With the realization that Tom Holland will be the new Spiderman, and Joel Kinnaman is Rick Flagg in the upcoming Suicide Squad, it reminds me of how we tortured them with a Sudbury winter a year ago. The film (yet to be released) was called Backcountry while shooting but has been re-named to Edge of Winter.
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Having been dragged through the Northern Ontario wilderness, often at night through snow, ice and even a dunking in the lake, there must've been something in the Sudbury snow to help make super heroes out of these two. Probably their hard work at their craft and inherent skills also had something to do with it.
Also starring the very talented Percy Hynes-Whyte and Rachelle LeFevre, I'm looking forward to seeing how the Northern Ontario magic will advance for their own super hero careers.

Last fall I had the superb honour of dressing Brooke Sheilds
(who is to be accurately described as a dream) for a Hallmark Mystery Series movie called 'Mum's the Word', based on books by Kate Collins who I got to chat with on set.

Also starring Brennan Elliott, Beau Bridges and Kate Drummond, this terrific cast with a terrific crew, took over Main Street in North Bay to create the Bloomers Flower Shop.

Airing on Hallmark Sunday January 17th, 9/8 c

​Trailer here

Was part of a terrific cast and crew for the making of this new Fresh TV/DHX/Family Channel gem, Backstage.
Release date: Soon.

And I stood in the Life of Manek window with Susan Claassen for 'A Conversation with Edith Head' press party for it's Canadian premiere.

In January 2014 CAFTCAD Sold out it's 4 performances and fashionistas, film aficionados, costume makers and theatre goers filled the seats at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre for the amusing biographical story of the life of Edith Head.

Here's an article from the Toronto Star regarding the show and a mysterious story of a last minute dress reportedly made for Grace Kelly by Edith, and now in Toronto at costume house Homemade Tarts. And this is the article written by theatre reviewer, and yes, my mother, and the photo in the piece includes the mysterious dress.

Here's 'Edie' with her famous opera token necklace and stunning program designed by Dan Sadaba​. 

And myself giving Edie flowers as she left the stage, proving that we Canadians have much love for vintage fur.

I confess. I own about 900 neckties and have to keep adding to my large collection. From the 20's the present, I enjoy categorizing them and even spent a few days at Berman and Company in the spring sorting their extensive tie assortment by era- to make it much easier for costumers in a rush or others like me who have found tie research lacking and vague. Some of the best info I've found on the subject is at www.vintagedancer.com.

But what I find most intriguing is the stories behind these surviving scraps of silk.
Nervous at a business meeting, pulling the tie away from his constricted throat.
Picking up a pretty gal to treat her to dinner and hoping for a kiss.
Gambling the night away, cigar smoke infused and gin speckled.
Or perhaps (as some of the brilliant quality I've found) an unwanted gift from a sibling with terrible taste- much too loud to ever be worn.

Recently in North Bay where I was on location shooting 'Mum's the Word' with Brooke Shields, Brennan Elliott and Beau Bridges for Hallmark Mysteries, I chanced upon a few more 1920's ties in a local thrift store. Languishing at the back mixed with some sad 80's ties for $1 each. Over the years I've learned that these are usually a heavyish satin brocaded silk and unlined. The labels and fonts also give a collector a clue as to their time period.
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And then there's the men who wore them. I'll never be able to match them together, but here's an inspirational assortment of men in the 1920's and their neckties.

If you're a neck tie enthusiast and feel strongly that one of my ties photographed above is not of the period, please let me know. I haven't found very clear parameters for dating ties, but probably because manufactures kept using the same silks and shifting the widths and shapes over time, as well as keeping up some older or outdated cuts for a more conservative clientele.

Surrounded by clothes, costumes, accessories and so many 'entertainment' personalities everyday at work, sometimes I can't figure out what I should wear in the early morning before my call time. So finding this 1983 tome by Joanne Wallace in a thrift store in Bancroft, Ontario gave me such hope that I could finally "find my own personal style and let it shine through!"

At the last minute in April I joined my BFF Virginia Abramovich at WorldFest Independent Film Festival in Houston, Texas where she was screening her documentary short Little Questions. It was touted that this festival in its 48th year had discovered Ang Lee and Stephen Speilberg among other greats and never showed any 'stinkin studio pictures'.

Not sure where to place me as I didn't design Virginia's film, the festival organizers gave me a name tag with my profession in quotations. This conjured a lot of questions as to what my film "Costume Designer" was about to which I told them was a cross between Amelie, Pretty Woman and Grease 2 with great shopping montages and dance sequences. 

We met some terrific people but my favourites were Producer Dee Mussellman (L.A.), Director Jesse Harley (Nova Scotia), Composer Jim Westlyn (Virginia), and actress Fiona Graham (NYC). Way too much air conditioning for me in the south and I was hugely grateful when I arrived back in Toronto and the heat was on in the airport.

I have yearned for a Masquerade Ball ever since I fell in love with the Phantom of the Opera when it premiered in Toronto in 1989. Consequently, it was the Lloyd Webber musical that inspired me towards costume design (though the high school versions of Our Town and Diary of Anne Frank were never as glamorous as the masked crowd recovering after the shattering of the chandelier).

So I threw one at Regis College, University of Toronto for my birthday. I cannot take credit for anyone's masks or costumes but my own, but it was thrilling to see all my very creative friends make their own mark upon this terrific evening. 

Good friend and wonderful photographer John Currid took the following portraits of my guests. My make up and hair were done by the very talented Stella Margaritas whose jewelry design can be seen here.

All images Copyright 2015 John Currid.