Remembering Jwlhyfer Karnstien de Winter

“Dressing well is always possible; and what other people think is of no relevance if what you are wearing suits you.”

Jwlhyfer Karnstien de Winter

Jwlhyfer majored in Performance Art at the San Francisco Art Institute. They wrote, directed and performed in Theosomorphia, Danse Vampyresque, Wolfbone, Winter’s Dream of White Roses, and sang in Dweller at the Gates of Silent Memory among other pieces. They had been a “special type” film extra for two years in Hollywood, California and worked in approximately 15 films and three music videos. They were a co-founder and former President and Vice President of the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild. 

Jwlhyfer was also a long time collector, costumer, teacher and historian of Mourning and Memento Mori jewellery, clothing and ephemera. They definitely viewed costuming as an art form and were a considered a “Goth icon” and something of a trendsetter.  A former admirer described them this way: “At the height of [their] beauty [they were] the undisputed reigning Queen of the early Goth/deathrock scene in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 80s, an elegant apparition who could’ve been a haughty silent movie diva who stepped out of a 1920s silver screen, or a decadent femme fatale in a Pre-Raphaelite painting come to life (or undeath).”

Back in 1990, when they and Jana Keeler founded the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild as “Dreamers of Decadence,” Jwlhyfer claimed to be “a little anxious that our efforts would be thought of as presumptuous; and [we] were extremely pleased to find the opposite to be true.”

“The costuming world is very different than what we participated in during the late 70’s, the 80’s and 90’s. What we saw on stage and in the hallways of conventions during that time pushed us all to expand our knowledge and skill level. We were all dealing with black and white images in books or what we had seen on film once (remember when a VHS tape of your favorite movie could cost $90 if you had a VHS tape player?). There was so little written on how to do what we wanted to do.” 

“Most of us did have basic sewing knowledge learnt at home, 4H, girl scouts or in junior high or high school, but we hadn’t learned how to draft from scratch or create a historically accurate 18th century gown. Our knowledge was gained by seeing, listening to someone on a panel tell us what they did and trying things out for ourselves. Accessibility to Janet Arnold’s books and then later, Jean Hunnisett’s, answered many of our historical construction questions but I have yet to see a book or written information on how to make a gigantic snail costume.” This reference to Bruce and Dana MacDermott’s “Beneath Alien Waves” entry at 1988 Worldcon is a tribute to just two of the other costumers they admired. 

Jwlhyfer’s costuming went far beyond simply donning a particular outfit.  Their work centered around the experience of creating a Persona and becoming that Persona through research, study and practice. They studied the language they speak, their accent, the books they would read and what sort of education they have and create quirks and mannerisms and attempted, in every way, to fully become that person while wearing the costume.

After moving to the Bay Area from Los Angeles during the 1980’s, Jwlhyfer taught classes, organized events and inspired members of the GBACG. Their work, and that of others, features in the 1992 book, The Costumemaker’s Art: Cloaks of Fantasy, Masks of Revelation. 

Costume Con 21 in Ogden, Utah (2003), invited them to share the last twenty years of their work in a retrospective during the convention.  Presenting a retrospective of one’s work is considered a rare privilege, and it is an honor to be so highly recognized by one’s peers. By that time, Jwlhyfer was less involved with the GBACG due to co-founding the Bella Donna Historical Performers group of Italianate entertainers.

Jwlhyfer became disabled with fibromyalgia, a chronic, painful disease. They passed away in April 2020.

We are all grateful for the inspiring example Jwlhyfer set for our community and our guild. Their impact and memory will not be soon forgotten.

Awards

“Arwen Becomes Mortal” won “Best Recreation; Master” in the 2004 Baycon Masquerade and a Workmanship Award in the Master Class for Trim and Color at Worldcon 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2004 they also won “Best in Show, Historical Interpretation” and “Best in Class, Historical Interpretation, Master” for “There are Dangers from Beauty” in the Historical Masquerade at Costume Con 22 in Decatur, Georgia, featuring their Seresina Olivia d’Hiverno costume, which also won a 2003 Golden Rose Award from the Realm of Venus Italian Showcase.