1) Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and background.
I'm a graphic artist, run my own business and do illustration, photography and costuming on the side. My website only highlights my illustration folio, but I'm currently planning to extend it to show off my photography and costuming passions. I'm a fiery redhead and a proud Aussie with a gorgeous husband and beautiful new baby girl... can't wait until she's old enough to costume!
2) How long have you been costuming? What kinds of experiences have you had?
I fell into costuming about 10 years ago when friends of mine started the Australian Costumer's Guild. My first passion was for historical gowns (oooo, those corsets!!)... my wedding, a few years back, was a fully costumed Victorian affair... very romantic! There were plenty of science fiction and fantasy costumes along the way, too. I've entered many Annual Costumer's Ball parades and have won "Best in Show" three times. I get a real kick out of it all... especially when there is the chance to go out into public... guess I'm a real exhibitionist at heart!
3) What's your earliest memory of seeing Return of the Jedi?
I was a young kid living in a country town with no theatre so I never saw it on the big screen... actually I can't remember the first time I saw it on video! The first time I did see it on the big screen was with the Special Editions, and when I saw the bikini in giant, eye-popping detail, I realised how many errors I'd made on mine earlier that year!
4) When did you get your first "metal bikini" and what drove you to it?
I was going to my first big Star Wars banquet and wanted to make a new costume... something that would blow everyone away. I spent about five minutes trying to think how I'd make stilts to be a Tauntaun, then thought "Bugger it!" and started planning the bikini. 'Cause let's face it, a Tauntaun would be cool, but Princess Leia's slave bikini would be hot, hot, HOT!!! I figured there might be other girls there in the bikini, so I vowed that mine would be the best. I didn't have any clever metal-working skills so I turned my hand to a more familiar medium... paper mache! Yep, believe it or not, the entire costume (minus the skirt, of course) is made from the A-K phone directory! :-) Well, I turned out to be the only Leia Slave there, so boy, did I get a lot of attention!
5) What is your favorite memory of appearing as Slave Leia?
That first night I wore it was the most massive buzz! I've never been photographed so much in my life! Kenny Baker could hardly believe what the bikini was made from... see a photo below of him tapping it to make sure it was "durable"! And yes, they are Ug boots (Sexy? Not!) I'm wearing with the costume... I ran out of time to make the real boots, and the middle of winter was too cold to go barefoot. I wore the bikini many other times in promotional Star Wars appearances... once in front of a huge crowd in the centre of Melbourne (Australia)... the appreciative roar from the crowd, as I came onto stage, was thrilling!
There was almost an embarrassing accident once... I was walking onto stage at a banquet costume parade, just about to drop the cloak I was wearing to keep warm, when the side of the bikini snapped, sprang loose and the entire bottom half dropped to the floor leaving me butt naked - literally! The crowd was a little confused by my momentary drop to the floor, mad scramble under the cloak, and reappearance in the bikini with hand firmly on my hip... I did my whole presentation with one hand holding the bikini bottom together, praying the other side would not break! No one guessed!!
6) If you danced for Jabba the Hutt, what song would you dance to and why?
"Fever" by Madonna, or anything with a hot, sexy bass beat... and I would install a pole into the middle of the dance floor... give me something to wrap myself around... well, doesn't the slave bikini make you feel a little naughty? ;-)
7) Any final words?
Make and wear costumes that make you feel sexy as hell.... and lap up all the attention! LIfe's too short for modesty!
Thanks Kerri! |
