Our local botanic garden celebrated home town hero and CMU alum Billy Porter through a floral exhibit expressing the many facets of him and his work.

As part of a course taught by Susan Tsu, CMU students were paired to explore themes of Billy’s autobiography Unprotected: a Memoir. My partner in this endeavor was Costume Designer Caifeng Hong. The two of us focused on themes of contrast and rebirth, creating a this armor-like shell rose from a foundation of fabric ruffles bespeaking lichen and fallen leaves, and allowed the viewer to see the body beneath, yet keeping it protected and invulnerable.

The creation of this silhouette required careful planning and manipulation of the rigid material, and the organic yet purposeful shaping. Hours with zip-ties and clips, allowed me to drape this sculpture and modify it. Once the shape was determined, the boning was covered in stretch velvet rouleaux, the pieces then were laid flat on the silk organza, and methodically hand whip stitched, holding the organza to the exterior structure.

The train was comprised of pearl edged ruffles from multiple fabrics, organically arranged and hand tacked to the back of the structure.