I went to a 40th birthday party in June and the theme was 1970’s.
my first thought was: “What should I wear to rock up and get on down?”
[box type=”info”]We can custom make or hire you a costume for your next fancy dress party, film shoot, or event. Make an appointment to ensure good time with one of our consultants. Scroll to the bottom to contact Agent Costume[/box]
My husband managed to put together an old pair of flared jeans he had in his wardrobe (yes he did) and a long denim jacket. He then perused the internet for a honey blonde afro wig- brought to fame by Foxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers- which arrived crushed flat and looking in a sorry state. Lucky for him, his wife was able to brush it out and give it new life to full fro capacity.
Then he went out and bought himself a lime green T-shirt, grabbed a graphic off the web and printed a sillouette of “Charlies Angels” on the chest. In the end, he borrowed a floral shirt from my 70’s section to wear instead of his new charlies Angels T, because quite frankly, it looked the part to greater effect.
“Oh!” said Mum when she saw the photos, “good to see Geoff’s old shirt is being put to good use!” My Mum was around to see the floral shirt party in it’s original authentic time frame, I didn’t know our old family friend Geoff was so funky in his hey day! 40 years on and it’s still bringing joy to the 70’s party scene. I bet forty years ago Geoff from Melbourne never imagined his shirt would make it to a fancy Dress store in Bondi in 2013.
70’s afrofunk
Is it just me, or does he look a little like the late great Brett Whiteley?
So, that’s “the man” sorted over the span of a few weeks preceding the event, an ongoing project which he thoroughly enjoyed.
and me?
Well, spending all my time sewing and making sure other people are looking amazing for their parties, I don’t have time to sort myself out! (Cinderella Syndrome, looks like somebody needs a fairy God Mother)
To get inspired I started sketching ideas, and got this this funky afro chick happening.
Afrofunk Chick costume sketch
I thought I could make a white PVC jumpsuit with silver lining and silver built in belt detail. I’d team it with my furry vest and massive afro! yeah! But, I just didn’t have time to make anything new up from scratch. Time was passing, I had to think quickly!
..and then, it became clear….
I did already have a jumpsuit that I could adjust. The sleeves had to be cut so i could wear a belt and a vest. The jumpsuit was waaaaaaaay too small, requiring extra fabric added to the middle, and a gusset in the crotch, and added leg flares for that special extra funk injection. The legs were short on me, but figured it could work with golden boots, and may end up looking like a deliberate design feature. on my last morning in Sydney i went to buy some sparkle stretch velvet from the dance section at The Remnant Warehouse in Alexandria…and then…it was time to go, so i put the appropriate machine in the car and we hit the road. On the way up to QLD, I took time out to make the required adjustments, 2 hours in a cabin in Crescent Head, and again in a tea room in Byron. Keep on Truckin’ as they say and I got it finished just in time for the party… and this is how it turned out!
And the massive afro wig? Lets just say, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. If you need massive Fro action, I can help you out of you can’t find any to suit your sense of scale.
70’s disco jumpsuit
Pretty funny it looks similar to my sketch. Once I get an idea in my head it’s pretty hard to shake.
and there you go, ready to trip the light fantastic, boogie on down to funk city, Catch you on the flip side!
[box type=”tick” style=”rounded” border=”full”]Contact Agent costume in Bondi, Ocean St Nth, for your next party costume, custom made or party hire.[/box]
