Hi, I’m Danie, a 2021 graduate of Costume Production and Associated crafts at PCA. I have a great interest in fantasy costumes, as I love not only the shapes of the costumes, but also all of the decoration and creativity involved. For my first project, I chose to redesign The Princess and the Frog using the original story The Frog Prince by the Grimm Brothers, and the book The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker, and then setting it in the Philippines in the 1500s. I designed the Prince’s (Efren) and the Princess’s (Reyna) costumes for the transformation scene at the end of the story. I used delicate fabrics, including bamboo silk, which I hand dyed to achieve the colours and effect I wanted. I pushed myself with this project to create handmade flowers and leaves from silk and muslin which were all hand stitched onto the dress- with beads added to the flowers. I also used free machine embroidery to create the details on the layered skirt which reference the Princess's surroundings when she transformed. For my second project, I chose to interpret a piece of Disney concept art created for the animated film The Princess and the Frog. The artwork is different from the final outfit used in the film- which is one of the reasons I was drawn to it. I pushed myself in this project to create the dramatic large ballgown shape while still achieving the elegant look of the princess. The decoration also had to be detailed without becoming overwhelming or distracting from the other elements of the costume. I used many challenging fabrics throughout this project- over 100 metres in total-, in order to achieve the soft and beautiful look of Tiana when she first becomes a true princess.

I have excellent sewing and construction skills, and have produced various costumes for different projects and small theatre productions. I have experience with domestic and industrial sewing machines, overlockers, irons, and more. As well as costume making, I also have experience in prop making and millinery including masks, helmets, hats, and tiaras. My work with Stiltskin’s Soapbox children’s theatre allowed me to work with a range of fabrics and embellishments, focusing on men’s tailoring. I have worked with Stiltskin over two productions (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and The Mermaids Magical Purse), in which I had a substantial role in the costume department. In addition to this, I worked as a dresser at the PCA Fashion graduate show, as well as a dresser/ supervisor for the Costume Graduate photoshoots in which I helped dress many different costumes, including period underwear and a 2.5 metre Godzilla.