the broadway princesses

with the strong branding of disney, every girl would grow up reading about one of the princesses. after the books, comes the movies but even on broadway, the disney princesses are making their mark as well. disney theatrical productions limited, also known as disney on broadway, is the flagship stageplay and musical production company of the disney theatrical group, a self-contained division of the walt disney company. 

founded in 1993, as walt disney theatrical, the division has gained a reputation within the industry for creating professional and popular (both critically and financially) performances, starting with the acclaimed beauty and the beast in 1994 and most recently with newsies in 2012. the company is a division of disney theatrical group, led by thomas schumacher.

right now, on broadway, two princesses have graced the stage. they are belle from beauty and the beast and ariel from the little mermaid. here's a collection of their outfits from animation to theme park and finally onto stage.

1) belle

Belle in Disneyland

Belle on Broadway

2) ariel

so what do you think? which version is your favourite? the next disney princess set to make her mark on broadway will be princess jasmine from aladdin. however, before the magic carpet ride, glass slippers are so back! a little teaser for all aspiring princesses... 

fash'on... BAM!

big, blonde and beautiful

after a morning with the king, we are heading over to baltimore! another musical that picked up a tony award for best costume design is hairspray. 

Hairspray

hairspray is a musical with music by marc shaiman, lyrics by scott wittman and shaiman and a book by mark o'donnell and thomas meehan, based on the 1988 john waters film hairspray. the songs include 1960s-style dance music and 'downtown' rhythm and blues. in 1962 baltimore, maryland, plump teenager tracy turnblad's dream is to dance on the corny collins show, a local tv dance program based on the real-life buddy deane show. when tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight. she then launches a campaign to integrate the show. hairspray is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of american society in the 1960s.

the musical's original broadway production opened on august 15, 2002 and won eight tony awards out of thirteen nominations. it ran for over 2,500 performances and closed on january 4, 2009. hairspray has also had national tours, a london west end production and numerous foreign productions and was adapted as a 2007 musical film. the london production was nominated for a record-setting eleven laurence olivier awards, winning for best new musical and in three other categories.

since the musical is set in the 60s, one can only expect a number of diverse trends. it was a decade that broke many fashion traditions, mirroring social movements during the period. in the middle of the decade, culottes, box-shaped pvc dresses and go-go boots were popular. people were dressing in psychedelic prints, highlighter colours and mismatched patterns. the hippie movement late in the decade also exerted a strong influence on ladies' clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye, and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.

'run and tell that' 'you can't stop the beat'.

fash'on... BAM!

meow... feeling catty?

since we are on the topic of musicals and the fashion of these theatrical productions, the three musicals and costumes that i'll feature today will be the three earliest shows that i came in touch with. my very first musical memory was of cats. i heard 'memory' over the radio airwaves and i was deeply captured by the music and the lyrics. as i grew older and found out about t.s.eliot, i developed a deep seated appreciation for the song and the musical.

CATS

anyway, let's take a closer look at the enchanting world of cats. 

cats first opened in the west end in 1981 and then on broadway in 1982, each time directed by trevor nunn and choreographed by gillian lynne; it won numerous awards, including both the laurence olivier award and the tony award for best musical. in 1983, john napier won the tony award for best costume design. the london production ran for twenty-one years and the broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting long-run records. the show tells the story of a tribe of cats called the jellicles and the night they make what is known as 'the jellicle choice' and decide which cat will ascend to the heaviside layer and come back to a new life. 

i particularly like how each cat is different from the other. like humans, no two cats are truly alike. looking at the details on the makeup and costumes, one can only imagine the amount of time and effort spent. though these costumes do not bear the 'haute couture' label, i think that every piece of fashion worn on the cats' stage should be valued the same. anyway, the show is no longer running if not, we can probably take a closer look at the fabrics and the production process.

here are some clips of a musical that i grew up with.

fash'on... BAM!

freaky fashion - the centrepiece

in marketing and advertising, we learn that sexual images and innuendoes always sell. you are sure to get a lot of attention (especially if you have the goods to match). so if you want a ton of attention, dress down... skin tight is not good enough, there must be skin. 

you can go tribal...

image from zimbo 

fellow blogger, nikki

animalistic...

Joe Manganiello 

costume from malltop

uniformed...

Mariah Carey

Boy Scouts

sporty...

swimmers

San Diego Chargers

ethereal...

image from blogger, Daniel

Kellan Lutz

never mind if your hair or makeup is out of place, most will not notice if you choose to turn up as the skimpy (oops, i meant sexy!) centrepiece.

fash'on... BAM!

freaky fashion - the capes

so yesterday, i shared with you about my experiences at a halloween event. so after we talked about where to go, let's talk about what to wear. in fact, for the whole of today, i'm going to focus on what you can wear to a halloween event if you plan to go in costume. 

for those of you who are regular readers of the online edition, you know there are three posts a day so do come back later in the day (and night) to check out the other two types of outfits that you can don during halloween.

by far, the capes / robes are the easiest of any halloween outfits. before i flood this post with images, a little more on capes. a cape is any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck.

in addition, capes (robes) gives a sense of mystery, that there is something lurking underneath. of course, if you wear a black cape and you open it up, the association with bats (or batman) is almost immediate and we have all heard of stories of how bats drink blood or how bats are actually vampires, hence enhancing the whole 'halloween' effect. 

from a fully fashion point of view, it is probably the easiest of all costumes. you can put it on within seconds, if you have a body to die for, then your halloween costume (which requires minimal time to put) can be this...

Rob Evans

but since most of us would prefer to exercise a little 'humility', here's a look at possible halloween outfits.

Harry Potter and friends

Snooki

Jennifer Garner

Kim Kardashian

Batman and Robin

fash'on... BAM!