We like to bring attention to great stuff we find on the web. Even moreso do we love bringing attention to things we’ve talked about from the web.

Blogger Jenny Paatero keeps the blog Missalie.net at a personal repository of all her artwork. Amongst the art, as it turns out, is some costume design she did herself. This goes right along with a lot of the talk we’ve been doing about planning costumes ahead of time by keeping sketches and journals. This artwork would be a great springboard for some cosplay.

In this recent post she put up some designs under the post name Mage #1. Does that mean there will be more additions? We’re not sure. This is a great mockup of a wonderful costume idea she had on her own. It looks like she’s into the whole fantasy and gaming culture, which isn’t so niche these days. I wonder if these sketches will ever see the light of day in costume form…

Great work, Jenny.

It’s only fair you get a sweet recap of all the good stuff that graced your computer screen over the last week. Yeah, it sounds cocky I know. But hey, where else do you go for an all-costuming blog? Hmm?

Revisiting Our Favorite Costume Sites - We take a look at the best of the best sites covered by MyDisguises.

The Famous Disguise - If you haven’t seen this video, you lose. Okay, maybe you don’t lose, but it’s incredible.

MyDisguises 2007 Winners and Losers - 2007 was huge, and there was a lot to see. We break down the best costumes and stories of the last year and reveal them to the readers.

Time’s Best Loved Film Costumes - The movies are a cultural phenomenon. Time Magazine helps us look at the iconic wardrobes that become almost as important as the actors behind them in their best loved costumes of all time.

An Intro to “Steampunk” - Steampunk is a culture that is ripe for the costume world. Most people who love steampunk have put some time into making their own stuff, and we take a quick look at what’s behind it all.

2007 brought us upon some of the coolest sites we have seen in a long time. We thought we’d pay a quick visit back to some of the big ones and see just what’s up…

Project Rooftop

I fell in love with this site immediately, as it’s something I’ve never seen before. Comic book artist Dean Trippe put together this blog with the endeavor to re-costume some of the most well known super heroes in pop culture. In the end there are some terribly clever adaptations on classic looks that we have seen on Project Rooftop.

Rooftop likes to host contests for wardrobe redesigns and new looks. I browsed a few of them and must say they attract the most creative artists and gung-ho enthusiasts.

Most notably is the Fights, Flights, and Tights contest. This is where they trade pen and paper for fabric and mask. The annual costume contest brings in some of the more clever comic fans, so you can expect some real classy looks.

Don’t miss the contest and leave some comments. There’s sure to be a MyDisguises reader that will be submitting to the contest soon enough.

Handmade Detroit

Handmade Detroit isn’t quite all about costumes. However, they have their share of content that is great for anyone who is into the DIY thing. Whether you’re dressing up your body for Halloween, your house for the holidays, or your wardrobe with something flashy, it’s good to get tips here.

Since we were last at Handmade Detroit, we noticed plenty of posts covering the Holidays. Regrettably, I personally didn’t get the chance to implement any of the suggestions for my own personal holiday celebration. However, there’s always good content flowing in and out of the site.

My personal pick for the Handmade Detroit contribution not to be missed is the “12 Days of Crafty Projects” segment. It’s classy and looks like a lot of fun.

retroCRUSH

Ahh retroCRUSH, I love you. This site is worth more than all the Garbage Pail Kids you can muster (Actually, I bet they’d love to see your collection). It’s a respectful, light-hearted, and amazingly fun tribute to all things of the past worth remembering. I get a warm feeling every time I even peek in to see what’s going on.

retroCRUSH always has gems, and it’s hard to pinpoint their best. Personally I’d take a look a few particulars.

First is the retroCRUSH Toy Box of Glory. Here you’ll find all the cool toys you played with as a kid and couldn’t let go of. Slinkys, Stretch Armstrong, Weebles, Ouija Boards, you name it. The gallery is pretty comprehensive and there are videos and pictures to accompany everything.

I’d say that the Gallery of Retrobabes is something for the guys, but there’s just too much good nostalgia for women to not appreciate. On the costume side of things, it’s real fun to see some of these old actresses and celebrities decked out in some of their famous garb from popular films. It’s an enthusiasts hot spot.

Heck, even the web site’s layout and design is pleasantly retro.

Costume Craze

This is some sponsor love, because we really mean it. Costume Craze has had a wonderful year, and they are growing to become one of the fastest growing and reliable companies in the U.S. today. Over the past year, they really expanded their costume offerings, and have done a great job keeping our blog alive. How else would we deliver such consistent content?

Since we last checked in with Costume Craze, there’s been a lot to see. What’s most notable is the exclusive offering of custom costumes by Valerie Tabor Smith. There’s absolutely no other way to get costumes this cute for your kids.

We try not to be too preachy, but we owe it to Costume Craze for being so great and for having such a wonderful catalog. Check out the exclusive costumes you can even stock up for next year ahead of time.

Batman and Robin by Daniel Krall

Dean Trippe is doing a service to the comic and costume industry with his blog Project Rooftop. It’s a blog with a mission to diversify the clever super hero costumes out there. The blog has numerous contributions from comic artists all over, and just about every bit of art that floats to the site is second to none. It begs the question, why costume redesign? According to Trippe’s site:

In the superhero market, the various character redesigns by superstar artists like Bruce Timm and Alex Ross have impressed upon readers just how versatile classic superhero iconography can be. Many characers, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Green Lantern, and Supergirl, have had numerous costume changes, but have generally retained their visual identity. Redesiging classic superhero costumes has become an art which combines design skills, color theory, theatrical costuming, and fashion sense.

The superhero fashion industry seems to be a robust one. With superhero culture growing larger from Hollywood adaptations and the popularity of events like Comic Con, it’s no wonder comic artists gather to rehash their favorite do-gooder paragons into their own interpretations.

We absolutely love it! In the world of superpowers, costumes make the hero. This is a great place to get some wonderful ideas for clever DIY costumes, and really pay homage to the artists with the imagination behind the work.

I want to promote the community of people out there who share similar interests, as it just seems that there are too many blogs and sites that fly under the radar when they should get prime real estate. Thus, I found Handmade Detroit.

The site is basically dedicated to all things DIY for anyone interested. They seem to also host a big craft event in the Detroit area. Points of note, the blog itself just looks and feels good. You don’t get stuff like this on blogger, and for good reason. I wish they’d do a DIY on how I can design like they did… I’m a bit impaired in that category.

Today’s post is all about the DIY work of Emily Gustafson. As an artist, you have to admire her clever usage of cardboard and theme. The photo is borrowed from the site, but hit the link to check out more of Handmade Detroit.

We’ll put this one as one of our first on the blogroll, as we should expect to see some useful ideas from Handmade in the future.