Into the Labyrinth
To preface this entire post: If you have not watched the fantastical masterpiece of Jim Henson’s 1986 film Labyrinth, pause and head to Netflix immediately!
I may not be able to explore the twists and turns of the labyrinth hedges, hop stones over the Bog of Eternal Stench, or fight fierce goblins with Sir Didymus & Ambrosius, Hoggle, and Ludo, BUT I can play dress up and pretend I’m slow dancing in a hallucination with none other than the Goblin King Jareth (AKA David Bowie in extremely revealing tights).
2021 was the first year in my entire life that I didn’t dress up for Halloween, so of course this year I had to go above and beyond. Dressing up and creating costumes is something I’ve always enjoyed. I may not love the scary and spooky aspects of Halloween, but I am forever down for any opportunity to put on a costume and emulate a character that I love. Labyrinth was and still is a family favorite film of my brood, along with other Jim Henson masterpieces like The Dark Crystal. His whimsical puppetry mixed with dream-like settings and phantasmic plots form the perfect nostalgic, warm-hearted film that you just can’t stop rewatching.
My costume began with a search for a larger-than-life, extremely exaggerated magical gown—so obviously an 80’s wedding dress was the idea. Facebook marketplace provided a lot of good options, but with something so special I felt I needed to see it in person to make sure. My tried and true consignment shop, Looking Glass Consignment, came to the rescue. I saw a billowing beaded sleeve popping out of the rack and knew it had to be the one! It fit me perfectly. Typically I’m not a fan of ball gowns for wedding dresses, but I got the hype after trying it on and twirling around in its skirt and its 10 layers of poof under it. In order to make it match the iridescent color that Sarah’s dress has in the movie, I added fabric from Hobby Lobby (my fabric saving grace) on the sleeves and waist. I spent more than enough money on beads, which were thankfully 50% off, in order to make the layered beaded necklaces Sarah dons in the scene. I also crafted headpieces as accurately as I could with iridescent pipe cleaners, wire, floral gem beads, party streamers, and glittery ribbon.
This shoot wouldn’t have turned out as well as it did without the photographic expertise of my in-training helper and lovely boyfriend, Max Stewart and the amazing set of 304 Collective in Fairmont. I will definitely be scheduling at 304 again for future shoots and I 100% recommend.
I hope the photos from this shoot transport you immediately into the world of the cult classic. Listening to “Magic Dance” from the soundtrack whilst scrolling through the pictures is highly recommended.
As always,
Stay groovy!
Reference photo from the ballroom scene.
