You may have noticed that things have gone a little quiet on the Flo Foxworthy website and Facebook pages recently.
Earlier this year I was promoted to head of the Textiles Department at Weta Workshop, and for the past 18 months my incredible team and I have been working on one of the most exciting film projects we've ever been involved in.
This project could continue for a while, so I've finally decided to downsize my own business and I will only be working on a couple of very special showgirl costume commissions for the next 18 months while my main focus is on my team at Weta and our ongoing film contract.
Sometimes a girl has to make tough decisions, and this has been a big one for me.
I will not be taking any additional orders for G strings, Ostrich Fans or any other custom made items during this time - but i'm always more than happy to refer people to any of the other amazing burlesque costumiers around the world :D
My workroom is full of gorgeous fabrics, sequins, feathers, trims and everything wonderful - and most of it will be up for sale at the end of this month.
Visit my website for more info - if you're in Wellington (New Zealand), be sure to come along!
So 2017 turned out to be a pretty incredible year full of ups and downs, so i thought i'd do a quick rundown of the highlights... it turned out to be one hell of a list - I was actually shocked!
Worked on 4 films with my awesome costume department team at Weta Workshop, from Pattern Cutter to Costume Supervisor, it's been a seriously busy year.
Saw my work from 3 2016 film jobs on the big screen - Saban's Power Rangers, Ghost in the Shell and Thor Ragnarok.
Was interviewed by Adam Savage for his YouTube show TESTED to talk about how our Weta Workshop team created the Thermoptic suit worn by Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell.
- Scroll down for the video!
Was interviewed for a bunch of other international media for the work in Ghost in the Shell and Thor.
Designed & made special performance capture suits for Weta Digital's work on Alita: Battle Angel
Collected a few Funko Pop Vinyl figures of characters whose costumes I made (pretty damn cool to be honest!)
Had wrist surgery for Carpal Tunnel syndrome (and now have a pretty cool scar).
Went through a period of pretty serious burnout (due in large part to the list above haha!).
Drastically cut down on my showgirl client work for 6 months to give my wrists/hands and brain time to recover (cut down, but didn't stop entirely). It made a huge difference!
Made a few special costume underwear pieces for Dita Von Teese and two of her Art of the Teese tour cast members,including US dancer QuitaBee and Australian burlesque starlet Zelia Rose.
Zelia Rose & Violet Chachki (I did not make Violet's costume though 😉)
Was named #4 on the 2016 Burlesque Top 50 Non-Performing person's list (making me #2 Costumier after one of my own favourite costumiers Christina Manuge 💗).
Made a couple of gorgeous full costumes for burlesque performers Duchess DeBerry (New Zealand), Alyssa Kitt (Australia) & Zelia Rose (Australia) as well as many smaller pieces for other clients all around the world.
Made a full replica 1960's Playboy Bunny outfit for Playboy playmate Amy Lee Summers.
Enjoyed my first whole year in my wonderful inner city studio, my happy place!
Was featured in Fashion Quarterly Magazine, New Zealand's answer to Vogue (a childhood dream realised!)
Celebrated 9 years of awesomeness with my amazing husband (4 year's married) ♥
Our beloved cat Murray passed away, and we adopted another cat named Charlie - and had our minds blown when we found out that Charlie was actually Murray's son!
RIP Murray
Welcome to the family Charlie, son of Murray!
Was honoured to make the base G string and Cupless Bra for Dita Von Teese's newest act, embellished by Jenny Packham's team in London and debuted in LA on New Year's Eve.
And of course, used countless Swarovski rhinestones!
Check out these links to see some of the year's work 😃
I never thought i'd say this, but it turns out I can't do it all..
As many of you already know, I split my time between two dream jobs;
Firstly I have my own beloved business creating sparkling costumes for burlesque showgirls, skimpy bikinis for strippers, specialized VFX suits for performance and motion capture, orthotic support corsets for wheelchair-bound women, stage bikinis and trunks for professional body builders... the list keeps growing with every new spark of an idea!
And secondly is my other love, special-effects costumes for film. I'm the second-in-charge of the costume department at Weta Workshop in New Zealand, where my amazing team and I get to create crazy costumes for major film projects like Ghost in the Shell, Power Rangers, Pacific Rim, The Hobbit and so many more.
In creative industries, we nearly always need a side hustle - that second stream of income that keeps the bills paid when your other job is slow (or a film project falls over/is put on hold etc).. Due to my insane work ethic (absolute workaholic) I've ended up with two main hustles, and as much as i love them both equally, the non-stop work is starting to wear me down and i need to take a break.
Aside from the long hours, my poor old hands & wrists are taking a beating. I'm sure many of my fellow costumiers will understand the frustration of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendinitis, it's getting so bad that i can't even hold my phone or open a jar without feeling the effects... I'm even starting to have trouble threading a needle and using a pen, it's a bit scary to be honest.
So i've made the huge decision to cut back on things for the rest of this year, and will be having surgery to help with my wrists.
I've had to weigh the pros and cons of each job, and this time film has won. I've taken a more supervisory role on this next film project, which means I can rest my hands a little and will be doing less of the actual physical work myself.
I'm not closing down my own business though - far from it!
I'll just be using the spare time in the evenings to review and streamline my business, to make sure that i'm directing my efforts toward the parts of my business that i love the most.
You might notice a few changes on my websites - I'll be taking a few of the more complex items out and only offering the basics. I love making G strings, and it's where my entire career began so i couldn't possibly stop making them now haha!
So yeah, thank you to all my amazing clients for being so patient over the past few years while i was biting off more than i could chew. I'm still here, I'm just taking a half step back for a while ;)
February is well on it's way! It's still technically summer here in New Zealand but the weather hasn't been that consistent, so it helps looking at pretty things, kicking off our birthstone/rhinestone monthly mood boards with Amethyst Aspirations
We absolutely love the KTB photo set of Alyssa Kitt in her custom Flo Foxworthy "Lilac Moon" costume, she toured with this stunning act throughout Australia in the Australian Burlesque Festival, and we were very lucky to see it in action here last year when she performed in New Zealand. I'll do a February spotlight on this costume as it's so detailed and spectacular!
Fires Waltz, the latest Haute Couture Spring Summer 2017 from Zuhair Murad. With the quote "An explosion of coloured light cloaked with the darkest night, then reflected in the shadowy waters below."
This lipstick and glitter combo from Blushaholic using Lit Cosmetics Deja Vu cosmetic glitter that we sell on the Foxworthy website. add it to your everyday and performance makeup, nail polish, crafts...life.
The vibes of classic showgirl, Sheree North, in her outrageous routine from 1955 film" How To Be Very Popular". I think I've done a few of these moves, and I might just steal some more!
Before I jump right in, I'd like to start with a "Phew! I can't believe it's already February". The last 6 weeks have flown by with us moving into a new workroom. The dust and rhinestones are still settling and finding their right places, as we get into the groove for 2017.
My name is Ria and I have joined Flo this year as an all round assistant on this crazy Foxworthy journey, I'll do a proper introduction post about myself soon but first I'd like to catch you up on Flo's last year.
2016 was a really busy year as Flo took on fewer burlesque commissions to focus on a large commitment to work with Weta Workshop on film "Ghost in the Shell". Here is a great video interview where you can see the work the Weta crew did and catch Flo discussing the creation of Scarlett Johansson's Thermoptic Suit.
With the release of 21st Century Burlesque's "Burlesque Top 50 2016" we wanted to highlight a few of our lovely clients who were voted in as it sums up the year and makes up feel warm and fuzzy!
Wearing a Foxworthy bra and corset set, photographed by Brent Leideritz
We hope your year is off to a good start, we'll be keeping you posted with regular blogs, and would love to know if there's anything you'd like to read!?
xx
When making a costume, it's important to have accurate body measurements in order to create a garment that fits properly.
All costumiers have their own preferences when it comes to the measurements they require (and use many different names for them as well!), so here's all the information you need to measure yourself up in preparation for your new custom-made costume from Flo Foxworthy.
Before you begin
You'll need to be wearing as little as possible in order to take accurate measurements - a Bra and Panties is ideal, but if it's a little chilly then you can wear a lightweight t-shirt and thin leggings.
Stand up straight, with your arms down by your sides. If you'll be wearing heels with your costume then please put them on (and if you prefer to be barefoot when you dance, then leave them off).
It's also easier to have a friend measure you, but if not just go slow.
Using a measuring tape
If you know what you're doing then you can skip this step!
When you wrap the tape around the body, it should be firm but not tight - you don't want to be squishing any soft bits and getting an inaccurate reading.
Measurements taken in centimeters should be exact to the millimeter if possible. Measurements taken in inches should be exact to 1/16th of an inch.
If you have no access to a measuring tape, your other option is to use rope or string and measure from
The main thing is to hold your body in it's natural, comfortable way - so don't force suck in or push your stomach out unless that's a part of how you're wearing your costume - And remember the old saying "Measure twice, cut once"!
It's been a couple of months since this list was released and i'm still kinda shocked..
I'm so unbelievably honored to be named alongside these amazing women.
I feel so lucky to be able to make costumes for a living - it's all I've ever wanted to do since I was a kid.
Between my gorgeous showgirl clients and my film work, the last ten years in particular have been a crazy blur of long hours, late nights and tight deadlines that I wouldn't exchange for anything.
There are times when i get so caught up with work that it takes me forever to reply to emails and messages, or update my website.. (or write blog posts haha!) but my clients are always so patient and understanding.
Wow - Somehow this post has turned into a teary Miss Universe/Oscar winner speech haha!
Bur seriously, I have my dream job and it's all thanks to the awesome people who trust me to make them stuff <3
