Shoot with Caveboy studios

Caveboy Studios are a Melbourne team of photographers, artists, stylists, hair and makeup wizards who create the most breathtaking photographs and artworks.
I have collaborated with them before, and their images are second to none.
The following are a series of images from the studio of myself, shot in late 2011.
All the costumes I designed, including the red feathered mohawk headress.
The wonderful team that produced these images are:
Photography: Shami Kiely
Photoshop - Rob Kiely
MUA - Amanda Lissant-Clayton
Hair - Paul Pattihis
Assistance - Tina Harvey

 RUFIO!

My homage to Rufio, leader of the Lost Boys from the film "Hook"

 The latex suit was designed by myself and Agent Cleave, when we danced for for Peaches on her Australian east coast DJ tour in 2011. I styled the outfit to include a beautiful necklace and sequin appliques that I bought on a recent tour to New York; the gloves are beautiful beaded satin, with the glossy black talons attached. The look i wanted to achieve for the shoot was that of a sci-fi gothic barbie.

RUFIO: The mohawk I made as a separate headpiece, with 2 rows of feathers as well as sections of synthetic black hair. To finish off the edges were added weaves of long plaits of black hair. The collar is a costume piece from my divine workplace Rose Chong Costumes ( a Fitzroy fashion and costume institution) which I added extra sequin appliques and feathers to. The vinyl leotard leotard I created myself while on tour with Peaches in Berlin in 2011- the hunt for studs for the bra and knickers providing a challenge to hunt down!

Two pics of the babe himself; Rufio:

Peri Jenkins in the mutant barbie headress & rainbow jellyfish ensemble

Wearable art is one of my favourite styles of costume and fashion to create. I made this mutant barbie headress & rainbow jellyfish ensemble last year, inspired by the many ways to subvert Barbie's body and combine with my love of hair sculpture. The shoulder piece is designed to dance in as all the jellyfish tendrils fly about.
The outfit is modeled here by an incredible costume maker, seamstress extrordinare and all round fabulous sparkly Melbourne babe Peri Jenkins. Peri is is responsible for some of the more epic costumes seen at the Australian Ballet, from feathered wonderness to leather armor- she constructs outfits the rest of us only can only dream of in our minds. She has recently joined my sewing team on my two current projects and I may owe her my life.

Makeup for "Mr Nice Guy Vegan Cupcakes" Promo

I spun my hand at makeup artistry for local company Mister Nice Guy Vegan Cupcakes new promo cards. Classic pin-up style makeup, with full glittered red lips for little more disco.
A pleasurable job considering the model was bodacious burlesque bombshell Miss Evie Red (Evie and I performed together at "Metropolis" at Red Bennies this year) And despite the fact I'm a raving carnivore and also quite enjoy diary, I can safely say they were super yummy and I'm still pondering how they tasted so fat-tastic and chocolatey without the aid of an animal...

Maniac superman rockstar JIMMY STEWART!

There's few people on this earth who could convince me to make them a customised superhero suit.
Jimmy Stewart is one of them.
This amazing creature cruised into my world in a pirate gypsy get-up so authentic I thought he must own a horse instead of a car.
The Melbourne musician is the real deal rockstar, and with such charming self deprecating wit commissioned me to construct him a STUPIDMAN suit. That's right- you read correctly.
So for his upcoming gig I made him the first ever glam-rock metallic vinyl Superman suit, complete with hand appliqued cape and pants so tight only a real man can wear them.

Note: Unlike Christopher Reeve's nightmare unitard, Jimmy's suit is much more practical. Looks like a one-sie, but is in fact a two-piece, enabling Jimmy to strip off halfway through a performance, and perform as a shirtless Stupidman.
This is why I enjoy making costumes for rockstars.

Note the nice Aussie touch of the blunstones instead of red superman boots. Noice.

I hand appliqued the symbol. Its rather difficult with stretch pvc I dont suggest you try it unless you have the patience of a saint...which luckily I do.

Check out Jimmy here:
http://jimmystewartswonderfullife.wordpress.com/about/

Check out his music:
CLINKERFIELD (for all your drunken pirate convict rockenroll needs since 2002)
THE MISERABLE LITTLE BASTARDS (depression era show tunes for the new global recession and an emancipation procession against emotional oppression since 2008).

For the writing on the cape, I copied the original Superman font, redrew it into "Stupidman" and hand appliqued/patchworked the whole thing!

On receiving his finished costume, dear Jimmy spent the day preceding his gig cycling around Melbourne fully costumed! That's commitment to an aesthetic!

Chimera costume for New York Songstress Kim Boekbinder

For a select few months of this year, Melbourne was graced with the presence of US songstress and all round sparkly glamour unicorn Miss KIM BOEKBINDER!  (http://www.kimboekbinder.com/)
Known as The Impossible Girl, Kim is a performer, composer, musician, and visual artist who defies genre.
Kim’s debut solo album, The Impossible Girl, was funded by a successful pre-order campaign that raised $20,000, allowing Kim to record with legendary Boston Producer, Sean Slade (Radiohead, Dresden Dolls,) and engineer Benny Grotto (voted Boston’s Producer of the Year 2010.) The power of her dedicated fan base is making her first album one of the great success stories of the new music paradigm.
Released on December 15th, 2010, The Impossible Girl has already garnered favorable reviews from fans including: Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, Rosanne Cash, and more.

                                          Video of Kim Boekbinder's song "Impossible Girl #2"

I had the pleasure to create a costume for this fine woman, a wild glittery creation which paid homage to Thierry Mugler's "Chimera" haute couture dress, as well taking inspiration from Kim's beautiful dreamy music, glitter, birds, unicorns, sequins...and her wild mane of pink hair.
Please check out her website, and if you dont already own it- buy her CD! (http://www.kimboekbinder.com/)
To say that I'm obsessed with her music is putting it lightly...its no wonder she has a track titled "Stalker"...

Kim wearing her Chimera dress, in concert New York 2011

Final fitting

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Epic piles of sequins required!

First sequin appliques applied

The bottom half of the dress was a combination of sequin appliques, loose sequins and feathers all hand stitched.

Me working on the dress

Finished! The feather bustles at the waist were my favourite detail

Sexy Death with Cleave & Daly

Agent Cleave and I once again hit the floor of anti art school DR SKETCHY's Melbourne, with a costume pose-tastic extravaganza for the Halloween weekend...we made it "SEXY DEATH!"
Melbourne's talented artists sketched our mincing and strutting, to the sultry tunes provided by the wonderful DJ Knave.
Our costumes were all designed and made by myself and Agent Cleave.

Black Mad Max-esque vinyl gothic go-go dance leotards with asymetric shoulder details.

Gold skull headress, with gold antlers and blond mohawk. Matching gold skulls shoulder pieces.

Queens of Arts

Elite freaks as hired guns for the Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
We were....the entertainment.
Myself and 4 other performers (Agent Cleave, James Andrews, Conor Gallacher and Anita Stevens) created a mad hatters tea party, ran riot and created obnoxious mischief amongst Melbourne's hoy polloy last Saturday at the Lord Mayor's Annual Charity Ball, held at the very grand Plaza Ballroom, at the Regent, Melbourne.
The costumes were designed and styled by myself and Anthony Cleave (aka Agent Cleave) and rather than go down the Disney path- we instead favoured (naturally) a more obscure high fashion take on ye olde Lewis Carroll.

Me- as the Queen of Hearts. Wig, makeup and costume by Jess Daly

Actor Conor Gallacher as the Mad Hatter. Costume designed by Jess Daly- inspiration: Nikki Sixx (from Motley Crew) at a tea party in a circus ring.

Dancer, performer and seamstress Anita Stevens (aka Lady bird) as Alice. Wig by Jess Daly (probably one of my favourite wigs Ive ever styled) high-fashion editorial inspired Alice as it were...