Something I learned while writing Liberation's Vow is how much I love the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen.
Alexander McQueen is famous for his vibrant imagery, technical skill, and incredible execution of dresses that defy reality. Although he is also credited with making low-rise pants popular back in 2001, his exotic outfits composed of feathers, crystals, spray paint, or really odd things like gummy bears and razorback clam shells stand out. These mystifying couture "fantasies" are simultaneously disturbing and beautiful, sticking in your memory long after you've turned away.
Unfortunately, he committed suicide in 2010 at the age of forty, so his current work is all we have in the world.
I am not a follower of high fashion, but for book research I get to learn all sorts of neat things! My heroine Resa grew up in the tough, dirty world of mining and obsessively watched the 9000-episode-strong futuristic TV soap opera "Alien Warlords." She longed for the rich lifestyle, and the alien warlord drama, because it was so different from her origins.
Now reborn as an "emotionless" android, she can't allow herself to be seduced by beautiful gowns, no matter how strong her craving.
Hero Aris designed dresses before taking on the mantle of planetary governor and future heir to ruling the solar system. He would love nothing more than to reawaken Resa's old dreams by clothing her in gorgeous, exotic dresses of the richest materials. So, what kinds of crave-able dresses would he design?
For inspiration, I searched Pinterest and discovered some truly amazing designs. However, the gowns I continuously found myself drawn to were all made by one visionary creator: Alexander McQueen. I adapted, remixed, and wrote several of them into scenes of Liberation's Vow. A particular favorite is a butterfly dress I put on Resa just before she infiltrates Aris's rival's stronghold. Another good one is the peacock-feather-and-crystal dress she wears when rescuing Aris from an exploding floating dome.
You can see my favorites on the Liberation's Vow Pinterest board here: https://www.pinterest.com/wendylynnclark/liberations-vow-a-science-fiction-romance/.
In addition to the blog hop giveaway, I am also hosting my own New Release giveaway! Enter for the chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. All entrants receive a small prize. Get the details and enter here: Liberation's Vow New Release Giveaway.
What an interesting take on other cultures. It's a great idea and I wish you every success.
Dress-designer science fiction. That's a first for me!
LOL, thanks! It was super fun to research, since I don't usually spend much time on Pinterest but it was a gold mine, and I really learned a lot as a result. I liked the "living dresses" in Anne McCaffrey's The Coelura.
I love Pinterest for helping with story ideas, and for getting visuals to help describe different aspects of our worlds.
It was my first time trying out and I loved it! I feel like there's a lot to learn with Pinterest but the end result is beautiful.
Sounds yummy! What a great way to collaborate and get on the same page. I'll check into this for my next collaboration!
You should write the "Alien Warlords" TV episodes. Or I can see Resa reminiscing about one episode or another in her daily life. What a fun idea! And the peacock feather dress with crystals sounds beautiful.
Wow, very neat idea! Does the book come with pictures, too?
That's a fun idea! I'd have to do so much research on copyright, but it would be a neat idea for an enhanced ebook. Thanks for the idea!
I love figuring out fabrics and fashions of the future, although my taste runs towards the preposterous.
An aside about the soap opera: Nine thousand episodes? Wow. I wonder what the longest-running TV show has been to date and how many episodes it has.
LOL I was thinking about how 10 years is a pretty long-running show for us, but just now I looked it up. Wikipedia says the longest-running shows are a tie for 68 years: Meet the Press, CBS Evening News, and Music & the Spoken Word. I don't know the last one, but apparently the other two started back in the '40s and are up to almost 18k episodes. They're obviously news rather than a soap opera, but now I'm thinking maybe 9k was too low a number…Ah, "Guiding Light" was 15k shows as a daytime drama running for 57 years, "General Hospital" had 13k, and "Days of our Lives" got up to 12k episodes. Reality is stranger than fiction!
Wow. I love that you brought fashion into this world-building! How fun!
What a unique concept! Liberation's Vow sounds really fun. I love the cover too. I have Liberation's Kiss on my TBR.