Showbags Costume Gallery
All costumes by Jessica James. These are show and studio shots that give you an idea of how Showbags managed to reach the level they did. Before Showbags, drag costuming had fallen on hard times with the 90s recession killing show budgets. From her experience in Sydney, Jess knew how to find cheap fabric and with a particular talent for turning industrial waste into costume components.
One ‘trick’ that Jess had was using supermarket plastic bags to make costumes which looked great under lights and which looked like feathers to the audience. Another one was stripping disco sequin which looked like crystal beading. The overall effect was a very expensive looking stage which had Melbourne transfixed. A disbelieving audience member came up to me after a show and asked ‘It’s not really plastic bags is it?”.
Enjoy Costumes by Jessica James,
A Collection of Jessica James' Costumes
Click for a look at Jessica’s costuming prowess.