If you have these patterns or are going to get them,the pattern envelope tells you what kind of fabric,notions etc that you need.

Refresh my memory,are you the one that has never sewn before?? If so those patterns look to me like you are biting off far more than you'll be able to chew!!! Those are not beginner patterns.I don't mean that to flame you or anything,just want you to know what you are getting yourself into.The stress,and frustration if you've never sewn b4 could be overwhelming.JMO
Kathi

Oh, no, I've sewn before. Lots. It's just I'm not so experienced in making clothing.

I don't have a pattern, and I don't really think I'm going to get one, because these costumes are copies of the band that I've shown you pictures of (Malice Mizer.) So, there is no where I'd be able to get patterns that were EXACTLY like this, and that's what I'm doing; making these costumes EXACTLY how they look in the pictures. (You see, to better explain this, my band and I go around and perform as the band Malice Mizer, but we are not them. Just posing as them, to put it frankly. Here is an example of what we do: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cBtJowJA9ms&search=shiroi ) Soooo, I need to know what kind of fabrics that these are (or look like), so that I can make these costumes exactly as they appear in the photos.

You can go completely off the wall and make these out of silks, but I would not suggest it. Hard to work with, very expensive, must be dry cleaned, etc.

Regarding the hoop skirt: if the $22 garment is satisfactory to you, I'd buy it. You can make your own, but $22 can save you a lot of time and trouble. What you can't know is whether the quality is what you are looking for.

Look for polyester and polyester blends. In the group.4 shot, you can see a jacquard design on the satin of the Mana's skirt. You should be able to find this in a polyester or blend. In 242, I'd guess the pants are velvet or velveteen, and the long vest is a similar material to Mana's dress - with the woven-in Jacquard design.

Be very open minded about fabrics. Check home decoration fabrics, bridal fabrics, etc. Although it's possible to dye fabric, polyester does not take dyes well, and it's difficult to get the results you want with a dark color (as opposed to, say, pink). You really shouldn't have a problem finding fabrics in black.

The Kozi dress looks like a lace overlay. That is, a dress constructed of two layers, and plain black fabric underneath and a lace fabric on top, which you can probably cut and treat as one fabric. If you can find a black fabric (black on black - black with black print or woven design) with an obvious lace pattern to it, you can use that -- the construction and maintenance will be easier.

The fellow in the top coat: I'd look for a wool/polyester blend for that one. It will tailor up very nicely. Probably go with velvet or velveteen for the pants.

Sometimes you can substitute a very fine wale corduroy for velvet, which would be easier to maintain and easier to sew.

Although you don't have a pattern, do check patterns for period costumes. Edwardian for the top coat and vest, Regency for the lace dress, Civil War for the full dress. Just use the bodice pieces or the shoulder yoke (vest) pieces as starting points. These are the hardest parts to draft yourself. Relatively speaking, adapting sleeves or necklines or trim is easy, drafting the original "basic bodice/yoke and armhole" is much harder -- just start out with that part already done for you.

An excellent book that will give you lots of tips about adapting patterns for costumes is:

Elizabethan Costuming for the Years 1550 - 1580
by Janet Winter and Caroyln Savoy.

It has been an invaluable resource to me in my construction of numerous Renaissance costumes.

Although it is not your "period" there are lots of instructions on building your own pattern, how to take a commercial pattern and alter it, how to alter a sleeve pattern and construct different types of sleeves (like the leg 'o mutton sleeve on Kozi's dress), how to make undergarments, including a hoop skirt (farthingale), using a commercial shirt pattern as a jumping off point for period shirts (and adapting the sleeves to what you want) and it has explicit instructions on how to make a ruff, that lacy thing around Kozi's neck. The authors constructed costumes for Ren Faire performers and their construction methods are very sturdy.

This book inspired me to branch out and invent on my own. I always refer back to it when making costumes.

CMC

Hoop skirt - petticoats are hot and can't hold the skirt out unless they are really stiff (no fun to wear). Try a local bridal shop for one.

If these are performing costumes ... what CMC said! I'd look for a medium-weight washable jaquard brocade for the dresses (polyester, poly-cotton, or cotton). Buy washable linings and notions, and WASH EVERYTHING before you lay out and cut. Attach the white lace things with hook and eye or thin velcro so you can change them easily.

Check the costume section of pattern books for something close, then do some adapting. group4.jpg shows (left) basic men's "sack coat" with straight leg trousers, (right) an Elizabethan ruff collar on a basically "Goth" or vampiress dress, and (center) 1890's leg of mutton sleeves on an otherwise "Civil War" hoopskirt and a lace ruffle at the bottom.

And what is a "Wa-Loli" dress?

Thanks for your help, everyone! I'll definitley look into finding that book, CMC. We were wondering how we would get Kozi's neck ruffle done. Thanks a bunch! Just so everyone knows, though, since I don't think I specified in my last post, although I *will* be performing on stage in these costumes, the exact-factor comes before the comfort-factor. Since Malice Mizer is an all male rock group (Yes, even Mana, [who I perform as]) and my group consists of only females, we all have to bind our chests and whatnot, to portray a someone manlier figure, so comfort is completley out all together. (I hope no one thinks that's strange or anything... I sometimes get those reactions...)

Wa-Loli means Wa-Lolita, and is a sub-category of the Lolita fashion, a fashion style which is immensely (and mainly) popular in Japan, currently. The main category of Lolita fashion is Gothic Lolita. The point of the fashion style is to look girly, cute, and innocent. Mana (The guy in the dress in the pictures in my first post) is often credited with creating the Gothic & Lolita fashion style, and has created a clothing line called Moi Meme Moitie.
The wa-lolita fashion in particular mixes traditional Japanese clothing styles with lolita style. ^_^

Thanks for explaining, Mana. Very interesting look and very interesting fashion phenomena (I Googled up some additional info).

If you need to bind your chests, the Elizabethan Costuming book also includes instructions on how to make corsets, although Elizabethan corsets were usually designed to accentuate the bust! However, you'll find some basic construction techniques that I think you'll find instructive. You can get the book on Amazon for $15. Or, see if you can get it out of your local library.

The wool/polyester blend fabric I was thinking of is often called "washable wool". It's a blend with the look of wool, but the convenience of polyester. Whatever fabrics you choose, I agree with Lazygardens: wash them all first in the way you intend to wash the costumes. If you are unsure about how a particular fabric will "wash up" wash a test piece first.

The suggestion to get a hoop skirt (underskirt) through a bridal shop is very good. Although you can make items like this (and you can probably find patterns for such an undergarment in the bridal or costume section of various commercial pattern books) you can save a bit of time and aggravation by purchasing it instead.

CMC

No problem! ^^ I personally am a big fan of the style myself. And Since Moi Meme Moitie clothing costs so much, I'll just copy the designs and make my own... :3

Yeah, a corset would be nice. I usually use a compression shirt thats 2 sizes too small for me... and occasionally some duct tape. >.o

Thanks for helping with the fabric issues!! =)

I'll shop around for a hoop skirt at the bridal shops around here.

@ lazygardens: yeah, I agree, petticoats are hot and uncomfortable (I've definitley had to wear quite a few in what I do). But they just look so darn cute, right?! lol, Thanks for helping!

BTW- I up'ed some more reference photo's last night, in some of these I think you see the fabric clearer.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g163/m_a_n_a/yuki20.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g163/m_a_n_a/146878.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g163/m_a_n_a/2012.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g163/m_a_n_a/kozi52.jpg

This question may be a little out of place but, in this picture (^) does anyone know where I could get a cross necklace of that size without getting one custom made? I tried looking at wall crosses, too, 'cause they're bigger, but then they were TOO big. It looks to be about 6 inches or so, right? >.http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g163/m_a_n_a/mm_malice13.jpg

Thanks everyone! ^^

Hmmm. Looks like Yuki's coat *might* also be satin jaquard.

Here's a couple of fabrics that you might find interesting:

http://www.housefabric.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=13107

http://www.housefabric.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=10593

This one is lovely, but very expensive due to the all-over embroidery:

http://www.housefabric.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=17644

And just for the heck of it, here's a slection of petticoats. Although the pricing says it's "per yard" I think it's really "each" -- this is fabric website and everything else is sold by the yard.

http://www.housefabric.com/categorysubview.asp?CategoryID=108&CategorySubID=344

All these are in the Bridal section of this website, so I'd focus on that category. It was easy to find any of these fabrics in black, too.

For laces, you can go with stuff for $30 to $100 a yard, or take a stroll through Hancock's Fabrics bridal section (much more reasonable); click the View Swatches link to see the colors:

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=13997&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=95&iSubCat=100&iProductID=13997

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=13996&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=95&iSubCat=100&iProductID=13996

I think the lace dress most resembles this one:

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=26542&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=95&iSubCat=100&iProductID=26542

Some basic black satin:

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=11094&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=95&iSubCat=98&iProductID=11094

It's fun to fabric shop with a mouse and keyboard,
CMC

http://www.housefabric.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=10593

CMC- I LOVE YOU FOR FINDING THIS!~ It's PERFECT. THANK YOU! You're awesome!! I think I'm gonna buy that book, too. Thanks so much! I can't wait to make this and wear it... and perform in it! ^_^

Thanks to everyone else, too!

-Mana

They are ALL guys? Could have fooled me. If you are women dressing up like men who dressed up like women, is that wierd? Yes, but wierd is good.

Check into this site: http://www.gbacg.org/ it's a Costumer's guild site with links to all kinds of things. They even do reviews of patterns.

And the http://www.costume.org/ International Guild of Costumers.

LG

PS: Thanks for the Wa-Loli info. It makes sense now.

Yup, weird is good. Really, only Mana is dressed as a woman in this photoshoot, though. ^^ (He's such a beautiful man, ne?) He says he wants to break down the borders of gender. "If a female can walk down the street in a skirt and have no one think it's unusual, then I should be able to do the same." He says. Ah, I love him to no end! I'll post pictures from my groups photoshoot when we do it, but it's a ways a way. (Scheduled for April 2007)

Don't forget about me!! I'll most likely have more questions between now and then, though! Thanks for the advice CMC and lazygardens, you guys are the best!

All sounds very strange to me, LOL but maybe you can find some patterns that may help you. There seems to be no real period on the style, a mix of Victorian, Edwardian, Gothic too, below is a web site for Denver fabrics, they have a large collection of costume patterns, go to the site and in the index on the left side see patterns click on that then choose or look through the whole bunch,
to me the fabrics look like a rayon velvet. hope this helps Rene

Here is a link that might be useful: Denver Fabrics

omg i cant believe your in a Malice Mizer tribute!! THATS AWESOME!!!! lol. Me and a friend are starting a visual kei band based on Malice mizer, doing malice mizer and moi dix mois covers etc. We will ( hopefully) be the first visual kei band in north england!) lol
please please please email me whith pictures of these costumes as you go along or when there complete. and could you possibly give me tips (as your doing EXACTLY what i want to do lol) my email is robochrish@hotmail.com.
please please email me because i would be sooo greatful
thank you
chris x