I just completed what for me, was a really ambitious little project! When I was watching a video of the Ralph Lauren 50th Anniversary Fall Winter 2018/19 show, I saw the really fun, preppy looking jacket on the right, and wanted to make a tiny one, like it, for Gus to wear.
I found some blue knit and olive green cotton in my scrap collection. It took me a while to figure out how to make the patches, but in the end I decided to paint them on to a piece of cotton, cut them out, and then applique them onto the jacket. Just for fun, I switched up the motifs to reflect Gus' character. I added some equestrian patches, a beagle seal, my state flag, a bee for industry, and I changed the P to a big G.
Here is the finished jacket, with the patches on. Of course, it's not an exact replica, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.
To complete the outfit, I quickly sewed a pair of pants out of some gray herringbone flannel. The fabric is quite thick, so they look very warm and cozy. I didn't have the courage to attempt the shirt ant tie, so Gus is wearing his black T underneath.
Here is everything, together:
Gus, patiently waiting for his next look to be finished.
After riding to and from shooting locations in a shoe-box, and falling on his nose a few times, Gus's makeup needed a little TLC. I touched up the old eye-liner, and while I was at it, I also added some definition to the sculpted detail on his lip. For both paint jobs, I worked with both acrylic paints, and a mixture of clear acrylic and guache.
After his moment in the make-up chair, Gus was back his photo-ready self. I photographed his new look with some exciting new pieces of scrapbook paper that just arrived in the mail!
