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How do YOU put on a bra

Hello Gang,

It’s been a few weeks – perhaps a few more than a few weeks. My six-week window for unpacking my studio has turned into two months. At this moment, I’m down in San Diego for the annual Comic-Con international. Since I’m spending some time away from home, I thought I might get some quality web-surfing time in before the convention begins.

With my never ending fascination with bras, I thought I would share some links to video clips, websites and lots of things all related to the magical and mysterious bra!

Enjoy!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina

1 – For the Bra Obsessed – Commercials with a sense of humor

2 – Bra Info and Other Stuff – These videos on YouTube are all about bras – some are quite informative – others.. well… if you have the time and more than a passing interest in bras, check them out,

3 – Need to get bigger-sized bra? Check out these webstores for the latest style. Don’t forget to check out the larger department stores in your area, especially for a professional bra fitting – and of course – there are discounters with a wide variety of options and lower price points!

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Last Night’s Project…

Hello My Friends and Fellow Costume Enthusiasts,

In a departure from my standard “tribal light” style of jewelry, I’ve made one of my most elegant creations ever. Tiger eye, garnet, sterling silver and, amazingly enough, already sold!


Over the next six weeks,
I’m working on three major projects.

Project #1 – Jewelry for the Silicon Valley Open Studios – In May, I will be participating in the SVOS tour. If you are in the greater bay area, and would like to see my jewelry in person, it will be on exhibition the first two weekends in May at the Westerfeld Studio in Palo Alto. For more information about time, location and the other two artists I will be showing with, visit my page on the SVOS website. Hopefully, I’ll have enough jewelry to exhibit. Wish me Luck!

Project #2 – Book Anyone? Yes, my new book is coming along.. but shhhhh.. I’m trying to keep it under wraps until it’s at the galley stage! I’m drawing and writing daily, and I hope to have it finished before Tribal Fest in May. I’ll be at Tribal Fest 8 hanging out, watching the dance, and enjoying one of the most FANTASTIC shows you can see in Northern California. And perhaps, if I am really good, I’ll have those galleys done-enough to show! Wish me luck!

Project #3 – I’m Moving! Not far.. but far enough to require me to pack up my studio and move. This is an exciting time for me, as I move even deeper into the beating heart of Silicon Valley. Hey – if you work at Google – invite me over for lunch!

So.. I’m putting my head down and finishing up a few items on my workbench.
Like this lovely necklace and others like it for the SVOS show.
Now – if I can just make them and NOT sell them right away..

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
http://www.davina.us

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I’ve made it to YouTube.

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Costumer’s Notes Revamp Underway

Hello Gang!!!
Past time.. and overdue.. Costumer’s Notes is getting the attention it has sorely needed and greatly deserves. As some of you know, I’ve had a great deal of trials and tribulations over the past four years. So now is the time to get things cooking. And like any good cook, it’s time to assemble the ingredients.

We’re going “old school” with Costumer’s Notes…
I’ve been producing a ‘zine – on and off – since 1988. That year solidified my path as a costume designer. I won a title in the Comic-Con masquerade for most humorous, was chugging through my third year in the Fashion Design program at Mesa College in San Diego, and dreaming of a career in theater. I had some fashion illustrations appear in the local newspaper, I was producing costumes for the Living History Center in Old Town San Diego. I was also making beautiful ballgowns, and even had the pleasure of appearing in the Society Column in the local newspaper. Costumer’s Notes made its first appearance, a thin six-page tips sheet for wearing and caring for Victorian hoops.

Now – literally 20 years later, I’ve produced dozens of volumes on a myriad topics. Through my BA in Visual Arts and Theater at UCSD, to my MFA work in Art History and Design at UCD, I’ve managed to squeeze out these small publications here and there, responding to the needs of my diverse group of clients, friends, associates and fans. Costumer’s Notes provided the original foundation for my first book Costuming from the Hip, and articles have grown and spun off, appearing in magazines, on other websites and integrated into the fiber of other reasearcher’s work.

After a four year hiatus, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get back to work!

Old Concepts – New Features

Now that the .pdf is dominating the world of print and I’ve been producing all of my books in .pdf for years, it’s common enough to place on the web and have it downloadable. So, instead of a big bulky website with lots of individual pages devoted to articles, columns, photos and advice, we’re simply going back to our original concept of the ‘zine. However, instead of sending it out for printing, then shipping via the mail, we’re simply going to deliver the newsletter to the world as a .pdf that is easy to download and print.

When is the next issue coming out?

I’ve just paused for a moment as I work on it, and will be taking some photos in a moment. I’m hoping the first edition of this “third cycle” will be online before May 15. It will appear at Rakkasah West, just days away, in a crude form, to show around and get feedback from my friends and co-conspirators. The title? Spandex Fusion Pants

What else will be on the Costumer’s Notes website?
So the new slimmer, sleeker website is reduced to a few simple elements.
Main Page – Welcome, schedule and current issue.
Archive page – A list of available back issues.
Links Page – For dancing accross the web.
About us – Every Page Needs a Mission
Sign-Up – Basically, our policies page with information about signing up for our opt-in montly mailings. Also – links to the Costumer’s Notes Yahoo Group – A way to connect to a bigger community of like-minded costuming types!

We’re shooting for simple, clean, and user friendly.
Jakob Nielson would be proud! (And if you know what that means, e-me and we’ll talk!)

Thanks to everyone who has supported my adventures. Keep the mail coming in, let me know what topics you would like to see in future issues. I look forward to hearing from you!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Author • Costumer • Dancer • Historian
http://www.costumersnotes.com
http://www.davina.us
http://www.ibexa.com

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Adventures in eMail Marketing Software…

….The Monkey of My Dreams – Found!

On my quest for an all new-and-improved Costumer’s Notes experience, I’ve decided to invest in some improvements in my infrastructure – especially in the way my mailing list works. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with several services to manage e-mail lists and send out professional quality e-mails. Well – I’ve test driven three and the winner is MailChimp.

Visit MailChimp
MailChimp has a great – easy-to-use web-based interface that allows you to create fantastic e-mails. Here’s a sample of one I made recently for an SF/BA MECDA event with workshop leader Yosifa Rose.

I was impressed by the simplicity of the MailChimp interface and how quickly and intuitively I could navigate their system. So – Costumer’s Notes will now be sent out using this fantastic service! If you are a business, organization, dance instructor or – anyone really – you may want to check it out. (I compared them to iContact and Constant Contact and chose MailChimp!)

Now – back to the sewing table!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina