Weapon Of Choice Interview with Vampyre Magazine
Interview with Laura Shrewsbury, creator of Weapon of Choice New Orleans*, By Rachel Clinesmith.
(*Edited for brevity. To read the full interview, click Here)
VM: Okay, so tell me how you got started in clothing, jewelry and accessory design.
WoCNO: By Accident! My background is in theatrical design. I have a BFA in costume design, and I worked in New York City for many years in live theatre, NYC Ballet, and Broadway, primarily as a wardrobe professional. I sew and know how to do professional alterations, so in addition to dressing actors during performances, I would come to the theatre in the morning or afternoon to check and maintain the ‘wardrobe’ of costumes for that show.
I was lucky enough to have my eyes and my hands on a great number of Broadway costumes, and they’re unbelievably magnificent. They are built to last through eight shows a week…singing, acting, dancing, and multiple quick changes. All under hot lights. It was a tremendous education. I would go in every single day, and I would steam, iron, and check through these gorgeous, insanely expensive, professionally made costumes.
I was very fortunate to be able to have hands-on experience with the work of great masters. I learned so much from that. In my seven years at New York City Ballet, being able see the work of Barbara Karinska first-hand… And not only what it looks like, but to be able to understand why it looks like that. To learn how she chose the fabrics, and created the structure, and layered those outfits…that was amazing. It was a masterclass, working there.
As NYCB has courted the world of high fashion by inviting famous couture designers to design the costumes for the opening night gala events, I was part of a very small team that directly handled those garments. And I’ll tell you, when Valentino shows up with the gowns for the principal ballerina, I pay attention to how things are made! I looked closely at the choices governing his design. It's just incredible. To me, it's just always so interesting to see the diversity and variety of artistry, and how you can take something like dance and essentially change the way it's presented.
VM: So how did you end up in New Orleans?
WoCNO: Chasing future happiness! New York was home for 25 years. I loved it, but I have a theory: if all you need to get into the club is money, it doesn't make it a cool club. It just means they’ll let in anyone with money.
That's how New York was starting to feel. It was just expensive. All the cool kids were getting squeezed out. At the time, I was making a very decent middle-class income in New York City. I was working all the time on Broadway; however, I am not a Broadway person.
I very much respect the talent, drive and discipline that goes into the production of any musical theater. To sing, act, and dance, and expend that level of talent and energy eight shows a week is phenomenal, but it's just not me. I’m a rock and roll person. I was simply no longer interested in spending 6 days and night a week in that milieu.
Friends of mine had moved down to New Orleans. I came down to visit, and of course, I was immediately seduced. The edge, the danger, the grit, and glamour: it felt right.
VM: So, that’s how it started?
WoCNO: There wasn't one, singular, crystallizing moment. Things started small and just grew organically. I love jewelry. I've always enjoyed how jewelry and accessories very much individualize an outfit.
Covid+ Lock down afforded me the time and stability to really dig in and play. To purely just experiment as a designer-maker. In all my years in NYC, I honestly never had the luxury of time before. For my first few years in New Orleans, I was usually working 2-3 jobs. Then suddenly…. loads of time. I threw every waking moment into creating.
I didn't operate from a profit-driven perspective. I operated from a perspective of “is this something that would broadcast a message to a potential mate, or to a potential group of people that might want to be my friend if they see me wearing this?”
Does this draw the eye? Not just aesthetically--are there layers of symbols and meanings? Will this resonate with its owner? How does this piece empower someone to be their authentic self? What I want is to allow someone to have an opportunity, a vehicle, to communicate who they are to the world. Especially straight men!
That's important for me because men are so constricted in Western society, and especially in America. You're allowed to wear this, but not this. You can talk about this, but not that. Mainstream culture in America is so stifling for men. Deviations from the “norm” (as defined by other straight men in the immediate environment) results in a great deal of unpleasantness and even danger. Things are getting better, of course, but I have always felt that men deserved more accessory options. That’s why I created the Chestplate.
A Chestplate is like a big necklace, essentially, that goes either over or under the collar of a button down shirt. It’s a new neckwear alternative. It's not a bow tie. It's not a regular tie. It's not an ascot. It's not a bolo. It’s re-embroidered lace that's layered with multiple different other pieces of embroidery or brocade fabric, topped with a jeweled medallion.
It was important for me to make glamour easy because I love glamour. I love it. I'm a maximalist, not a minimalist. People are constantly time-strapped, constantly rushing around. I decided to make glamourous, transformative pieces that fit into a sandwich bag. Put it in your purse, your briefcase or glovebox, and put it on after work. And that’s it. You’re dressed for the evening.
There’s a lot of visual dazzle to my work, but you can choose to wear a piece because a) you just like the look of it, and think it will match your outfit, or b) because I plant a lot of symbols—early and Medieval Christian, symbols from the tarot, alchemical symbols, etc. –into my work, and however those symbols resonate with you, use them to feel fully yourself. To feel powerful, to feel beautiful, to feel seen. Let those symbols serve as a warning sign! Let them serve as a mating call. However you choose to interpret my work and incorporate it into your own wardrobe is up to you.
Hey Rachel-can we talk about Nosferotica? Because that is my vampire collection and you’re Vampyre Magazine! I gave myself the challenge of creating a collection of jewelry and accessories that I thought would encapsulate the things that I've always loved and admired about vampire lore and legends. I don't like cute. I've always gone for hardcore glamour, antiques, and things that have history. I'm not bashing Hot Topic, but a lot of their jewelry and accessories tend to be very youthful.
VM: Their target market is preteens and teenagers.
WoCNO: Exactly. I prefer adults. The challenge was how can I take on genre-specific tropes, like coffins and bats, and breathe some new life into them? How can I make it fresh? I found some jet-black enameled metal coffin charms. They're tiny, elegant, and I use them in almost every item in Nosferotica. Blood -as food, as the source of immortality- would be a revered substance, and so red Czech glass “blood drops” and red metal jewelry components featured prominently in the collection.
My concept was an immortal, living for centuries, would not necessarily consign themselves to a colorless wardrobe or all-silver jewelry (especially since in some vampire myths, silver is harmful to the undead). I’m all about historically influenced opulence. And while even some contemporary humans can get “stuck,” style-wise, in certain eras (or hairstyles!), I wanted the Nosferotica collection to be fashion. Not people dressed up in Victorian-esque costumes with ruffled shirts and top hats.
While Nosferotica is a single collection among several created by Weapon of Choice New Orleans, in my own little way, I’m creating and adding to the vampire mythos. How great is that?