Student Profile: London Mosher ’16

Whether onstage or offstage, London Mosher ’16 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, is certain to dress the part. Mosher makes dresses for prom, for Halloween costumes and, mostly, just for fun.

She wears her dresses around campus on most Fridays because they have become her college identity, she says. “I have approximately 60 or 70 dresses — most of them for myself just for fun and about a dozen for private customers.”

Her most inspired creations are based on musical theater characters she admires, Mosher says. “So in addition to making Disney princess dresses, some of my best work is based on Christine Daae’s costumes from ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ Including the Broadway version and the 2004 movie version, Christine has 21 dresses that she wears throughout the performance/film. It is my goal to make all of these dresses as accurately as I can within the next few years. Currently, I have 14 or 15 of them.”

Mosher is an English and theatre double-major, and she started making dresses when she was in the sixth grade after she saw “The Phantom of the Opera” musical for the first time.

“I had always been making ridiculous outfits from things I found around the house to match a character from a movie or a book that I admired,” she says. “However, this was the first time I had gone fabric shopping and seriously attempted to create a replica dress.”

Mosher did not have anyone to teach her how to sew, therefore, she began by using Stitch Witchery, a form of iron-on glue, instead of thread.

“After many attempts over the years, self-teaching, and eventually receiving several sewing machines, I have to come to the place where I am today,” Mosher says.

She now makes costumes for the Ripon College theatre department and fixes and alters the costumes already available in the inventory. In addition, Mosher had a volunteer internship with the Sun Prairie Civic Theater, where she served as head of the costuming department with two assistants. The position also afforded her experience in choreographing, directing and designing a children’s show with 70-100 children ages 8 to 13.

“I helped design, make and alter costumes for the show,” Mosher says. “It was a challenge but an amazing opportunity! I participated for two summers in productions of ‘Cinderella’/‘Totally Red’ and ‘The Jungle Book’/‘Pig3s.’ ”

Mosher has been shining on stage, as well, at Ripon College. She has been acting since she was a toddler. Among her many production are “Aladdin,” “Guys and Dolls Jr.,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Children of Eden,” “The Rover,” “24-Hour Theater,” “Mars Needs Women but Not as Much as Arnold Schechter,” “Rabbit Hole” “The Spitfire Grill” and “Baybels in Arms.”

“But I am only a sophomore,” Mosher says, “so, hopefully, there will be more as my college career continues!”

-Tsering Yangchen ’14
Madison, Wis.

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Posted May 5, 2014 in Student.

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