Cloak and Dagger Creations

By Tine Roycroft

Need something totally original and utterly gorgeous for Halloween? Cloaks, robes, amazing historic clothing and downright awesome steampunk attire can all be found at Littleton’s Cloak and Dagger Creations.  Owner Dina Flockhart has created hundreds, if not thousands, of quality pieces over the years and can do it all ~ design, sew, embellish and then watch as yet another satisfied customer walks out into the world.

According to Flockhart, a large portion of her business is generated through custom-made costumes.  She works closely with the customer to make certain that the finished product is perfect.

“We sit down with someone,“ says Flockhart about her creative process, “possibly for a wedding.  We have a laptop right there so we can search the web for ideas.  We work with them to design a piece, then we talk about fabric and bring the vision to life.”

Business certainly picks up around Halloween and Flockhart has already been barraged with requests this year for the Scream costume ~ the black robe that the killer wears in the popular movie franchise.   But aside from the typical Halloween party or trick-or-treat dalliance, Halloween can bring demands for other special occasions at Cloak and Dagger.

“We actually see more weddings around Halloween,” Flockhart says.  “We did a fantastic Tudor ceremony last year, ‘Tudor’ being the time period around Henry VIII.  The bride and the groom were having a costume party for their wedding and they wanted to be the most dressed-up people there.  Not only did we make really elaborate costumes, but we did custom metal work for the bride and the groom, as well.”

Flockhart once not only created costumes for a wedding party ~ she created costumes for all 75 of the attending guests as well.
“I think it was all I did that year,” Flockhart laughs.  “The bride came to us about a year in advance.  We started working with her and the groom really got into it too.  The mother of the groom got into it too…eventually.  The wedding was at a castle and even the officiant wore a monk’s robe and Cloak and Dagger created all of the costumes.”

Flockhart’s career in costuming began as a high school student when, in order to be cast in a school play, she needed to have the ability to sew as well.  With practically no experience in sewing behind her, Flockhart marched herself to the nearest Goodwill, purchased some finely tailored pieces of clothing, and took them apart to discover how they were created.  Over the years, she has taken classes and researched various sewing techniques but feels there’s no better teacher than experience.  And despite a very early love for costuming, Flockhart earned her BS and MS in Environmental Science and spent ten years in the field, during which her costuming was a side project.

Finally, her house paid off and no ungainly debts looming, Flockhart said goodbye to science and hello to the arts.

This year, Cloak and Dagger will be featuring even more open house events so that customers can come and peruse the perfect frocks.  But the studio is intimate, warns Flockhart, and suggests that interested folks email Cloak and Dagger Creations or call the studio so Flockhart and her staff can work to accommodate all customers.

Cloak and Dagger Creations is located at The Mill, 410 Great Road, Littleton.  Contact Flockhart through her website ~ www.cloakmaker.com ~ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Littleton-MA/Cloak-Dagger-Creations