Jack or the Submission
Every costume designer needs a costume moment.
“I’m so sorry to bother you. Do you know a seamstress?”
I was sitting on a bench at a park with my 5 year old. A stranger with long fake eyelashes sat down right next to me and asked me this question out of the blue.
I hesitated. I haven’t been commissioned to sew a single thing for someone else since creating a body suit for my bother-in-law to wear under his Swamp Thing halloween costume back in 2017. I just lost my job that week though, and was looking for extra ways to make some cash.1
“Actually, I do. I know how to sew.” I responded, still thinking about the Swamp Thing project.
“Really? I-have-a-wedding-dress-that-needs-some-alterations-and-the-place-I-went-to-wants-to-charge-me-$300-just-for-the-alterations-and-I’m-new-to-this-city. Could you help me?” she stated in one breath.
“You’re getting married? Congratulations! Where are you from?” I responded. Wedding dress. Now I’m imagining Swamp Thing in a Wedding Dress. Not a great image for a conversation with a future client, and a bride no less.
“Thanks. End of August. I scored this dress on Amazon for $50…” and she proceeded to tell me about all the wedding details. She hasn’t even told me her name yet.
I looked around the park for my son. He’s happily playing with 2 other kids and he waved at me. I waved back.
“My name is Liz.” I said. I held out my hand for a handshake. OMG… a handshake? What is this, 2019?
”I’m Tara.” she said and shook my hand.2
I asked her for all the details - where does she live, who did she go to, what alterations is she looking for. After every yes or no question, she responded with “Yes, ma’am” or “No, ma’am”. Her firm handshake, her posture, her manners…she’s been in military service, or so I thought. The Swamp Thing Wedding Dress image has now dissolved into self-doubt. It’s been a while since I’ve altered a formal dress, like 10 years, maybe? My sense of duty and pride for a former military service member kicked in. I made an assumption, but I’ve lost my job and I know how to sew. It was time to be all I can be and in the famous words of Tim Gunn, “Make It Work”.3
“I can take a look at the dress. Did you want to come over to my house?” I asked.
“Absolutely. Here’s my card.” She handed me her business card. She’s a massage therapist from Montana. Nice.
“I used to live in Spokane, Washington for a few years. How do you like it here compared to living in a mountains?” We continued to talk and reminisce about the Upper Northwest like two old friends until our respective children tell us it’s time to leave the park.
Fast forward to 3 weeks later, I finished her wedding dress. It’s beautiful and she’s beaming. I’m happy to have helped. I did confirm that Tara served in the military, so I charged her half of what the alterations place would have charged. It’s cash and I needed it. Plus I have a new friend.
This whole experience reminded me of the play “Jack or the Submission” by Eugene Ionesco. There’s one giant costume moment in the play where Roberta, fiancee to Jack, first appears on stage in a wedding dress. Ionesco describes her entrance:
“[Roberta] is wearing a wedding gown; her white veil conceals her face; her entrance must make a sensation.”4
Later we find out that Roberta has 2 noses, once her veil is lifted. 5
My 10 year wedding anniversary is next year. My friend Tara’s life with her fiancee is just beginning. I’m glad both of us had beautiful dresses and neither of us have 2 noses. I’m also glad I didn’t have to design a Swamp Thing in a wedding dress costume…I’ll add that to my bucket list.
After 5 years of not having a sewing commission, this costume designer needed a sensational costume moment.
I didn’t actually “lose” my job, but took a separation agreement. It’s hard to explain, so I don’t.
“Tara” is not her real name.
In the early 2000’s, Tim Gunn was the Chair of the Fashion Design Department at Parsons The New School for Design in New York and a design mentor on Bravo’s fashion design reality TV Show, Project Runway. Gunn coined this phrase on that show.
Ionesco, Eugene. “The Bald Soprano and Other Plays”. Grove Press, Inc. 1958. Page 89.
Page 94. This happens after Jack’s family sniffs her like dogs and lifts up the wedding dress to expose Roberta’s legs. People behave weird at weddings.