My little grey vest says business, but my dress says FULLY OPERATIONAL. The spoiler, of course, is that my little grey vest doesn’t say business, it actually says SCABROUS PIRATES TO YOU THIS MORNING.
(Star Wars Expanded Universe, the story of my wasted youth.)
Despite my terrible breakup with Star Wars, I still long for more of the fond memories we shared together. So you get this mishmash of elements just to c-c-check out what arrived in the mail from the always phenomenal Black Milk Clothing. Please excuse the schoolday portrait studio, it was do or die to get that oversized glowstick to heel.
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Death Star Dress: Black Milk Clothing
Wraith Squadron Vest: DIY (“YUB YUB” IS BEJEWELED ON THE BACK HAHA)
Lightsaber: Ultrasabers
Have a thing for the Captain Marvel legacies and, you know, not being naked? No big deal. We’ll get through this together.
When few of your merchandising needs are met, customising comes second nature. And if you, too, suffer from the need to slap an 8-pointed star on a cozy sweater like some kind of not-so-secret handshake to the world — well, that’s what this stencil + guide are for.
This is my salute from the frozen north, but can easily be done for other apparel. Hola.
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You’ll need:
- a sweater
- gold fabric
- matching gold thread
- light-to-mediumweight fabric (backing)
- fusible adhesive (sewable)
- iron
- pins, chalk, etc.
1. Draw the Captain Marvel star on paper and cut it out. If you wish, you can print out the Captain Marvel star I used.
2. Trace the star onto the back of the gold fabric and cut it out.
3. Do the same with the fusible adhesive. (I used Heat n Bond Lite.)
4. Do the same with the fabric backing, but add a seam allowance by drawing an outline about 5/8″ away from the original star before cutting it out.
5. Follow the instructions for the fusible adhesive, and attach it to the back of the gold star. Trim excess if needed.
6. Carefully position the gold star onto your sweater, and pin it into place.
7. Slide the backing star inside your sweater, so it’s lined up with the gold star on the outside. Carefully pin the backing star in place.
8. Sew around the gold star, as closely and neatly to the edge as possible.
9. Congrats! Now go out there and punch a hole in the sky.
Cover of Captain Marvel #9 by Jamie McKelvie. Get in the game with this issue, available at your local comic provider or online at comixology.
Notes:
1. Sweater colours can vary depending on taste and/or Captain Marvel of choice. Red combined with either blue or black are generally safe bets; I’m not into red, so I found this black/cream combo from Forever 21 that mimics the general shoulder design. Colourblocking is still hanging out with the cool kids, so you should be able to score something. Here’s a few I found:
 Forever 21, in-store. |
 Ralph Lauren, online. |
 Anna Kastle, online. |
 Marc by Marc Jacobs, in-store. |
UPDATE: there’s been a lot of people coming here from my Captain Marvel outfit post, and this is just a warning that this DIY features sweaters from last season, i.e. sold out at this point. However, just go to any ladies shop at the mall and you should be able to find a colourblocked sweater easily enough!
2. As with the sweater, you can totally opt for a silver or black star. Just remember to get matching thread.
3. The lightweight fabric is the backing for the star appliqué, and helps stabilise it. It can be any fabric that doesn’t stretch or fray too much, and the easier to sew, the better. Just be wary of fabrics that are too heavy, because it’ll cause the sweater to sag. I used some scraps of lightweight cotton flannelette.
4. If you don’t want your star to be permanently affixed, use a longer stitch so it can be easily removed without damaging your sweater.
5. You can also add extra details, like three gold buttons on the sleeve for that Carol Danvers touch.
Ever wonder what your favourite Star Wars characters might wear if they dressed in our planet’s high fashion looks? Yeah, us too. In the first of what will be several posts, we’ve taken a prominent group in the Star Wars universe and looked through the Pre-Fall 2013 styles to see what those characters might wear. First up: everyone’s favourite Galactic Empire.
Most of what we see in terms of clothing from the Empire in the films is their uniforms, which are obviously militaristic and which also tend towards more drab colours. No bright colours here except for the Imperial Guard, of course. With this in mind, I looked for both a specific colour palette and also for the looks that didn’t flaunt the ruffles that were popular this season. (Vader vetoed their addition to the uniform.) The darker and militaristic results would be fabulous additions to the wardrobe of any female Imperial officer nonetheless.
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Let’s start out with some basics. Obviously, the Imperials have to go to work, but why does their wardrobe have to be limited to uniforms when they have Nina Ricci, Michael Kors, and Proenza Schouler:
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Of course, you can never go wrong with a smartly cut jacket like this one from St. John:
Designers wouldn’t leave the more stylish Imperial ladies wanting for tops either. Alexander Wang and Vera Wang both put forth some interesting offerings:
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Have you checked out Sam Humphries and Ron Garney’s Uncanny X-Force #1 yet? No? I’m here to tell you that you absolutely should. After the amazing run that Rick Remender had with the first volume of this book, I didn’t think it would be possible for this relaunch to come even close to that level. Gosh is it wonderful to be wrong because this book is going to be a great read.
Before I even talk about the story, I have to discuss the artwork because this is a positively GORGEOUS book. I’ve been digging the costume designs by Kris Anka since day one and they have been translated beautifully to the page by Ron Garney’s pencils. I’m also enamoured with the colouring done by Marte Gracia and Israel Gonzalez. The palette they’ve worked with is stunning. I’d happily read a book with this artistic team up for ages.
Since we last saw Psylocke in the pages of Uncanny X-Force, she’s completely dropped off the face of the earth for six months only to finally reappear and figure out that teaching at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning really isn’t going to work out. (Seriously. It’s just not working out.) Logan suggests she takes some time off to clear her head and gives her a mission. Who better to go along then Storm? (Another X-man who really needs the time off to clear her head.) And, well, things go from there. I won’t spoil it for you.
This is a great first issue and definitely left me wanting more. (That last page… THAT LAST PAGE.) The premise of the first few issues has been introduced as have all of the team members, but exactly how this bunch are going to end up as a cohesive team will certainly be interesting to see as the book continues on. There’s nothing I love better than a team that’s filled with both people who are good friends and people who just do not get along at all, and this team looks like it’s going to have both.
I also think that this book has the potential to be readily accessible for readers who weren’t along for the first Uncanny X-Force ride. Humphries gives you most of the context that you need within the issue, and also introduces the characters to those who might not be familiar with them. It also looks like it’s not going to come with the insane levels of emotional baggage that its predecessor did, which definitely helps make it accessible to more readers.
Again, I can’t reiterate enough how gorgeous I thought the art for this issue is. This creative team just works so well together to produce a really nice first issue. This has the potential to be the “craziest X-Book ever” but also a pretty darn stellar one. I highly suggest you head over to your local comic store or to comixology and pick up the first issue and give it a try.
(You can also check out the fashionable Psylocke and Spiral outfits that Lin and I rocked earlier today in honour of the book’s release.)
In honour of Uncanny X-Force being relaunched today, we bring you a Psylocke and Spiral team-up! This is actually part of a What Are You Wearing miniseries we’re doing — Marvel NOW! is launching some books that we’re pretty darn psyched about, so we thought we’d honour their releases with outfits inspired by members of the team. (Check out our previous entry: Young Avengers!) As always, you’ll see our personal touches, i.e. Bria is a totally classy dame and Lin is just going to be this douchebag trainwreck. Enjoy.
Today: Uncanny X-Force by Sam Humphries and Ron Garney!
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| Bria — Psylocke Dress: Armani Exchange Purple Scarf: Express Floral Headband: The Limited Tights: Macy’s Grey Heels: Nine West Butterfly Earrings: local boutique |
Lin — Spiral Turtleneck Tunic: Club Monaco Black Shorts: Alice and the Pirates Studded Thigh Highs: Yesstyle Peplum Belt: Zara Accessories: Forever 21; Ebay |
PSYLOCKE
Bria: Let me count the ways in which this new Betsy costume thrilled me. The sounds of glee I made when I saw Kris Anka’s new design were numerous and also high pitched. My badass British Ninja finally has a costume that’s, y’know, suited for a ninja! It’s lovely and practical and I just want to hug it.
My fashionable interpretation, however, doesn’t go practical because hellooooo grey heels! I wanted to stick with the black and grey colour scheme and this Armani dress seems to have been waiting in my closet for such an occasion. From there, adding the purple headband and scarf as accents to mimic her hair and belt just seemed logical. What really made this work were the butterfly earrings I found in my jewelry box because BUTTERFLIES BY MY FACE just screams Psylocke like nothing else.
SPIRAL
Lin: It says something when you have various buddies capslocking at you that not only has Spiral been added to the upcoming lineup of Uncanny X-Force, but that SHE STILL HAS FURRY BOOTS LOOK LOOK YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE. Well, I definitely bat for TEAM NONE SECONDS when it comes to re: lady furry boots, so here I am, and here we are.
Inspo came from, well, “LA clubber drug dealer badass chick“? Can do. Studded thigh highs, punky belts, and X-harness accents, tap into her heavy metal armoury, while I took this outfit a little bit north with the furry hat to emulate white hair, and earmuffs-cum-headphones because this lady would drop a mean beat.
DJ SPIRAL. PLAY US OUT.
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Coming Soon: Fearless Defenders by Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney! Meanwhile, check out our past entry for Young Avengers here or get the newly relaunched Uncanny X-Force here at comixology!