Member Profiles
Profiles allow members to let each other know what aspects of costuming interest them. They also enable members to locate those with similar interests or needed expertise.
To set up a profile or change your current one, send 30-70 words about your costuming interests, a ~100x100 pixel head shot and optionally your costuming related URL to: webmaster@siwcostumers.org. Contact other members through our Google group. Registration is required.
Note: Members showing the magnifier icon have
published articles in The Virtual Costumer. Click the icon to get a clickable list of the articles.
Gunther Berger (Southern California)
is an honorary member of Silicon Web. He is the creation of cartoonist Greg Evans, and a continuing character in the Luann comic strip. Gunther became
interested in sewing through his mother, and plans to have a career in costume design.
Visit the Luann Fan web site: http://luannfan.com/.
Aurora Celeste (New York)
is a former President and Vice President of SiW, and a past Vice President of
ICG.
SiW is her primary ICG membership but she maintains secondary memberships with Kansas City
Costuming Guild and St. Louis Costumers' Guild. Her costuming interests are all over, but her passion
is reproducing costumes, mostly sci-fi and fantasy movies and tv shows, anime and manga, and
Joseph Michael Linsner's Dawn character. Visit her web site:
http://auroraceleste.livejournal.com/.
Janice Dallas (Southern California)
started costuming her brothers and cousins for skits when she was ten or so, and costuming
for theater in 1983. By the '90's she was Costume Designer for the Sudbury Savoyards, building
operetta costumes for their large (literally and figuratively) casts. When her body "fell apart"
in 2000 she retired. She's most interested in Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and other period outfits
built by her husband, Ron.
Ron Dallas (Southern California)
is interested in Theater Technology and can do just about anything involved. He's helped
build vinyl and sized felt armor, made a reproduction "Cat o' Nine Tails", figured out the
proportions for a proper cage hoop made from electrician's Fish Tape, and sewn all sorts of
period costumes, besides being Set Designer, or Lighting Designer.
Anne Davenport (Florida)
has been costuming since 1977, starting out with Star Trek and Star Wars costumes and branching
out to more general science fiction and fantasy outfits with an occasional historical attempt.
She is most involved with hall costuming at science fiction conventions along with masquerade
costumes. Ann is the current Recording Secretary for the ICG.
Kathe Gust (Northern California)
is SiW's Secretary, Web Diva and Assistant Editor for the "Virtual Costumer".
She enjoys making clothing for many historical periods, and
various sci-fi and fantasy genres, with an emphasis on re-creations. Kathe has been sewing since childhood, and began
theatrical costuming at university. When the "Lord of the Rings" movies came out,
she decided to turn her spouse into King Theoden, and herself into Eowyn, Arwen, Bilbo,
and even Gamling, branching out from there into other times and places. Kathe and Phil were awarded ICG's
2021 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Visit her web site:
http://celefinniel.net/.
Philip Gust (Northern California)
is Editor of SiW's "Virtual Costumer" and a past President of
ICG.
He enjoys sci-fi and fantasy costuming, and has particular interests in props, special effects,
and prosthetic makeup. He also costumes in historical periods, including Regency, Victorian, and
early 20th century. Phil is a beginning sewer with a fatal attraction to difficult fabrics.
His favorite costume is King Theoden's spectacular battle armor from the "Lord of the Rings" movies.
Phil and Kathe were awarded ICG's
2021 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bruce MacDermott (Northern California)
is a SiW co-founder and has been Treasurer ever since, He was also ICG Treasurer (2006-2009), and helped found
Greater Bay Area Costumers' Guild.
He has judged from regional to international levels. Bruce became interested in costumes at an early age, but only began
entering Fantasy and Sci-Fi masquerades with his late wife Dana in 1983. He was the mechanical solutions component of the team,
leaving the design work to Dana. Bruce and Dana received ICG's
2009 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tara Maginnis (Northern California)
is a costume design specialist at Diablo Valley College, however, she is best known for her creation
of The Costumer's Manifesto, one of the World Wide Web's largest, and most eclectic, costume sites:
thecostumersmanifesto.com/.
Richard Man (Northern California)
is a past SiW President. Richard's interest in costuming comes from being a professional photographer.
He married a costumer, and when their children eventually became costumers too, Richard had no choice
but to photograph their beautiful creations.
See his web site: http://richardmanphoto.com.
Betsy Marks (Maryland)
is a fantasy and theatrical costumer, has been involved in various forms of ICG and SiW leadership
since 1987. She has been Vice President of the Silicon Web Costumers' Guild and chapter representative
to the ICG Board. In 1997 Betsy chaired
Costume-Con 15; she was registrar for Costume-Con 40 (2022) and serves as the once and future
Costume-Con Archivist for http://www.Costume-Con.org/.
Betsy received the first Costume-Con Founder's Award (2005) and the ICG's
2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. When not costuming, Betsy is a professional
digital and graphic designer, among other things. Visit her web site: http://www.hawkeswood.com/.
Anne Merritt (Northern California)
is active in the San Francisco Bay area and also a member of the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild. She likes to do historical
costuming, but admires other members' awesome sci-fi and fantasy costumes. Anne enjoys reading the Virtual
Costumer, and decided to join the group. Right now she's very active in the
World War I Historical Association, a local historical group. Her most recent project was a suffragette outfit.
Shelley Monson (Northern California)
has studied and created historical costumes since 1969. She has worked with
Renaissance and Dickens Christmas Fairs, and is Costume Director for the Guild
of St. George (the Court) North. She is interested in the fashion of many historical
periods, but also dabbles in science fiction costuming. Shelley is a
member of the Costume Society of America, the Greater Bay Area Costumers' Guild,
dances with the Renaissance troupe Danserie Terpsichore, is a member
of the Gaskell Balls committee, and collects 19th century fashion magazines.
Chris O'Halloran (Fremont, CA)
enjoys Cons and being active in the local costume community. She is usually backstage at masquerades,
but has been recently spotted on party floors as "Delores Umbridge". She appeared in
"Trumps of Amber".
a large group presentation at the 2003 Worldcon in Toronto. Chris occasionally costumes shows for her local
community theater. Chris and her husband John received the ICG
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
John O'Halloran (Fremont, CA)
is an avid photographer who has done photo shoots of masquerade contestants and attendees at many Cons.
Although he usually works backstage and behind the camera, he occasionally dons a costume himself. He played "Gerard" in
"Trumps of Amber",
a large group presentation at the 2003 WorldCon in Toronto. John and his wife Chris received the ICG
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Carole Parker (Northern California)
is a former SiW Secretary. Carole is an amateur costumer and fabric experimenter with special interests in textiles,
dyeing, and wearable art. Carole is the current Vice President of the SiW. She is also a member of The Peninsula Wearable Arts Guild. Visit her web site:
http://mrbilll.users.sonic.net/Costuming/costuming.html.
Kevin Roche (Northern California)
is a former SiW President, Vice President and ICG
chapter representative. Kevin is currently the President of the ICG.
Kevin is a sci-fi fantasy costumer with extensive experience entering,
judging, and running masquerades. He was the Chair of CostumeCon 26 in 2008 and will chair Worldcon 76. He was awarded ICG's
2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Visit Kevin's web site:
http://www.twistedimage.com/
Stitches and Sparkles (Maryland)
began making costumes over 10 years ago, beginning with historical wear for the Renaissance Festival. Then she
branched out into dancewear, making ballroom dance competition gowns and adopted the name “Stitches and Sparkles.”
After graduating college and dental school, she stopped dancing competitively but still wanted a creative outlet
and a reason to make things. This was when she discovered cosplay and began creating cosplay costumes in 2018.
She received the Silicon Web’s first Dana Rae MacDermott Memorial Award (DRaMMA) for her entry at the Costume-Con
40 Sci-Fi/ Fantasy masquerade. She competes in the Journeyman division.
Jennifer Skwarski (Michigan)
has been coming up with costumes for SF conventions since the mid-eighties starting with the second con she ever attended. She
is intrigued by different approaches and techniques to making things and how to combine those with science fiction and fantasy
costuming. She strives for excellence in her sewing and construction, always wanting to improve her skills and expand her
knowledge of making things. She did not start competing until 2012 but is glad she finally jumped into that pool. It has
greatly improved her confidence and her ability to stand in front of people as the focus of their attention and not freak out.
Jennifer is the current President of the Silicon Web Costumers' Guild
Elaine Swick Sims (Tennessee)
was doomed from birth to be a seamstress of some sort. She specializes in quilting, but can be found
creating costumes & clothing as well. She has been creating and sewing since a young age, and is in the process
of corrupting her son into the costumer's fold as well. Elaine is the Assistant GEL Administrator for the ICG.
Check out her web site at
http://cattailsquilts.etsy.com.
Jeanine Swick (Massachusetts)
is ICG Treasurer and former SiW Secretary.
Her grandmothers and mother taught her to make clothes
for dolls and school at an early age. In Home-Ec, she made 3 piece suits while others figured out
3 piece patterns. She costumed in high school for theater, and later for her own teens. Her work is
"period inspired" rather than historically accurate, incorporating her own creativity.
She sells at regional renfaires, cons, SCA, and belly dance events. Visit her Designs by J web site:
http://www.woollycat.net/.
Bjo and John Trimble (Southern California)
are a strong presence in Star Trek fandom and the SCA and former owners of Griffin Dyeworks. In 2010 they founded
Ancient Earth Pigments showing people of all ages how to make their own historic pigments and inks. Bjo and John
She and her husband were awarded ICG's
1992 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Terry Walker (District of Columbia) has been sewing for forty
years but didn’t know about historical/sci fi/fantasy costuming until a few years ago. At her
first convention she knew she had found her people. Terry and her husband live in Washington, DC.
Merrily Wolf (Virginia)
enjoys the art of costuming. She was drawn to homemade costumes when her mother made her a handsewn
cow costume with a paper mâché head in elementary school. It was life changing after being raised on
Ben Cooper costume-in-a-box. Her “closet costuming” started in high school and continued through summer
camps. She uses costuming to test her sewing skills and learn new crafts. She has created handmade costumes
for Girl Scout events, “Disney bounds” for fun at work, and designs original costumes for masquerade.
She has presented on convention panels, assisted with children’s programing, and created costumes and
props for a small local haunted house. Merrily is the current Corresponding Secretary of the ICG.