Making an Outfit Stage-Ready:

Part One: Silhouette

• Some garments have padding built in, like blazers and sport coats. Sew in shoulder pads for some simulated muscle definition, or wear two pairs of socks to get away with a larger shoe size

• If a vest or waistcoat falls below your natural waist, and if the intended effect is informal, wearing it open and unbuttoned can shrowd your waist.

Part Two: Rhinestoning

• If it needs to be done fast, large stones will cover an area quickly. Osccilate between s8zes to elevate the look.

• For a muted rhinestoned look, DipDots come in numerous colours and shades, but won't overpower the overall outfit.

• If a fabric has a large pattern, only stoning the interesting areas will make them look like ironed-on patches, and only doing the background will make the pattern less impactful. Try rationing rhinestones evenly throughout the look, and colour alternate if possible.

• E6000 is the adhesive traditionally used, and if you can find an applicator with a small nozzle it will avoid mess and glue stains.

Part Three: Enchanting the Fabric

• Beading either onto the fabric or on the edges

• A bombastic trim that traces your cuffs, lapel, collar etc.

• Glitter spray is a bit more ephemeral, but it can cover swaths of fabric very quickly in a pinch

• For props, making them comically large or comically small are both options for the stage. A full sized saxophone is weighty and expensive, but a small one looks ridiculous and is easier to weild. A phone is traditionally too small to see from the crowd, but a large one made of paper mâche can be gestured with or display a joke.

Part Four: Think of your Act

If an outfit can be modified to tell a story - a suit that's been caught in the rain, a chef's jacket covered in food, or a dress splattered with blood - fabric paint and rhinestones will make it appear intentional and sophisticated. This also goes for accessories if you want to go all-in on a number; painting the palms of a set of gloves red like blood-soaked hands, or a chef's hat with green beads dangling from a rhinestoned food stain, for example. It helps if each part of the outfit uses the same materials, so the colour and texture are uniform for story elements.