THE STORY OF THE DUCHESS AND HER COSTUMES

[The Duchess]

As you realize, "The Duchess" is really a male not a female.

My costumes started out as George Washington, Ben Hur, Merlin, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Colonial Tradesman, A Midieviel Friar, A Colonial paertygoer , Mozart and Johann Sebastien Bach.

However, I always wanted to do "Charley's Aunt" from the play and film. Three noted stars that did Charley's Aunt on film were Charlie Ruggles , Jack Benny and Ray Bolger. Other actors who performed the role have been Don Knotts, Louie Nye, Roddy MacDowell and Charles Grodin.

My costumer does costumes for vwery fancy functions and talked me into a red outit with a hoopskirt for The Aunt. Not being satisfied , I finally got her to do the black outfit like in the film but it still was sort of real fancy and used a hoopskirt.

Thus I had two dresses so I decided to make different female characters out of the.

The red outfit became The Spinster Lady as well as The Grande Aunte.

The black outfit became Charley's Aunt and an elderly Granny Lou (my favorite costume).

That is how the "female characters" came about.



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Since they were a lot of fun and got a lot of comments I decided to develope a few more like The Ugly Duchess ( for halloween) and Martha Stewart.

I got the vast majority of the Martha Stewart outfits for free and very small amounts from a person who owned a thrift shop,. I had to buy the apron and a few tops but other than that I doubt if I spent $100 on ALL of the Martha Stewart clothing.



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I also l costume as an old bag lady.



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One of my newest "ladies" is Miss Fifi LeFleur, sassy, sexy and wearing a mini skirt.



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I do have an old hag costume developed but no pictures yet. It consists of the black dress with a gray bald hag gray wig, witches warty nose and chin, old pipe and granny glasses as well as grimy hands.

You saw my lateszt male costrume I did for the Historic Cabildo Ghostly Galavant, the Marquis de ventrieul, a governor of French Louisiana, a rare appearence out of a dress or skirt.



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Since costumes made from scratch cost so much, I want to create some new feamle characters along with my male one.

Could you recommend any new characters that could be made from Charley's Aunt, The Spinster Lady in Red or The Ugly Duchess?



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Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Also any ugly old women types too since that is a specialty of mine.

Thanks in advance for your help.



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The Duchess

[NeverMore]

I think you should do older Scarlett, then maybe Rhett WILL give a damn.

[The Duchess]

I think you should do older Scarlett, then maybe Rhett WILL give a damn.

Good idea! The Spinster Lady costume would make a great Southern belle. A gray wig with curls and some aging makeup would do just fine.

Thanks.



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THE DUCHESS

[Murfreesboro]

Your costumes are fantastic! Have you ever done theater, at any level? Professional or community?

I'll have to put on my thinking cap to come up with older female characters in hoop skirts! There was Aunt Pittypat (I think that's her name) in Gone with the Wind.

[The Duchess]

[quote="Murfreesboro"]Your costumes are fantastic! Have you ever done theater, at any level? Professional or community?

No I have never done theatre.

Here is one that would be easy to do. It's Boris Karloff as Mother Muffin from the episide The Mother Muffin Affain from the short lived TV series The Girl From Uncle. Old and ugly enough, the character would be perfect for me.



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Here is a character called La Strega from the Thriller TV series that I think would be great to do.



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Here is me, The Duchess, as my favorite old lady!



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THE DUCHESS

[Murfreesboro]

La Strega--is that Italian for witch? I believe I used to read a book about Strega Nona to my son when he was little.

[The Duchess]

La Strega--is that Italian for witch? I believe I used to read a book about Strega Nona to my son when he was little.

Yes it is!