Past Board Member: Perian Cohen, Secretary

Why costuming?  What brought you here?

My mom was always making me elaborate costumes when I was a kid, but I really started sewing when I needed plus-sized, cheap clubwear. College student life doesn’t allow for extravagant purchases of corsets and flowing skirts. Eventually, I started blending clubwear and history to make 18^th & 19^th century goth clothing. Then I got into the pure craft of it all and went costumer “mainstream.”

What’s your costuming focus?

My favorite era is natural form, but I still don’t have a natural form dress! Primarily I do 18^th century and make accessories. I’d like to do more 1870-1880s Victorian and modern reinterpretations of all eras.

Do you do anything else crafty or artistic?

I make dollhouse miniatures, practice silk and ribbon embroidery, some gardening and lots of baking.

What’s your day job?

I work as a consultant for museums, primarily helping them implement core collections data and media organization software systems. I also enjoy getting to implement newer technologies for them using this data. If I can help expose collections to the public, then I’m happy.

What was the first costume you made?  Is there a picture?

The first real costume I remember making was a vinyl 18th gown for a vampire-themed club in 2004. I even won the costume contest! Alas, the grand prize was stolen out of the basket. But I got bragging rights.

What’s on the sewing table now?

A pile of junk and stuff to be put away, but the next project is my 4 year old’s Supergirl Halloween costume.

What was your first/most memorable costuming disaster/ learning moment?

I had spent months trying to finish a detailed custom frock coat a friend had commissioned from me. I was way out of my depth, thought I could do it, but made a dog’s breakfast of it. I thought it looked ok, but the details and finishing was shoddy. I’m still ashamed of that piece, and I don’t take commissions at all anymore. And I give myself as much lead time as possible to finish things properly.

Costume you’re most proud of?

I used to think that hand sewing was the Worst Thing Ever. But I took a Burnley & Trowbridge 18th century Brunswick dress workshop when they came to town (2010), and the entire dress was hand-sewn in two days! After learning about the importance of using a sewing bird/brick/upholstered chair arm, I found hand-sewing an entire dress was not only efficient, but relaxing. And I embroidered all the buttons, too.

What’s your holy grail costuming project?  The one you dream of doing?

I want to make a natural form evening gown with a very swishy tail and billions of yards of ruffles. I’ve been obsessed with them ever since I saw Jane Campion’s Portrait of a Lady, starring Nicole Kidman. Think Tissot, but richer and darker.

Tell us one (or two or three) things about you that others might not know.

I won the “Best Biologist” award when I graduated high school and started my college career in the biology department at Colby College in Maine (I had never been to Maine. It’s really cold). I lasted a year there. Finally got my B.A. 10 years later at U.C. Davis in Studio Art: Sculpture, and my M.A. in Museum Studies.

I happened to be abandoned in England for a couple of weeks when the Tate Modern opened up in 2000. Rushed back from Bath to be there, and saw the mother of all spiders fill the space (“Maman” by Louise Bourgeois). Really. It’s HUGE.

I seem to have become a collector of interesting salts and honeys, and I utterly adore huckleberries. I think it’s because there was this Bette Midler song on a kid’s record I had when I was little called “Blueberry Pie;” I always changed the lyrics to “Huckleberry Pie.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sewing kryptonite?

Hair. Absolutely cannot do my own hair. I need to buy hairpieces in bulk.