kambriel: (Default)
[personal profile] kambriel
I've been keeping the photos of the custom gown created in celebration of Catherynne M. Valente's multiple Hugo award nominations, including one for "Silently and Very Fast" (a novella that "explores artificial intelligence through the lens of folklore and twisted family, following an entity from its first moments through a swath of human history and beyond.") under wraps so she could premiere it the night of the awards, but now that Cat's tweeted some photos from the event *happening now* in Chicago, I can finally share! :)





The inspiration was a Space Princess ~ fittingly inspired by her book, combining both Italian & Japanese elements. In these photos, the gown appears to be all black and silver, but actually the glittery Italian scrollwork velvet used in two tiers of the skirt ruffles is filled with an Aurora Borealis iridescence of rainbow hues which reflect the light as it moves in person.


This photo's blurry, but is best for showing more of the velvet's shimmering multi-hued Aurora effect:


Kimono-esque, dramatically flared sleeves made from sheer metallic Japanese mesh:


Like starlight in a blackened sky:


And best of all ~ Cat in the gown tonight, looking absolutely radiant tonight at the 2012 Hugos. Good luck Cat!


Edit: ~ And she won w/SF Squeecast! So did this lovely gent named Neil for "The Doctor's Wife"... :)
You can see a complete list of all of the talented Hugo nominees & winners here: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/09/announcing-the-2012-hugo-award-winners
Thank you for capturing the moment Dmitri!


~ Kambriel

[Kambriel.com ~ Etsy ~ Bluesky]

Date: 2012-09-03 01:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meiow.livejournal.com
Best of luck, fellow Cat! :) I wish we could have seen the sparkle in person - it looks very space princess.
Edited Date: 2012-09-03 01:57 am (UTC)

Date: 2012-09-03 04:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
I'm sure some of the sparkle will be left around Chicago for the next time you're back up there ;)

(Check the update!)

Date: 2012-09-03 04:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cupcake-goth.livejournal.com
Oh, that's gorgeous! Congrats to Kat on her win!

Date: 2012-09-03 04:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
She's radiant... and I'm so happy it ended up being such a wonderful night!

Date: 2012-09-03 04:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dragonsally.livejournal.com
Aw look, Cat and Seanan are snuggling - happy making.

Cat looks gorgeous.

Date: 2012-09-03 04:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
Cat and Seanan are snuggling

That's my favourite part of the photo :)

Date: 2012-09-03 06:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] oldhalloween.livejournal.com
Love the surface texture and sparkle. She looks so happy in her pretty dress. Congrats to her and Neil!

Date: 2012-09-04 04:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
She looks so happy

That's the best part!

Date: 2012-09-03 07:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nohwhere-man.livejournal.com
That's beautiful. (Missed the Hugo's this year, but being in Derbyshire is an acceptable substitute).

Date: 2012-09-04 04:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
Completely acceptable... *More* acceptable though if you were also wearing a Derby at the time ;)

Date: 2012-09-03 02:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dali-muse.livejournal.com
Just stunning! Seeing the look on Cat's face fills me with joy.

Date: 2012-09-04 04:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
I'm glad it was such a joyful evening for her!

(And the skirts arrived! Not quite sure what I'll be able to do with them due to the shattering fabrics, but it's really lovely seeing the original in *purple*, some past lady after my own heart...)

Date: 2012-09-03 05:13 pm (UTC)
alonewiththemoon: Drumlin Farm Banding Station 2016 (DeCordova Laura Ford Bird)
From: [personal profile] alonewiththemoon
What an amazing gown! How could she not win, wearing that?

Date: 2012-09-04 04:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
I offered her a silver lace crown (like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/64822662/ice-queen-crown-by-kambriel) to wear with it, but she politely turned it down saying she hadn't actually won yet, but... turns out she could have afterall! :)

I think Neil was wearing his Kambriel frock as well... something might be in the fabric ;)

Date: 2012-09-03 06:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bauhausfrau.livejournal.com
How wonderful! The dress you made is so perfect and she looks radiant in it.

Date: 2012-09-04 04:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
Thank you so much! She really is glowing here ~ and that makes me happiest of all :)

Date: 2012-09-04 07:03 pm (UTC)
ashbet: (Behind)
From: [personal profile] ashbet

Date: 2012-09-05 02:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com
That is ~exquisite~, thank you for sharing her post with me!

Date: 2012-09-05 10:38 am (UTC)
ashbet: (Archel Love)
From: [personal profile] ashbet
Aww, you're very welcome!

**hugs**

:D
Page generated Feb. 5th, 2026 09:14 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios