Kateryna Novikova’s beautiful costumes first caught my eye when I was looking around for Halloween inspiration last year. I bookmarked a couple of her items, then I decided to go in a different direction, and her shop, Dress Art Mystery, slipped my mind. Etsy reminded me of the shop when it recommended the glorious gown above, and I dove right back in with abandon. I’m very grateful for that recommendation!

Kateryna told me she and her friend Ganna Zagorodnia started the business selling costumes locally in Ukraine in 2009, but in 2015, they went global!

“Creating beautiful costumes is our passion. We enjoy sewing for people, making them happy by giving them the dress of their dreams. In our work, we are inspired by movies, TV shows, art, architecture, museums, and clients’ own ideas, combined with elements of contemporary fashion.”

Like all of the artists and costumers I profile, Dress Art Mystery’s work is beautiful, well-made, and memorable. But as glorious as the costumes are, I think it’s the photography that really stuck with me. The photos seem like they’re illustrations for a story I want to hear. The imaginative photographs make it so much easier to imagine the costumes transforming you into a fantastic, fictional being, living in a fairy realm or  at least an earlier time. While the folks at Dress Art Mystery do plan and organize some photo projects themselves, they also cooperate with many photographers and models to create their more inventive photos..

You can follow the very talented Dress Art Mystery in their Etsy shop, and on Instagram and Facebook.

All images property of Kateryna Novikova/DressArtMystery, used with permission.