32 Where Women Create SUMMER 2016
Stacia Lang s studio, located in L.A. s oldest artist colony, could fairly be described as one part atelier and one part jungle. The costume designer s space is filled with dress forms, lush fabrics, vintage notions, a stuffed peacock, sketches of Prince (her former boss), an aviary, and billowy piles of her latest obsession: feathers. After a successful career in specialty costuming, creating everything from superhero gloves ( The Amazing Spider-Man ) to spacesuits ( Interstellar ), Lang is poised to take flight in a whole new direction. WHEREWOMENCREATE.COM Where Women Create 33
When I was very young, I found an old issue of Life magazine in an antique shop. The cover illustration depicted a dense jungle teeming with exotic animals. I was completely transfixed. More than anything, I wanted to live in that world! As a kid, I loved Mutual of Omaha s Wild Kingdom and dreamed of becoming an ornithologist. At the same time, I was mesmerized by Cher s costumes and wanted to study fashion and costume design. When it came time to choose a career path, I flew off to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and left my jungle girl dreams behind. One of my very first jobs right out of college was working at the New York City Ballet, where one of my tasks was to transform ballerinas into birds and swans! Most days, I thought I was in a dream. After eight years in the concrete jungle, I was ready for a new challenge, so I accepted a position in my home state of Minnesota to work as Prince s costume designer. While at Paisley Park, I designed many iconic garments for Prince. Even though it was an incredible and creatively energizing experience, I eventually left the lace-and-velvet jungle to pursue a new career in the movie industry, building spacesuits, superhero capes, and alien costumes for films. Between film jobs, I continued to design stage costumes for top musicians including Dolly Parton and Billy Idol. 34 Where Women Create SUMMER 2016
WHEREWOMENCREATE.COM Where Women Create 35
36 Where Women Create SUMMER 2016
These were all manifestations of dreams dreamed long ago. But the one dream I felt escaping me was that of the actual jungle and the incredible creatures within. I don t know what makes us choose one life over the other, but I do believe that as we age, the other life wants to creep in again and have its say. So after a long career in film and theatrical costuming, I found myself once again enticed by the call of enchanting exotic birds. Best of all, I started to see that these two worlds that I love, the worlds that I thought were so disparate, were very closely related. Birds are cloaked in their own extravagant costumes for their performances. I could take what I know, and the skills that I have, and create my own world filled with my own magical creatures. WHEREWOMENCREATE.COM Where Women Create 37
I have been collecting bird ephemera for over 20 years. I love going to vintage paper shows and finding avian illustrations from the Victorian era through the Art Deco period. My other collections include marvelous vintage trimmings, textiles, buttons, and feathers. I started to see how many of these could be used as sculptural elements to represent the extravagant ornamentation of a beautiful bird of paradise sprays of wispy plumes, head wires with paddles, velvety feathers, breast fans, and all the glorious elements of seduction implemented in this unique bird s mysterious mating ritual. As I immersed myself in this new world, my interest in feathers themselves became magnified. I started reading everything I could about them their structure, the history of their use in millinery and high fashion, and how laws were implemented to protect species like the birds of paradise. I became conscious of using naturally molted, humanely harvested, and/or vintage feathers in my work. It has also made me more passionate about stretching the boundaries of what could be used to represent feathers. 38 Where Women Create SUMMER 2016
WHEREWOMENCREATE.COM Where Women Create 39
40 Where Women Create SUMMER 2016
Chester, my chestnut-eared aracari, is my biggest inspiration. His aviary is a big part of my studio, and he surveys the city from his perch in the big loft window, where he also takes his daily bath. He loves it when the studio is bustling with activity. I also keep a pair of beautiful red-legged honeycreepers in the aviary room, which doubles as my kitchen. The feeling in the aviary is that of quiet calm, with playful chortling and the occasional jungle cry. The aviary is my Shangri-La. The bright colors and dancing birds lift my spirits and prepare me for a day in the studio. I realized that living around birds and gorgeous plumage is one of my greatest joys, so I started taking on commissions that incorporated feathers. Soon, projects started to find me. This past year, I provided the feather work for a major fashion label, and even took on several couture commissions. Right now, I m busy creating elaborate bird sculptures. I love to imagine all of the incarnations of birds that have come and gone over millions of years. Creating my very own species in the studio is tantamount to discovering one in a far-off jungle without the burden of mud and mosquitoes! Where Women Create would like to thank Stacia Lang for her involvement in our summer issue. To learn more, visit stacialangfeatherstudio.com. WHEREWOMENCREATE.COM Where Women Create 41