Roxane has always been attracted to colours, textures, shapes and movement. Add a passion for history, a need to make things with her own hands and a belief that art can be practical, not just for ornamentation and you understand why Roxane enjoys making clothes and textile accessories.
She grew up reading history books and novels and watching any historical movie, drama or documentary that came her way. The costumes fascinated her! After graduating from The Visual Arts school in Montreal, Roxane studied Fashion Illustration and Design at Concordia and then Interior Decoration at McGill. Historical studies are an ongoing personal interest. Reading and learning about history of fashion has become a part of her daily routine.
Theater, television and movies interested her from the "backstage" point of view. Dressing up the actors, not acting, is what she wanted to do. Costumes are decidedly more colourful than everyday clothes, but every day clothes can also be fun and interesting to wear if given the right treatment. Even "serious" office clothes or sports equipment can be more inspiring!
Hallowe'en is still her favourite celebration of the year. Science fiction and fantasy as well as the "horrible" traditional subjects are all suitable themes for costumes. Creating whatever strikes the imagination of her customers is a challenge to be met. Roxane loves it all and the more complex the project, the better! Especially if unusual, beautiful, colourful and soft fabrics are involved! Sometimes other materials are used, like plastic sheeting and computer or telephone parts or whatever can be assembled to make and wear the item wanted.
The Museum of Civilizations ordered 8 historically accurate costumes ranging 10,000 years for "The Bog People" exhibit in 2002. Then they requested two more costumes from the 1750s for their teaching workshops in 2003. In 2007, Roxane was responsible for making 8 "Caribana" style costumes for the Children's Museum section of the Civilizations Museum and has added two more "Nouvelle France - 1700s" costumes to their permanent collection. Other contracts with the Museum include the maintenance and restoration of the historical costumes as well as additions to the costume collections and accessories needed in the Children's Museum. Such collections include 20 Bedouin face covers and veils, 24 kimono and Mexican and Indian clothing and decor. 8 Bedouin tunics and 2 robes are the most recent additions to the Children's Museum projects, added in May 2008. Other museums as well as theater companies in Ontario, Aylmer PQ and Montreal have asked for designs of Victorian accessories and clothing or simply identifying and cataloguing the contents of their inventory.
Roxane cooperated with the Anxiety Disorders Association from 1999 to 2003 in setting up their five annual Medieval Balls which were masquerade charity fund-raisers at the Chateau Laurier and the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada, supplying over 120 medieval style costumes for their guests. Roxane also uses her costumes to help Grade Four teachers (in the Social Studies part of their curriculum) illustrate life in medieval times and Grade Five teachers with Ancient Studies by supplying costumes from Ancient Greece, Rome and China.
