Dressed to Quest

A casual, comfortable dark elf inspired look featuring Dressed to Quest designers Elven Forest and Mitmunk

A casual knight inspired look featuring Dressed to Quest designer Geekweave

Cyborg inspired look featuring Dressed to Quest designers ZOLNAR and Mitmunk.

Photographer: Lorenzo So

2/2 A Wonder Woman casual style editorial by Eve Beauregard for Loot Crate’s Heroes2 crate.

1/2 A Wonder Woman casual style editorial by Eve Beauregard for Loot Crate’s Heroes2 crate.

ZOLNAR is comfy, sexy, cyberpunk fashion handmade in Latvia.

That sentence might surprise you, until you meet designer Eva - one of D2Q’s most enthusiastic and quirky contributors. 

Eva attributes the foundation of her designs to the films she loved as a little girl - Terminator, Judge Dredd, The Fifth Element and Demolition Man. (I super want to meet 7 year old Eva, don’t you?)

Though Zolnar will be a featured designer in our Cyborg look, it’s not all robots and flying cars with Eva. She says, “I feed my inner artist with ... real live nature. It always brings some new forms and patterns, and the colors are stunning.”

A love of the materials and design elements used in high tech architecture is clear in Eva’s industrial, spacey designs. Even her most involved and complex pieces are streamlined works of art that just beg to be photographed alongside shiny skyscrapers. Eva says, “Put some house made out of wood, concrete, metal panels and glass on juicy green grass ... and my brain will release a set of inspirational neurotransmitters immediately.” Ours too, Eva!

Eva works closely with many of her customers on one-off and custom orders, and says the typical Zolnar wearer is “smart, nice and creative. ... He/She spends weekends preparing cosplay costumes and gets really excited when told that the thing they need is possible to create! No doubt, their inner child is alive and well.” I’m so excited to style one of Eva’s pieces for our Cyborg look - now to find the perfect model and location! Can’t we just travel through time and space for this one?

Deliveries!

Pretty thrilled to receive these items from Sugar and Vice for two of the looks in D2Q! 

The solar system necklace is my absolute favourite from Sugar and Vice, so I have a pretty special outfit planned to pair with it. It taps into my love of science, space and the 1950′s. More news on that soon!

The bird skull piece on the left is from the “Witching Hour” collection, so you can probably hazard a guess as to which magical look it will be paired with.

“Euphoric Garments” is well... pretty self-explanatory.

But I’ll explain it anyway.

Designer Jenny from Finland is “inspired by basically anything.” When I asked her about how she comes up with her unique, elven cuts and silhouettes, she said, “I might hear music that makes me feel something, then the feeling makes me think of shapes and lines and combinations of them, then the shapes become clothing. ... I suppose what inspires me most is my inner world. I observe every detail in everything I ever see, hear or experience and all that is stored in my mind. My mind is constantly creating something, no matter what I do. Then when the idea is ready it's like ‘Boom!', it comes alive and the new design is there, I see it in my mind.”

I don’t know about you, but after seeing Jenny’s designs I want in on that inner world she’s living in. I imagine it’s full of soft light filtered through leaves and inexplicable lute music at all times.

Jenny says the typical Eurphoric Garments wearer is “someone with unique style and view of world, should I say someone with rich inner world also, they are also artists.”

Jenny has contributed one of her gorgeous coats to pair with our elven looks. I can’t wait to receive it all the way from Finland! The truly international collaboration that is going into Dressed to Quest is quickly becoming my favourite element of the project. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring these designers together who may otherwise have never had their work combined. It’s going to be such a magical melting pot!

Elves are really important, guys.

If you’ve ever dressed up for a renaissance festival, LARPing, cosplay or a costume party as an elf or a pixie, you probably know how instantly magical it makes you feel. I have long searched for clothes that could bring me that same feeling without getting “maybe I should keep my children away from the woman with elf ear prosthetics glued to her head every day” looks. 

Enter Elven Forest, a magical label full of cowl necks, long, sweeping hoods, asymmetrical hems and all things woodland fae. 

This is one of the original brands that inspired Dressed to Quest. Ashli’s extremely wearable, yet dreamy designs can instantly transform your daily commute into an epic quest. Not only does their simplicity and tailored fit look gorgeous in photographs, but the careful attention paid to the weight and cut of the fabrics means they move and flow with the kind of magical bounciness only associated with mythical beings.

What I’m saying is they have a serious case of the pretty.

Additionally, Elven Forest apparel has something incredibly important to me for this project - comfort! If you’re going to go adventuring, you need secure, soft clothing that is versatile and practical. Ash’s designs allow for wrapping, layering and adjusting which also helps create the organic, elven aesthetic for which she is known. But it doesn’t end there. Like a true forest elf, designer Ash sources recycled or sustainable fibres for most, if not all of her designs to ensure that her label is not only gorgeous, but ethical. 

Tximeleta Creations is the perfect blend of bad-ass and adorable.

The Spanish leather designer describes her label as “Pixiepunk Couture”, which sounds like a phrase we should all get tattooed on our necks or something. Blending the look of renaissance fairies and Mad Max-esque apocalypse survivors, Marta’s hand crafted leather pieces are dripping with character. 

Creature of Habit is like all of my childhood fantasies combined with what I want to be when I grow up. 

Did that make sense? No? I was probably too busy thinking about crystal crowns and flower halos. 

A label filled with all things magical, Creature of Habit creates everything from one-off accessories to enormous princess ballgowns. Do I own one of their ballgowns? Yes. Is it so beautiful it makes me cry? Maybe. Do I sometimes put it on just to swish around the house and pretend I’m at a ball? Mind your own business I don’t judge you for what you do in your own time, dude.

So thrilled to have Vanessa of CoH join the creative team that is Dressed to Quest. Vanessa is kindly contributing some of her gorgeous pieces to the project, which I’ll be pairing with some of our more magical looks. 

Vanessa had this to say about Creature of Habit: “My biggest inspiration is nature. Mother Earth's beauty ceaselessly baffles me. Details to get lost in - from the intricate patterns on a snail's shell, the textures of a rose petal, to the incursions in a quartz crystal. It all seems to be the work of pure magic! Speaking of magic, I am also deeply inspired by the fantasy realm. Faeries, mermaids, nymphs of legend. I love being able to spark a sense of magic and otherworldliness in my clients when they put on a Creature of Habit creation, because a life filled with magic is special and limitless.

Whenever I look at Seams Nostalgic I feel like I can smell fresh baked pies.

That’s just a thing. ...Like, I’m happy, but I’m hungry. Give up the pies, Abigael.

Honestly, though, this brand is pure sunshine. I’ve known designer Abi for a few years now through the Australian convention circuit. I’m certain that knowing Abi personally is a huge part of why I associate this label with a huge smile and cuddles. That aside, Seams Nostalgic is ultra-feminine, vintage-inspired, nerdy fashion. 

I’m pretty excited to potentially bring that deliriously happy experience to all of you through Dressed to Quest! Seams Nostalgic are creating a special custom piece for the project that I can’t wait to show you more of once we’re further along. The theme for this look is something I’m particularly passionate about, so I’m proud to have some of my favourite designers contributing to the shoot.

I... have a problem.

I’ve already admitted my cosplay problem, so I guess this blog may as well serve as a venting platform for all my addictions.

I love leggings. I basically don’t own pants anymore. I was once an avid “leggings are not pants” naysayer, but I’ve since seen the light of comfy strechy waistbands, quality thick shiny lycra that makes butts look so good it simply must involve some kind of polyester/voodoo blend fibre composition - I just can’t get enough.

I’m also a pretty big fan of all things armoured, so I was a fast backer of the Geekweave Kickstarter.

These things and more mean I’m pretty thrilled to have Geekweave on board for Dressed to Quest. This brand really embodies what the project is about on all levels, and I’m keen to style some of these beautiful pieces in some wearable fantasy looks. 

Check out what Stan from Geekweave had to say to a couple of my questions for the final Dressed to Quest article:

What inspires your designs? In general a lot of my inspirations come from video games like WoW/LoL/Final Fantasy etc.  While I could have referenced real-life armor, I wanted to really play up the fantastical and stylized look that these games provided. It may sound cheesy, but I always felt that equipping a new piece of gear that looked amazing and awesome always made my character feel badass and special. It’s this combination of the fantasy/sci-fi settings and awesomeness that’s the foundation for these designs. How would you describe the typical Geekweave wearer? I would describe the typical Geekweave wearer as someone who’s into geek culture. It’s someone who’s not afraid to show their love for everything nerd/geek related because the designs on these leggings are pretty bold and poppy. They’re certainly not the kinds of designs you see in everyday wear! The wearer will most likely have geek related tees/tops/dresses or other related apparel, but can style the leggings with normal clothing in very fashionable ways.

One of the first designers I reached out to for Dressed to Quest was Sugar and Vice.

I came across designer Sarah when doing my initial scouting. I put some posts out into the social media ether asking for people in my communities to show me brands and items that made them feel empowered. Fashion that functioned like armour - readied you for battle with the day. 

Sugar and Vice came highly recommended, and I fell in love with the quirky style and surprisingly broad range of designs. Sarah’s accessories pair clean, laser cut simplicity with cutesy, eccentric imagery. 

The sheer variety of Sugar and Vice’s items made it hard to choose what would suit Dressed to Quest, so much so that one item in particular (secret for now!) actually inspired a whole new theme I’ve added to the project. 

Sarah was a delight to speak to, and a pleasure to collaborate with. You’ll see her designs in two of the final Dressed to Quest shoots.

Hey! This is Eve. This Dressed to Quest thing came from my brainpan. It exists to fulfill a bunch of wants that were floating around in my head:

I want to showcase all of the talented and awesome indie designers who operate in the geeky communities I’m a part of.

I want to show that geek fashion extends beyond your video game hoodie (not hatin’ on your hoodie though because it’s probably rad) and well into the realm of becoming the fantasy beings we look up to.

I want to collaborate with the awesome creative talent in my communities to produce something gorgeous, bad-ass and magical

Cosplay is my thing. I love it, I live it, it’s my job and my obsession. But it’s not for everyone, and it’s certainly not for every day. As a result of my crippling cosplay addiction I’ve had to find realistic ways to embody the fantasies I love that don’t involve boob tape and thermoplastics. Enter everything that is Dressed to Quest.

From chainmail leggings to armoured bracelets, post-apocalyptic leather jackets to witchy victorian stomping boots, elven circlets to floaty pixie skirts, my closet has evolved to look a lot like the theatre costume departments I’ve dreamt of since childhood. I honestly don’t think there’s an excuse for jeans and a t-shirt anymore. ...I’m actually not even sure if I own jeans.

[So I checked and I own jeans. I bought them for cosplay though so whether that counts is up to you.]

Dressed to Quest itself is a series of photoshoots that embody this style. It’s about being a nerd. It’s about empowerment through fashion. It’s about indie designers and the geek community. I’ll accompany the final shoots with an article showcasing the designers, their ethos, and the importance of fashion that empowers us and encourages self expression.

I’ve set up this blog to post about the project as it evolves. Designers who get on board, ideas that come to mind, other work that inspires me and informs the look and feel of the project... I’m always working on a bunch of things at once, so I think it’ll be great to have a central hub for Dressed to Quest as it takes shape.

Stay shiny,