Being “in the spotlight” has never been important to artist Susan Odell. Making her art with needle and thread she is happy to design and construct for the stage, for weddings, parties or costume balls. “I was somewhat of a mouse growing up,” she says. “It is not my goal to be ‘in the spotlight’ – although I would like recognition for what I make!”
(left) Susan Odell
As the child of a university professor at a small liberal arts college in Iowa, Odell was introduced to fine art early in her life. “My parents took me to a lot of museums; I remember being surrounded by a lot of art – paintings, glass blowing.” She remembers in particular being enthralled by a large canvas by Salvador Dali {Christus Hypercubus}. “I remember just standing there, looking and looking. The figure just seemed to come right out of the painting.”
When she was seven, her father was transferred to London, England to head up the University of Central Iowa overseas program. As a young teen, she “made a conscious decision” to pursue a career in art and London proved fertile ground for her aspirations.
“When I was 16, I was involved in drama at school and the mother of a friend was doing the costumes. I was over at her house and the mother threw a piece of fabric down on the table, took out a pair of scissors and cut out a jacket: no pattern, no drawings or sketches, she simply cut it out with scissors. I said to myself: ‘I want to do THAT!
“I always enjoyed clothing and my mother used to sew a lot. I loved the whole theatre scene but had no desire to be ‘onstage.’ What I loved was the backstage work.”
(left)Bow hat with veil (right) flower hair ornament
Consequently, upon graduation from high school, she entered the London College of Fashion to study tailoring.
When she later returned to the States and Columbus, she was drawn to costuming. She designs for Ballet Met, Phoenix Theater for Children, some work for Opera Columbus and support work for Broadway Across America.
“Working for Ballet Met, they gave me a sketch of the costume they had in mind and a bag of fabric (see Mouse King and the Evil Magician) and I took it from there. I like to draft on paper, but also sometimes drape – working in muslin.”
With the birth of her daughter, now 3, Odell found her time more limited and began to expand her work into bridal accessories, focusing particularly on beading. “It is fun, just a challenge finding time to do it. I’ve been fooling around with beads, using an embroidery hoop making really intense beaded things that I might put into the center of a flower. They are almost sculptural. Sometimes I will mount them on pins which can be worn on a dress, so they are versatile.”
(left)Evil Magician, Aladdin
She also offers service in that almost-lost-art of tailoring. “A lot of people don’t know where to go or even that such service is available. If they need something simple – like hemming or a button sewn on – a dry cleaner can usually do that.” But Odell says that when people discover the things she can do, they are amazed.
“People do not know how to sew anymore,” she says, “not even enough to sew on a button. They shove that garment to the back of the closet and forget about it for a year! They buy things that don’t fit right and have no idea how to fix them. A lot of people simply get used to clothes not fitting them right.”
In terms of day-to-day practicality, the services of a tailor like Odell is not simply a luxury, it is a sound economic choice. “I had a customer recently who had lost a lot of weight and she had a closet full of business suits that didn’t fit. It is a lot cheaper to have them altered than to buy a whole new wardrobe. Or people can take advantage of thrift store shopping – buy things that are inexpensive – and then get them tailored to fit.”
(left) Mouse King
Odell expresses a personal preference for vintage clothing. “I love the vintage styles of the 30’s and 40’s. Not necessarily the actual garment but the vintage patterns: they have such an interesting cut. I love Medieval too – but that is not so practical!
“Sometimes I used to get depressed shopping. I blame my mother for that who taught me to have a good eye for quality. The clothes I like, I can’t afford and the clothes I can afford, I don’t like!” But in Odell’s case, she simply makes them herself. “When I was a teen, I aspired to that day when I would not grow anymore so I could begin to build a collection of beautiful things – like a Katharine Hepburn dress which I love. I inherited clothes and accessories from my grandmothers. The dresses didn’t fit but there are lots of scarves – I love scarves; I have about 100 of them – and sparkly costume jewelry.”
Her father gave her a scrap of velvet with a William Morris design. She used it to create a hat, trimming it with one of her grandmother’s vintage mink collars. And she has a great long black coat that she made, adapting a vintage pattern. “It is very dramatic,” she says. “I wear it to parties every chance I get.”
Some of her work is available for sale at Big Rock, Little Rooster Bridal in the Short North. ”They have excellent taste and are the only local distributor of Vera Wang dresses. They are committed to working with local artists and expanding on those local sources. Brides drive up from Cincinnati to shop there.” She also offers custom work for private clients, particularly bridal, creating headpieces, fascinators and other accessories for the bridal party.
Her tailoring and alteration work is in high demand at the moment. I consider the wonderful heavy cotton duster I have recently acquired on eBay; perfect for my own modest performing life, but it is a bit big. “We need to set an appointment right away,” she says when I ask. “I am booked until May with all the spring brides!”
-Pam Spence, fashion writer
For more information, contact her at scodell88@yahoo.com
To contact Pam Spence pammy.spence@gmail.com