in Time for Halloween

Feather and Sequence Headpiece /Photography Wassim Serhan

Ana Maria Bustamante is not only a wonderful friend but also an extremely talented costume designer based in NY. With Halloween upon us I wanted to share her talents to our audience because so many people spend so much on costumes that everyone else is going to be wearing, so why not get creative be original and unique with one of her exquisite custom made creations?

Ana Maria, originally from Colombia, graduated from design and a did a specialization at the Fashion Institute. She began her career as a wardrobe stylist, but realized early on that her passion was in costume design. She has worked with many celebrities but one of the highlights in her career so far has been creating an Ice Queen costume for Joan Rivers. She sketches each design and stitches her costumes by hand for her clients, (some personal favorites are her colorful and surreal capes). No idea or concept is too out there for her to create and she loves to provide ideas as well.

Greatest inspirations or influences?

I love vivid colors- colors make the soul happy,
my inspiration is life, life continuously amazes me

handmade Lucha Libre face mask

Fashion Icons?

McQueen- he knew how to mix the irreverent with the classy, and the extravagant with the moderate, besides he always broke the rules

Dream project for you?

Professionally my goal is to be a costume designer for an epic historic or animated film.

Favorite costume you have created so far?

I put a lot of heart and soul into every creation I make but I would have to say the Ice Queen costume I made for Joan Rivers, made up of shiny gems and stones that shined so brilliantly. Or maybe the men’s tailored jacket made up of razor blades…honestly its really hard to pick just one!