a week to build, its value (with the pannier) is about 5k. The least costly parts of this dress are its fabrics, mostly imported synthetics. My pals helped me fit, hem and hand-finish so we could get this done in time.

Asked to present that year’s award for best costumes in front of hundreds of people, I couldn’t simply head to Macy’s or Nordstrom to look for any old dress.

With Marlys Miller-Fladeland and her daughter.

On display for a time in our shop’s front parlour. Pierpont Avenue location.

Inspiration.
Pages from the Chronicles of Western Fashion.  John Peacock , Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1991.
Costumes 1775-1780. pp 136-137

In our shop we refer to John Peacock’s book as “the bible”.  It’s one of our most used texts. We often hand it to clients, asking them to describe the silhouette and details of costumes they want by picking elements out of the lineup. It’s a great book. Its illustrations detail changes in silhouette and ornamentation in a decade-by-decade progression.

Dear friend and dressing helper, backstage, Brent.

With actor Danny James.

Being accosted by actor James Christian Morris.

With the radiant, brilliant Jennifer Sommers.

With voiceover talent Brenda Myers.

With artist Timm Paxton.

Backstage at the Grand Theater, with hair and makeup genius Amber Pearson.

Final fitting in the shop.

Brittany Babb and Melissa Welinsky mark my front hem while I hold the yardstick.


Temporary white lacing in the final fitting.

Ready to mark the hem, standing on the cutting table.

Sleeves developed. Shown here on a dress dummy along with a vest I was making for another client, over a wonderful necktie kilt made by Melissa Welinsky.  An interesting outfit.

Jennifer Sommers, adjusting the straps inside the pannier, pulling them in tighter to create a wider, flatter pannier profile.

Bodice fitting. Many thanks to Jean Hunnisett, author of Period Costume for Stage and Screen, for wonderful recipes, construction details, research and period patterns in your books- a treasured part of my library.

In the beginning: Merely a big collage of fabrics that look swell together.

As shot by luxury photographer Emily Drew, of https://emilypearlphotography.com/ and featured on her website

Custom Rock & Roll Tribute Dresses: The Cramps

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To celebrate its 28th anniversary, SLUG Magazine staged a fashion show featuring 28 designers, 28 models, plus hair and makeup by The Paul Mitchell School of Salt Lake City and Ogden as well as the Taylor Andrews Academy.

Jen McGrew was assigned the year 2009 and created a tribute dress to *The Cramps*. Their lead singer, Lux Interior, died in 2009, appearing on SLUG’s March cover of that year.  Rest in peace, LUX! Old rockers like us still miss you:(

 

 

The dress is a custom cincher with a basque and tutu of custom dye sublimation-printed fabric featuring The Cramps’ logo and artwork from their first album, “Bad Music for Bad People”. Custom, cute sequined bikini bottoms and removable veil are icing on this delightful cake. Modeled by the lovely Yazmine Tatiana @MermaidNymora , with makeup by @cakefacedeez , we are very proud of these show-stoppers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much to Angela Brown and everyone on the SLUG Magazine crew, all the designers, models, makeup and hair artists, DJ’s and Robert Hyrum Hirschi for the wonderful pics here.

 

Nice article with pics about SLUG’s 28th anniversary fashion show here: http://www.slugmag.com/…/slug-28th-anniversary-fashion-show/

 

Congratulations SLUG and here’s to 28 more!

“Butt Bumper” Commercial Costume and Props Design: FiftyFilms

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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 Superhero Costume: Littlest Wonder Woman – Josh Rossi Photography

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Famous Photographer, Famous Daughter

 

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

When Jessica Alba, George Takei, and even the new Wonder Woman film director Patty Jenkins talk 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’ staff 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, also on this project.

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Sword and shield delivered to Josh!

 

Custom Pageant Gown: 16th Century Miss Italy

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Custom 16th century dress for the lovely Jami Solveig Cirone, Miss Italy/Miss Multiverse 2015.
http://missmultiverse.com/ 

The pageant’s historic/cultural segment showcases the contestants in costumes that pay homage to their national and cultural heritage. This dress we made helps Jami honor hers.

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The gown has more than 12 yards of burgundy velvet in it plus a number of silks and laces. We cartridge pleated five whole widths of velvet (more than 260″ total inches at the waist) onto Jami’s teeny 23″ waistband. We made two petticoats and a hip roll to develop her incredible silhouette and topped it with a hand embroidered bodice.

She has hanging sleeves plus quilted sleeves that lace onto her bodice. Within her bodice we installed quite a number of steel stays, lacing stays and grommets. Our hand detailing on the outside includes numerous brass beads and jewels, freshwater pearls, fabric flowers, lace trimmings plus exquisite custom brooches by artist David Powell: @POWELLARTSWORKSHOP on Instagram.

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Together we looked at many examples of period dresses, hairstyles and ornamentation in museum costume books plus portraits of notable Italian women.

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David’s wax carvings, ready to be cast in bronze.

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Prepped to cast multiples at one time:

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Freshly cast bronze brooches before they are cleaned up and polished.

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Photography session with Simon Blundell:  http://simonfoto.com/
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Brilliant hair and makeup by Amber Pearson. http://amberpearson.net/

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On display for a time in the parlour of our Pierpont Avenue location.

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