Amazing Headdresses

[CHR]

Tulips and Pansies: The Headdress Affair

Simply stunning personal flowers. Follow the link above. Gotta see 'em to believe it. Here's a taste -

Article found via Digg. If you have a Digg account, show 'em some love.

 

[CHR]

More shots from the show - with some cool close-ups like this one.

 

[Lizi]

Amazing! Who needs a float.

 

[Tuberose]

Wow, how do those women hold those up and still manage to walk.

 

[BOSS]

Wow, how do those women hold those up and still manage to walk.

I've often asked myself the same question

Awesome head wear...truly in line with a parade float!

 

[CHR]

Wow, how do those women hold those up and still manage to walk.

It's just like dealing with 4" heels. Smile through the pain knowing you're fabulous. :>

 

[RWK]

Looks like Damas de Caridad and Las Floristas have some competition. Besides........., in reading the article.....Two designers that were mentioned......Richie Rich and Traver Rains of Heatherette......they come up with some cool, crazy, and funky fashions.

 

[virginia_Bob]

Amazing No other way to describe them.

Thanks for sharing Cathy.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

I am feeling WAAAYYYYY inferior. I have no idea how to even start to make something like that. No clue what so ever. I feel like such a looser, I think I'll quit the business tomorrow. <<<<<<<sigh>>>>>>>>>

Or maybe some one will tell me how they do it. And please no speculation, Someone who has actually done something like this tell me.
I did an outfit for a drag show years ago, but it was no where near that ambitious!!

 

[RWK]

I have done a few headdresses over the years. Most headdress models have a special brace made for them.......Your model wears a special corset that has a pocket positioned where the hips meet the lower back and that pocket is where the paddle end of the brace goes into, straps then hold a steel rod bent to fit the curvature of the model's spine, neck, and head ..... the rod is welded to the paddle and the other end of the rod bolts with wing nuts onto a fiberglass helmet that the headdress is made on. SO, the weight of the headdress is not carried on the head and neck at all, it is carried on the hips and lower back area.

Additionally, there is an upper weight limit. If memory serves me correctly, the total weight complete.....including flowers, trim, framework, etc. cannot exceed 35 pounds.

Maintaining balance is important as well as periodic fittings on your model to ensure that everything stays centered with gravity.
Lastly, there is also a height and width limitation. - If I recall correctly, The height above the head cannot exceed 6 feet, Yo cannot exceed 4 feet total width, and cannot extend past the knees and cannot extend more that 4 feet directly forward or backward of the model.

 

[lori042499]

I have done a few headdresses over the years. Most headdress models have a special brace made for them.......Your model wears a special corset that has a pocket postitioned where the hips meet the lower back and that pocket is where the paddle end of the brace goes into, straps then hold a steel rod bent to fit the curvature of the model's spine, neck, and head ..... the rod is welded to the paddle and the other end of the ros bolts with wing nuts onto a fibeerglass helmet that the headdress is made on. SO, the weight of the headdress is not carried on the head and neck at all, it is carried on the hips and lower back area.

Additionally, there is an upper weight limit. If memory serves me correctly, the toal weight complete.....including flowers, trim, framework, etc. cannot exceed 35 pounds.

Maintaining balance is important as well as periodic fittings on your model to ensure that everything stays centered with gravity.
Lastly, there is also a height and width limitation. - If I recall correctly, The height above the head cannot exceed 6 feet, Yo cannot exceed 4 feet total width, and cannot extend past the knees and cannot extend more that 4 feet directly forward or backward of the model.

Thanks for the info Rick...

I was wondering the same thing as Shannon...I am usually good about figuring out the mechanics for things, but this escaped me something fierce....

Now let me ask, is the internal mechanics foam or some kind of crazy armiture. I would imagine foam woud get too heavy...

I am very glad those poor girls don't have to carry that weight on their heads, that coupled with balancing on those fashonista heels would certainly do them in...

 

[Brad]

Very cool thanks for sharing ,I hope I never have to make one.

 

[Frank]

Wow!

Awesomely beautiful!

 

[RWK]

Thanks for the info Rick...

I was wondering the same thing as Shannon...I am usually good about figuring out the mechanics for things, but this escaped me something fierce....It was tough for me figuring out how to build the first one I ever did........all I knew at the time was a headdress went on the head and had a lot of feathers.

Now let me ask, is the internal mechanics foam or some kind of crazy armiture. I would imagine foam woud get too heavy...I glue styrofoam to the fiberglass helmet base and I use light-weight foamcore for any shapes needed or I use a millenery material callled buckram and 18 guage wire. Flowers are threaded onto long peices of ting ting and then glued into the foam base.



I am very glad those poor girls don't have to carry that weight on their heads, that coupled with balancing on those fashonista heels would certainly do them in...

Richard Seekins AIFD is who introduced me to flowerchat and he has done a lot with headdresses over the years.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

RWK you are a rwkstar!

Get it, RWKSTAR!!!!

Thank you!!

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

Oh come on Brad!! I can't WAIT to make one! maybe I'll make it for myself and wear it around the house!!

 

[Connie]

...the incredibly awesome, inspiring things one can find here......

 

[lori042499]

Rick how long does it usually take to create one of those monsters...

I am imagining hours and hours of planning, modeling and fine tuning...

 

[RWK]

The last headdress design I did was for a design competition. The competiton theme was "Midnight Reflections of the Twenties"

It took me eight weeks of planning and assembling the raw frame. It took me another three weeks glueing and covering the frame with silk floewr petals, It took me about eight hours steady work in glueing and attaching the fresh flowers complement. And all this was done before and after the regular day's work, on my lunch times, etc.

I'll have to really hunt through some photo albums and see if I still have a photo, but the model's helmet had one of those large straw hats you see on doors as the base.....sprayed black. The brim was rolled and twisted and buckram frames with black silk rose petals added to hide styrofoam. The mechanics covering the foam and adding accents was teal painted tulle with black and silver glitter. The fresh flowers complement was purple dendro orchids and peacock feathers strung on long ting ting peices. My model wore a black and teal all fringe flapper style dress.
---------------------------------------------------

there is more to this story.....I'll finish telling it a bit later.

 

[Brad]

Oh come on Brad!! I can't WAIT to make one! maybe I'll make it for myself and wear it around the house!!

If you do make sure to send me a picture.