Missoula's Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention

MisCon 38: the Dark Forest, May 24 - 27, 2024 Missoula, Montana

Jessica Fuerst (Jessa-Kate)

MisCon 38 Panel Volunteer

As a designer, costumer and entertainer, Jessa-Kate has thirty years of passion for historical fashion, twenty years of interest in corsetry and  over a dozen years combined in dance.

Growing up on the east coast inspired the love for historical fashion, and watching Rodgers & Hammerstein, classic MGM and 20th Century Fox musicals inspired a love for dance.

Growing up on the east coast inspired the love for historical fashion – inspired by the many American Revolutionary War and Civil War sites visited. It was the immersion in history that fostered the love and desire to recreate clothing.

This combined with an interest and love of film and animation, Jessa-Kate enjoys recreating her favorite costumes and characters including Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Vi from the Netflix’s League of Legend’s series ARCANE, Reno from Final Fantasy VII and Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Starting at the age of twelve, Jessa-Kate started making pillowcases and Barbie clothes. At fifteen she used a store-bought pattern to make her first corset and was hooked. Since then, she learned to draft custom corset patterns, and has made bespoke corsets for performers, costumers, and for medical use.

Along with being passionate for costuming and cosplay, Jessa-Kate has a history of ballet, jazz, burlesque, belly dance and recently exploring K-Pop styles. She was one of the original members of the Cigarette Girls Burlesque before retiring to focus on the Cheeky Geeky Vaudeville, which was founded in 2012 with Eekie of Eekie and Snow.

Melding almost thirty-years of interest in historical fashion, over twenty-five years of sewing and corsetry, and roughly seventeen years in costuming, Jessa-Kate loves sharing tips and tricks to help others with construction, ideas and execution of their projects. She has also done costumes for a film titled Warrior’s End, and has been the costume designer for MAT’s production of Rocky Horror Live! at The Wilma for two years running.

Photography by Kayla Challinor.

Scheduled Panels and Presentations:

Key: panel=On a Panel moderator=Moderating game=GMing

(Tentative)

  • moderator Sat 1:00 - 1:50 PM, Stays and Ruffles, Ballroom B
    Moderator: Jessica Fuerst (Jessa-Kate); Panelists: Jessica Fuerst (Jessa-Kate), Erika Noble (Eekie)

    A history of corsets, underpinnings and ideas for using them in cosplay. Going from inception of the corset to modern day.