James Gattuso

When I saw the pictures of this stunning outfit, I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor! Without a doubt, this is the most impressive Queen Elizabeth I costume that I have ever seen outside of a movie theater! James claims to be a bit of a novice as far as costuming goes, but his real love is make-up design. He originally posted pictures and information about this project on the Elizabethan Clothing yahoo group, so I took one of his posts describing the wig, make-up, and jewelry and have included it under the picture. You can also see one more full-length photograph here, and you can contact James at jimmytech2003(at)yahoo.com.

The wig is clumps of curly doll hair tied to a bobby pin, then built up in the shape I needed. The actual wig itself is a cheap $50.00 jobbie pulled back into a tight bun and netted with a hairnet that I spray painted gold. This is a nice simulation of a snood believe it or not. Jewelry... boy... most of it is from scratch, just bead and metal work. Very time consuming, and tedious work. Some of it is just junk I found at a thrift shop and spruced up with gems I bought in LA. It's all smoke, mirrors, and some good quality crystal gemstones. The glass or plastic gems just don't give the same sparkle as crystal. The crown piece on top of the wig is just some rubber piping I got at Home Depot... I attached it to a regular hair barret I bought. The rest is hat pins and bead work worked into the rubber piece. I covered it in fabric, and voila! Make up is a heavy concealer called Derma Blend I used for the filler and base. (I have acne scars I needed to get rid of) Ben Nye took care of the rest. Geisha base, Ivory highlights, some rouge and you're good to go. Lots of powder. The whole get up is a three hour process to get ready, and that includes make-up. Block the eyebrows out with some clear mustache wax, it works the best... but be sure to use moisturizer before anything. This heavy make-up will dry your skin like no one's business.