The Holographic, Chainmailed, Tarot Bodice | For Renaissance Faires, Pre-Raphaelite Knight Girls, and Chappel Roan Concerts

This is a custom-made adjustable bodice, made of miniature tarot cards, chain-mailed together by hand!

When my friend wore the prototype of this bodice to the NYC Renaissance Faire I had never in my life seen so many people come up to us to give compliments, let alone take pictures, and ask where she got this specific bodice from! And because of that, I decided to make a second one to sell! It takes so much tedious work, so this may be the only one I'll ever sell.

The Tarot Cards:
— Card designs are from the beloved Ryder-Waite deck published in 1909
— All cards are holographic and reflect a beautiful prism of colors as you move! (And twice as much in direct sunlight!)
— ALL 78 tarot cards are featured in the design (and yes, they're in order!)
— Artist's stamp is printed on the backs of the cards

Adjustability, Accessibility, & Sizing:
— The height and circumference are both completely adjustable via ribbon straps and lacing on the back
— The chainmail bodice has a total of four rings that the ribbon straps feed through (two on the front and two on the back) so that the height (and color!) of the straps can be fully adjustable. Its *minimum* height from shoulder to the bottom of the bodice is 15" (38cm)
— The back is closed via lacing (x-crossed like a corset)
— Its *minimum* circumference is 40" (100cm) with the lacing closed as tight as it can go.
— Its *maximum* circumference is around 50" (125cm) with the lacing at a 10" (25cm) gap.
— The front of the bodice is made with smaller tarot cards than the rest of the bodice to allow for the curvature of both a very large or a very small bust
— If you often experience tactile sensory overstimulation (ie: if you have to cut clothing tags off because of how it feels, etc), this may not be the right piece for you because of the tactile sensation of the chainmail, just a heads up
— Model's size is 1X-2X with a 44" bust in the photos

Recyclability & Materials:
— Obviously this wasn't made to be thrown away, but one day we'll be gone and the things we make will be left behind, so its environmental impact was also taken into consideration when designing it -- surprise, didn't expect existentialism here did you
— The tarot cards were custom made by an actual playing card manufacturer for the making of this bodice -- there was an option to go with a less expensive plastic, but in an effort to not introduce new plastics into the world this is instead made from the heartiest card-stock they had available to order.
— Before purchasing it's important to know that this does mean that it is less durable than pure plastic would be -- namely, it is more vulnerable to water damage. This includes excessive sweat if the bodice is worn too tightly around the armpit (which is adjustable via the ribbon straps at the shoulder).
— With wear, the holographic coating will scratch over time, but luckily as that occurs, the bodice looks more and more like weathered metal.

Creation Process:
— After designing and receiving the custom-made tarot cards I cut each one using a paper cutter on all four sides to get them to the correct size and shape
— I then punch four holes into the corners of the tarot cards individually using a guide and a hand-held hole puncher
— Using the chain-mailing technique of closing the rings toward both sides of the closing point and snapping it back to the middle (so that even if it slips, it will re-close itself), I chainmail the bodice together using seven rings at each conjunction of four cards.
— Reinforcements and finishings like the ribbon strap rings and lacing rings are added last

Made in Italy! Because that's where I live, but will be shipped from Boston, USA because I left it with a friend to avoid international shipping costs lol