CC15-FS-05: The Extravaganza
Competition Staff & Rules
Staff:
- Future Fashion Folio: Karen Schnaubelt & Ricky Dick
- Future Fashion Show Director(s): Karen Schnaubelt & Ricky Dick
- Master of Ceremonies: Richard Hill
- Folio Judges: Will Burnham, Jenne Burnham, Sally Fink & Denice Girardeau
Rules:
Dimensions in Design Contest
This contest used to be called the “Futuristic Fashion Design Contest” (from when Karen Schnaubelt learned it at Bjo Trimble’s knee at Equicon ’73, and from its first revival at Costume-Con 1 in ’83). In recent years, its subject matter has expanded to include other design concepts besides futuristic ones, so we have chosen to go with the name coined by Kevin Roche for Costume-Con 12, DIMENSIONS IN DESIGN, for our contest.
Designs may be costume or clothing, fantasy or futuristic. Please, no “by-the-book” ethnic or historical designs, but feel free to use ethnic and historical elements in an original manner.
Designs can be for men, women, children, teenagers, heavy-worlders, aliens, pets…whatever you can imagine! Suggested categories include, but are not limited to: work clothes, casual clothes, sportswear, lingerie, evening wear, bridal wear, maternity wear, ceremonial outfits, religious outfits, ethnic outfits, uniforms, costumes for performers/entertainers, clothing for members of the counterculture, accessories, hats/hairstyles, etc. If your design doesn’t fit any of these categories, make one up!
Winners of the DIMENSIONS IN DESIGN CONTEST will be printed in the Fashion Folio, which will be distributed to all Costume-Con Fifteen members. Some of the winners will be made up for the Fashion Show, which will take place at the convention. We also hope to have a display of all winning designs which are not made up for the Fashion Show.
We will have more information on the Fashion Show in future PRs.
Basically, we are in design contest mode until November, 1996.
Then we are in Fashion Folio paste-up mode until December, 1996.
Then we are in Fashion Show coordinator mode from December, 1996 through the convention. So, stay tuned!
Special CCXV Fashion Design Categories:
Special awards will be given to designs submitted in the following categories:
1. Best design using empty serger cones as a major design element. (Sponsored by Karen & Ricky, who generate way too many empty serger cones in the course of their businesses and hobbies! $25 prize, and all our empty serger cones!)
2. Best original design for an outfit for your favorite animated character. Pretend the design does NOT have to be simplified in order to be drawn 10,000 times on 10,000 cells. What would you really like your favorite character to wear?
3. Best original design for any of the following “classic” monsters: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, the Bride of Frankenstein, and the Phantom of the Opera. (Sponsored by Castle Blood. $25 prize.)
DESIGN CONTEST RULES:
1. All designs must be ORIGINAL ideas. You may draw your design on a traced figure, but the design itself must be original. If you have someone help you draw the design, please give credit. If you need figure outlines to trace, please send a S.A.S.E. to the above address and we’ll be happy to supply some. Artistic skill is not required, but ideas are! Please be neat.
2. Each design must be submitted in black ink on an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of white paper. Details or back views may be on separate sheets. Please do NOT send originals – clear, clean photocopies are just fine.
3. Color versions of your designs are appreciated but not required. (Black and white versions ARE required, so we can easily reproduce the winners in the Fashion Folio.)
4. On the back of each design sheet, please include:
(a) Your name and address;
(b) Your age if 12 or less;
(c) If you are a first-time designer;
(d) The number of that design and the total number of designs submitted (#1 of 5, #2 of 5, etc.). If your design has multiple pages, label them #1A of 5, #1B of 5, #1C of 5, and so on.
(e) Suggested category(s) the design fits into (Ceremonial, Bridal, Ethnic, Children’s, Teen’s, Formal, etc.) If you’re not sure, we will choose a category for you. We reserve the right to have the judges change the category of a design as they see fit. (Typically, this is done to give a design a better chance to win.)
5. Please include a title and a written description for each entry. Descriptions can include: inspiration, background information on the culture/clothing/character, design details, suggested fabrics, colors, etc. and any other details or information you especially want people to know about. Sometimes, designs have won on the basis of their humorous or clever descriptions!
6. All rights to designs submitted to this contest remain the property of the designer, but by submitting them you agree to their publication in the Fashion Folio, their exhibit at CCXV, and their reproduction for the Fashion Show.
7. Designers wishing to have their drawings returned, please enclose a large enough envelope with sufficient postage. They will be mailed to you after the convention.
8. Designers have first option on making up their designs for the Fashion Show. If you have a preference, please let us know when you submit your entries. We will indicate in the Folio which designs are already reserved.
9. This contest is open to all interested parties. You do not need to be a member of CCXV to enter designs or to be published in the Folio. You must, however, be a member to attend or participate in the Fashion Show.
10. You may enter as many designs as you wish, and as many times as you wish, but all submissions MUST be POSTMARKED by November 1, 1996. This deadline will NOT be extended for any reason. If we get only 5 entries, then we only get 5 entries. This deadline is to ensure that the Folio comes out in a sufficiently timely manner for some of the more elaborate designs to get chosen and made up for the Fashion (Show). (Several prior Costume Cons found out the hard way that 2 months’ lead time before the convention is NOT enough!!!)
11. Canadians, please make sure you have a customs declaration sticker on your submission (list as amateur drawings/no value).
12. IMPORTANT: Submit designs to our home address above, NOT to the convention address!!!
AGAIN, THE DEADLINE FOR DESIGN CONTEST SUBMISSIONS IS NOVEMBER 1, 1996. We hope to see some wonderful things designed by you!
Miscellaneous Notes:
The Future Fashion Show is based on designs published in the Costume-Con Fifteen Dimensions in Design Future Fashion Folio, sent to all CCXV members prior to the convention. The costumes below are the ones chosen either by designers or the makers to reproduce as 3-Dimensional costumes. The entries in this event were not judged.
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:
* Best design using empty serger cones as a major design element.(Sponsored by Karen Schnaubelt and Ricky Dick, Contest Coordinators. $25 cash prize to the first place winner.)
o 1st Place winner: Christopher Ballis for PORCUCONE MAN
* Best original design for an outfit for your favorite animated character. Pretend the design does NOT have to be simplified in order to be drawn 10,000 times on 10,000 cells. What would you really like your favorite character to wear?
o 1st Place winner: Pierre and Sandy Pettinger for MALEFICENT
* Best original design for an outfit for any of the following “classic” monsters: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, the Bride of Frankenstein, and the Phantom of the Opera. (Sponsored by Castle Blood. $25 cash prize to 1st place winner.)
o 1st Place winner: Edward Dyas for DRACULA – LEGION OF LOST SOULS
* Best original design on the “prom” theme. (Sponsored by the St. Louis Ubiquitous Tailoring Society (SLUTS). $25 cash prize for 1st place female, male, and couple.)
o 1st Place winner (female): Diane Seiler for MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S PROM
o No entries for male or couple.
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.
Sponsored By: Castle Blood
