Stoning a costume is the best part of the creative process, it can transform what is essentially just bits of fabric sewn together in a dress shape into a truly stunning costume!
Crystals not only bring the costume to life with their inevitable sparkliness, but it enables me as a designer to bring depth to the costume, to manipulate the embellishments to create light and shade, to bring elements of the design to the foreground, and to highlight aspects of the costume which would otherwise be invisible without the crystals.
I used to work in theatre, I have worked on productions not only as a costume designer but also set designer and lighting designer. Lighting a theatrical set is similar to stoning a costume, it is illuminating the design and enabling the audience to appreciate the set, costumes and actors. Imagine a stage with no lighting….. it’s essentially a radio play!
For me as a designer the stoning is an integral part of the creative process, and I enjoy this aspect of the creative process the most. At art school we were encouraged to think outside the box, to challenge our paradigms and to create new ways to create art. This enabled a new way to work, without convention holding us back. I was fascinated by textiles and textures, I think this is perhaps why I love using crystals to bring my work to life.
Sparkle Ice 