New Wonder Woman!

Ok, everyone is talking about it! It's Wonder Woman's biggest news in decades. Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics has given Wonder Woman a new "modernized" look, while new writer to the series J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) is giving her a new origin story. I'm more bother by the new non-Grecian origin than the costume and people are saying that the plan is that this will only last a year. And now I admit that I won't be at the comic shop to get my copy of #600 until some time this weekend.

Now, if you refer to this really old post from 2007 (see image below), I created something rather similar in scope only I wasn't up to sewing jackets yet.

So again, let me just say that ripping off Superman's origin and making it "new" for Wonder Woman is perhaps the worst JMS writing I've ever heard. This is his and DC's way to erasing all the craptastic plotlines that have been this latest volume of the Wonder Woman comic book series. (Sorry, I just didn't get Gail Simone either).

I like the corset and the gauntlets and belt. I can't quite tell what's going on with the boots by the sketch. The jacket is what I would label as "meh" meaning I'm not cringing at it but I don't find it at all necessary. The black pants are the only part that REALLY bother me. It's just a cheap ass way of "modernizing" for a movie. She doesn't need black pants. There would be absolutely nothing wrong if she wore navy pants. It's the same reasons why I dislike the Bucky Cap costume (and I'm not crazy about his condom covered headpiece but that's another story).

As for the numbering, I'm annoyed anytime a book is renumbered because I file my books like a librarian in sequence. She does deserve the #600. In this case, I'm ok with it. However, I find the new #1 of Green Arrow completely unnecessary. There's nothing wrong with just labeling a story arc: Issue #57, Part 1 of 6 of blah-blah-blah. Why all the stupid #1s? Because a book with a #1 on it sells more copies; bottom line: it's about money not about continuity or jumping on points.

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Picnic Rogue steps

PICNIC ROGUE

Since the bulk of this outfit was store bought, there really isn't much to say as far as a tutorial goes. All I had to do was make the tube top. I didn't even attempt to use a pattern, commercial or original. I had found this fabric at Joann's -- and I'll be honest, I have no bloody idea how to spell it but it sounds like "rooshing" according to a Threadbanger video I watched on YouTube. It's like the top of a summer dress with rows of elastic going through the cotton. It's also 25-cents per inch! I thought it would make my job easier to start off with that as the back piece of the tube top. Then the hard part came in my quest for white fabric with yellow polka dots. Harder to find than you might think. I found one with rows of dots that gradiate from green to yellow to red. I didn't need much and planned to utilize as much as possible of the rows with yellow dots.

I determined a rough idea of how wide the dotted fabric would need to be. I tried to iron a hem in order to stitch it but jersey cotton doesn't really take to ironing. It didn't burn or anything; it just doesn't hold a crease. Then I stitched it at side seams. I made a little strip of the yellow dotted section to use as tie for the purpose of gathering the cleavage area changing the "tube" shape more to a scalloped one. I tried the top on and kept making adjustments to make it tighter and smaller until it was pretty good. The last part of with the fabric to cut a couple of strips as arm bands. I was going to try to wear a strapless bra underneath but then the top would have to be bigger and I would have to contend with securing the fabric to the bra. Instead, I held it as I walked and the "girls" are more free without any support.

The actual scene from the comic and the statue don't have Rogue in her X-belt but I think it's a bit necessary to help identify what's going on with this street clothes outfit. I already have the hair thanks to the fine women at the Pittsburgh Hair Company Salon who did my color for me a couple weeks ago. It cost quite a bit but I love it ($120); the shorts were around $11 at Kohl's; the flip-flops were $1; the gingham for the picnic cloth was somewhere around $4-5/yard; the gloves were from a vintage store and along with the belt and buckle were utilized from my more traditional Rogue costume. The one element I purposely left out was the headband. Let's face it, Rogue was so 80's and sometimes you just need to modernize a little bit.

It’s from X-Men volume 2 issue 8 apparently but I had seen this version of Rogue as a statue at Comic Fusion.

We had a beautiful setting sun to deal with. It looked nice just watching it but it made for really washed out backgrounds when it wasn’t blinding me. Mike, Dave and I got attacked by bugs too. I also didn’t realize that there would be the parking lot visible in the background either so the shots that are usable have to go through some major editing unfortunately; we just really liked this bush’s texture as a background so the other shots in different areas of the garden weren’t doing this specific pose. I submitted them for a very specific Cosplay Deviants project and I hope that they choose one because it would be my first time involved in such a project. *Fingers crossed.*

I have a couple more random pictures from the shoot at AmberUnmasked.com.

Style Flashback: Lena Horne

What is there left to say about Lena Horne that hasn't already been said. Singer. Actress. Activist. Dancer. She's done it all. On May 9th, 2010 the world was saddened by the news that a legend had fallen. We can take comfort in the fact that she lead a full life, dying at the age of 92. I'll try here to summarize all her achievements in less than 500 words. In the Fall of 1933, Horne joined the mike chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer. This was her introduction to the world of entertainment. Soon after, Hollywood called. Horne had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the films Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. However, due to her left-leaning political views, Horne found herself blacklisted and unable to get work in Hollywood. During World War II, when entertaining the troops for the USO, she refused to perform "for segregated audiences or for groups in which German POWs were seated in front of African American servicemen." Returning to her roots as a nightclub performer, Horne took part in the March on Washington in August 1963, and continued to work as a performer, both in nightclubs and on television, while releasing well-received record albums. She announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway and earned her numerous awards and accolades. She continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, disappearing from the public eye in 2000. I'll miss Lena Horne for her integrity - something many artists today lack. Fame and fortune shouldn't be the end goal for modern entertainers. Courage and faith hold equal merit, and as Horne has demonstrated, it's what real legends are made of.

More Wonder Woman in the galleries

Today I spent several hours adding photos from a photoshoot I did back in February to my site. This link is for the "PG-13" gallery and contains suggestive costuming poses. The shoot was done in three phases: my traditional Wonder Woman costume, the new bikini version, and glamour nudes which will only be available in the paid section of AmberUnmasked.com sometime this summer.

Color Me Bad

Sara Liz Pickett and H. Ginger Johnson at a recent showcase event.

The full nail color collection at Ginger + Liz - www.gingerandliz.com

My favorites: 1. Caution!; 2. Heart Breaker; 3. New Money; 4. Show Off all $12.00 by Ginger + Liz at www.gingerandiz.com

Summer sun means summer nails and with all the bright colors available these days it's hard to know which brand to pick. If you're going to spend $9 or more on nail lacquer you'll want to make sure it's got the power and intensity to last. Enter "Ginger + Liz." The new nail collection, founded by friends Sara Liz Pickett and H. Ginger Johnson, is the buzzworthy brand of organic and vegan friendly nail lacquer with a growing legion of fashionista and celebrity fans alike. Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Julissa Bermudez and Beyonce are just some of their followers. If you like daring colors that won't chip at the drop of a hat, check this brand out. My favorite color is
"Show Off" - I'm wearing it right now. There's nothing like neon pink toes to get your summer started right!

Some more commercial modeling

Yesterday I got to meet a new photographer through Model Mayhem named Mike. We met up at the shop where I buy my comics, Phantom of the Attic in Pittsburgh. I was hired to do some more T-shirt modeling this time by Ape Entertainment for Subculture Comic.

There's no sense in repeating everything that's on my modeling site, AmberUnmasked.com so you can pop over there and read it. I made a full gallery of images too in my resume section.

I also updated my commercial work section to show more stills of the Guns of Shadow Valley T-shirt.

Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana attends the 2010 Women In Film Crystal+Lucy Awards in Century City, CA June 2010.

Zoe Saldana never fails to impress on the red carpet. With the year she's been having, her stylist must be on speed dial. Starring in chart-topping movies such as Avatar, Star Trek and Death at a Funeral, Zoe has carved her name firmly onto the A-list. If you're looking to turn heads yourself, scroll down to find tips on stealing Zoe's look for less.

Steal Zoe's Style

Dress: Eliza J Ruffle Wrap Dress, $158, www.shop.nordstrom.com

Earrings: Crystal blossom drop earrings, $48, www.jcrew.com Clutch: Menbur Ruffled Clutch, $58, www.endless.com Shoes: Michael Antonio Studio Women's Teeter Platform Sandal, $68, www.endless.com

If like Zoe your career is heading in the right direction, your style needs to reflect that too. You know what they say... dress for the job you want not the job you have. This outfit will have you feeling like a high flyer in no time. Since the dress is so demure platform leather shoes give the look a harder edge. Finish with diamond jewelry and a killer smile!