ELI NGUYEN

nguyen.eli@outlook.com ⨳ 571-284-8066
Resume Costume Design Set Design Hair and Makeup Independent Work Visual Art

Costume Design

University Mall Theaters

The Tempest
Rocky Horror Picture Show
fallen

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

or more precisely, the Transylvanian Concubine's shadowcast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show performed at University Mall Theaters in Fairfax, VA.
I joined the Transylvanian Concubines in May 2024 as a costume coordinator, and eventually progressed to performing with them as well. I take great pride in creating screen accurate replicas of Sue Blane's costumes from the 1975 film, for the cast, myself, as well as independent commissions for other members of the shadowcast community.
Giorgio performing as Columbia
Columbia: behind the scenes
Bustier with all sequins sewn on without edge binding Finished Columbia shorts
Panels of corset laid out before they are embroidered diagram of columbia's shorts
Columbia's costume is notoriously difficult to replicate accurately because of the pattern of the sequins on her bustier, and the lack of a pattern on the stripes on her shorts. Both of these pieces were commissioned by one of our cast members because he knew that I wouldn't settle for an approximation of the actual design.
Shane and I performing as Brad and Janet Myself as Janet before Timewarp
Janet purple suit First Janet pink dress First dress features Pink dress buttons model
Janet purple suit necklace attachment Second Janet pink dress second dress snaps
Janet's purple suit are cobbled together from a series of very lucky thrift store finds. I used the excess material from cropping the blazer to the right length to extend the left front panel to create the illusion of a double breasted suit, reshaped the lapels and covered the buttons. I had to adjust the waistband of the skirt but otherwise, it was an incredibly lucky near-perfect color match. The buttons are non- functional, and the coat is held shut with three large snaps. There is also a snap on the pearl necklace hidden underneath one of the lapels, making it as easy as possible to get in and out of it quickly.

I own two versions of Janet's pink dress. The first one I made myself from Simplicity S9371, which I'm almost certain is the exact same cut of dress that she wears in the film. I would do a lot of things differently now, but I really like the way that the fabric reads on stage. It has a 30" zipper down the back to make the disrobing on stage after Timewarp as easy as possible for the person playing Riff Raff. I made mine sleeveless to reduce bulk when worn under the purple suit, but as I've gotten better at that quick change, I no longer find it necessary to layer them. The second version of the dress I thrifted, and added the necessary embellishments. I modeled and printed buttons that were closer to the original buttons in the film, then removed the dress's original buttons and replaced them with small snaps. This allows the Riff Raff to simply yank on the back of the dress, making for a somewhat more dramatic reveal.
Helen wearing rocky bra
bra strap detail strap adjuster
Helen bra patterning helen bra laid out
Our primary Rocky commissioned me to make golden bra to match the gold shorts as seen in the movie. She provided me with the bra she wanted to use, and I took a pattern from it and translated that onto gold stretch fabric. I used this fabric to make an edge binding, as well as to cover the existing straps. I reinforced the underwire with twill tape so that it wouldn't poke into the gold fabric. I also modeled and 3d printed a new strap adjuster, since the original ones weren't wide enough to accomodate the extra layers of fabric.
GET IN TOUCH
  • Phone: 571-284-8066
  • Instagram: @electronclouds
  • Email: nguyen.eli@outlook.com