Full view of the costume, plus a detail shot.
Photos by Stuart Townsley

Costume made by me, based on Nene Thomas's artwork [link]

Construction info:
I used a thick red brocade intended for home decor and set it off against a lightweight black brocade in a tighter matte pattern. The corset I made is strong enough to support the wings without me having to use any shoulder straps which was yay. I hand cut black venetian floral lace into the right width and shape and stitched them onto the corset as trim. I also sewed the creamy white floral trim onto the bottom hem according to the reference. Then I began hand-beading fire polished glass beads and white pearls all over the trims on the corset, the billowy sleeves which I patterned myself, and the skirt. I also hand made venetian lace gauntlets and spent quite a long while sewing scattered beads onto them. I think I love those the most!
I made the necklace by centering it around a red jewel, stringing many rows of black and fire polished beads together.
I made the black wings out of turkey and coque feathers - originally I thought about doing fabric style bat wings, but the feathers gave them so much more texture and created the tattered effect beautifully.
The wig in these photos is from China, and I styled it in a partial up-do.
I created the headpiece by butchering two fabric roses and combining them into one big flower, and adding multiple strands of hand-beaded pearls. The feathers are pheasant. They are one of the signature elements of Nene's paintings, and one of my favorites.