Monday, April 18, 2011

Post #2 for JordanCon 2011



By Linda


This recount of day 2 at JordanCon is brought to you from New York City where I will be holidaying/resting for a week or so.

Bright and early on Saturday I helped costumer Pinky Shear on her “The Devil’s In the Details” costume panel. She is a brilliant designer and creator of costumes as was evident in the work she displayed. Her aim was to give advice on how to make a more authentic-looking, yet flattering, costume:

  • Take into account your body type and personality when choosing the character or national dress you wish to emulate.

  • Appropriate accessories are essential for a really believable look. Pinky recommends using my costume article and the period paintings it contains.

  • Drapery fabric is a good choice for costuming because it stands up to the wear well. Besides, in earlier times they used heavier fabrics than we do these days.

  • Using a lot of a cheaper fabric and highlights of a more expensive fabric makes costuming a lot more economical. So you can make more costumes! Or buy more books!

  • Appliquing motifs, stripes, braid or decorative ribbon can add interest or contrast. A small amount of a different colour in your costume can really give it a lift.



Aviendha’s visit to the Waste panel

Matt Hatch, Amanda Keene and I discussed Aviendha’s trip to Rhuidean in Towers of Midnight. We had heaps to say, and so did the audience, which is as it should be! We could have gone on twice as long.

For instance, was Nakomi really there, or in Aviendha’s dream, or in Tel’aran’rhiod? Is/was she a Wise One, or Verin, or a Forsaken? Myself, I think she was a Wise One.

And what of the glass columns? Amanda made the great suggestion that they have sentience. Others think they work via need, as Tel’aran’rhiod does.

Were Aviendha’s visions a Foretelling or a possible future? Do the Seanchan take over the world no matter what Aviendha does?

I think that the Aiel will break over whether to be warriors or peacekeepers and the Seanchan will break over sul’dam being able to learn to channel and whether to continue to collar damane.


News of A Memory of Light

I was not surprised to learn that A Memory of Light will probably be out later in 2012 rather than earlier. (Northern hemisphere autumn/fall, say, rather than spring). Not rushing the book is a very good idea.

2 comments:

Nathan Beal said...

One aspect of costume design that I have seen medieval re-enactors utilize for maximum authenticity in their look is hand sewing. They claim that a hand sewn seam looks better in the fabrics they use than a machine stitch.

Linda said...

I agree, Nathan. I do a lot of hand sewing for decoration if nothing else. (And Pinky does too, incidentally.)

Pinky was aiming for a less painstaking and time-consuming approach however. :)