Celebrating Spooky Season at the Dragstrip

Fit for Halloween, a 1950’s inspired playsuit featuring zombies, classic cars,
and Angelina Jolie takes a spin at the Route 66 Raceway.

I’ve written about being inspired by fabric before, but this piece is truly different. I first encountered the material two years ago, in the fall of 2017. A student featured it as part of their collection based on Richard Ramirez, the infamous Night Stalker, and I thought it was tacky then (I still find it tacky now, to be honest). But inwardly, I am admittedly a huge fan of anything horror - classic literature, true crime, and especially movies.

When I first encountered this fabric at Fishman’s Fabrics in Chicago and really took a look at the full print, I unrolled it admiringly, with barely clad Angelina Jolie figures gazing seductively right back, amidst an array of oozing and disfigured zombies, crawling out from classic cars. I rolled it back up, and replaced it on the shelf. On my next visit, I went through the motions again unfurling the fabric, and wondering what I would possibly make from this before again, placing it back on the shelf.

Like a bizarre version of Groundhogs Day I did this every time I visited the store for two years, until purchasing it at the end of summer. This time, when I saw that the bolt had been moved across the store and there was a limited quantity left (someone else has similar taste?), I immediately grabbed what I could. What yardage was there fell somewhere around 4 yards - plenty of fabric, but strategy was necessary.

I began to conceptualize a few different outfits mirroring the garments happening in the printed material, but quickly realized I had never made a romper before, even though I love wearing them. For the pattern, I repurposed the bustier I had previously draped and patterned for the Hawaiian Tropic dress. In tracing and cutting the material, pattern layout was key - I wanted to mirror some pieces for continuity, but alternate the print strategically in others (the bra cups are my personal favorite) to give variation to the print. For the shorts, I used the jean pattern block drafted from school, which fits me perfectly. The pants were completely finished with flat-felled seams which lay perfectly on the fabric, although was a difficult choice for inserting an invisible zipper into.

I have loved pinup girls for as long as I can remember, even if I have never quite ascribed to the rigor that being one demands. Pinup is a fantasy, but also a lifestyle and commitment to a style of dress, makeup, hair and culture. I am a novice at playing this role, but wanted to emulate the pinups I’ve long admired and idolized through creating this 1950’s inspired playsuit.

In shooting this piece, I wanted to take it somewhere fun to mimic the printed material, and with the end of summer in sight, there were an abundance of car shows happening. Route 66 Raceway is part dragstrip, part classic auto show - and turned out to to be the perfect environment to shoot this in. Located in Joliet, it feels a little like small town America, and I like that. I appreciate the time, talent and savior-faire it takes to rebuild and maintain these cars. Visiting the Route 66 Raceway was also special because I had never been, and it was my first time watching any cars race. Catching the end of the races, I was lucky enough to see a few jet-fuel cars.

Shooting this garment was fun - it completely took me out of my comfort zone by playing a role unfamiliar to me. This is the second vintage-inspired garment I’ve made for myself, and I’m coming to absolutely love the process as well as the thought on how to make traditional garments contemporary. Constructing this garment was fun and included a lot of precision sewing in topstitching, but also a great exploration in fitting different styles on myself. With winter nearly here, I’ll be actively working on producing many more garments in the cold months, as a new commitment to sustainability and originality in dress.