Went to Tutuschool NY and made.. a ballet tunic and dance boots?!

It is hard to believe but summer is officially over. Where did it go? One minute it was May, school was letting out and then boom it was September.
Last year I went to Tutu.com's tutu school for the first time and although it was intense I learned so much that I had to go again.
This year I was able to go to NY city. Although it is called tutu school, I still did not take a tutu making class (I have made lots of tutus but learned from Claudia Folt's book not by taking her class) but I did learn how to make a handsome tailored coat or dance tunic and matching dance boots.
The classes were taught by Jeremy Bernardoni and Claudia Folts of Tutu.com at the Gelsey Kirkland academy of Ballet in NY city.

Jason Hadley

Part of the trip was a fabulous tour of the NY city ballet's costume shop, http://www.nycballet.com/Explore/The-Costumes.aspx where we saw many of their famous costumes. They were very generous both with their time and sharing of information but we were asked not to share photographs on Facebook or blogs. The photo posted here is from a NY times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/arts/dance/03cost.html?_r=0) so i figured that was okay.
After our visit at the costume shop, we went shopping in the Garment District. Still a great place to find just about anything but sadly it is under a lot of pressure from online retailers, and the high costs of running a business in the city. Iconic stores such as Tinsel trading, Gem Fabrics and other stores are or have closed their doors because their buildings were sold or they could not longer compete. Some, like Tinsel trading will be operating online and possibly have a small storefront in the future.
I found some gorgeous silk brocades, silk velvet in a rich burgundy, soft green silk chiffon, shot silk organza and a black and silver beaded lace along with vintage ribbons, colored horsehair for hats, stretch fabrics and trims for the coat I was going to make and other future projects.
Another perk of tutu school New York was that  we were given a tour of Gelsey Kirkland's costume shop and wardrobe. Jennifer, their highly talented and overall lovely person, kindly showed us around her work space and some of the new and vintage costumes she takes care of. Gelsey Kirkland ballet was fortunate to have been able to purchase costumes from the now defunct New York City Opera. Each costume is a work of art in itself and it was inspiring to be able to see them "up-close and personal". Jennifer transformed  costumes from Faust into fabulous Carabosse  (including black wings) and her minions costumes.

Now to the actual projects I worked on. I felt a little out of my depth as my classmates were all highly talented, "professional" costumers and I am a professional amateur.  The atmosphere in class was very supportive and stimulating since everyone was willing to help or share their expertise.
I had chosen to make  Jeremy Bernardoni's Nutcracker cavalier coat. Tutu.com supplied a wonderful dark navy cotton stretch fabric and powernet for the lining. I had made the choice to add the sleeves to an undervest although the design had inset sleeves. Traditionally the sleeves on men's dance tunics are put onto a vest to give the dancer a greater range of motion. Jeremy, who studied tailoring in Paris and was also a dancer himself, had come up with a very clever design which allowed for an inset sleeve that still provided enough movement.

Powernet under vest with fabric sleeves

 The lines of the coat are like a military dress uniform tunic, with a high collar and tails at the back.

Front of the un-decorated coat

back of the un-decorated coat

Undecorated the coat looks good but a real military dress coat and especially a costume needs some serious embellishments. Claudia Folts taught the embellishment class, which included a very thoughtful discussion about lines, taste, color and what I can best describe as the goal or role of the costume. What do you want people to say about your costume when they see it?
With that in mind, we set to work looking at trims, sketching and coloring an illustration and then off course adding some trim.
It was the end of day three of my intensive and I must confess to having been very tired. I picked out a few things but was not able to sew anything onto the coat.

Epaulettes for cavalier coat

Once home again, I finished the coat by adding the hooks and bars and then began the process of embellishing the coat. Traditionally the Cavalier's costume is based on a Hussar's uniform. These feature elaborate loops, cording and soutache tape works, but no (fringed) epaullettes. I liked the look of the gold fringe with a gold and navy braid so I added it. The coat will not be totally "authentic" but it is a costume so I think it will be okay.
At this time I have made a start on the embellishment but it will take a while for me to decided exactly what I'd like the coat to look like. I made the epaulettes and finished the neck but am still working on the back, sleeves and front. I will add photos once I am done.

Nutcracker coat with epaulettes

Since my last post I have been slowly working on my Nutcracker coat. I finally finished the back of the coat with scrolls and trim.

back view of Nutcracker coat

For inspiration, I looked at historical officers' dress uniforms and discovered that  I had made a "mistake". Most Nutcracker coats are based in a Hussar uniform but these uniforms do not have fringed epaulettes. My coat does.  I finally found some examples of uniforms (not naval uniforms which often do have fringed epaulettes) that I could use as inspiration and set to work designing the cuffs and front. These uniforms have elaborate scrolls and knots made out of soutache tape, braid or cord.
I finally found a "pattern" from a historical book which I could draw out and then use as a template to make my design.

Nutcracker coat cuff design

I recently finished making two cuff appliques and have attached them to the coat. I like the way it looks and based on my research it is fairly authentic. I made the cuff decorations as an all in one appliques so that it can be removed when the coat is laundered. The coat is made of a wonderful stretch cotton, so it is washable (!), comfortable, breathable and due to the stretch fits perfectly.

Nutcracker coat with cuff appliques.

After this I will approach the front of the coat, and of course keep you posted.