Fashion Fever - Notes for Reel

Before I comment, here are the specs:
For 's cycle two round three entitled 'notes for reel'
The challenge was to create a theatrical (movie) costume based on a 60 second clip of music found here [link]
and to better see the image in the background, which I feel is integral to understanding the function of the design but did not fit well in the picture, please peek at this [link] (THANKS!)

Okay, comments
First off, I would like to explain the thought behind this design. The music I was assigned was very much like what you hear during the climax of an epic movie battle, such as Lord of the Rings, Qui Gon and Darth Maul's lightsaber fight, or Braveheart. LOTR was the heaviest in my mind, so I knew that I wanted to design a fantasy battle costume. However, I didn't want for it to involve actual armor (specifically metal plate armor) which required I go back in time about 3500 years to the egyptian, etruscan, and persian (babylonian) empires for inspiration on battle garb. Their battle clothes involved layers of cloth and sometimes leather pieces sewn thickly to protect from the barest of blows, shields providing the main protection from swords and spears. So no armor on this gal. Also, the driving drum patterns took me to africa, but I didn't want to evoke specifically an african feel, so I went to the slightly different ethiopian culture for inspiration. Her goddess braids are decidedly african, although the gold and lapis decorations are egyptian, the brass neck rings being inspired by the tradition for adorning women in Burma (myanmar). The swords are two handed scimitars (arabia) and the feathers and pouches on her belt were inspired by the wandering medicine men of south america, the american indians, and african wise men/shamans. the hair on her belt are actually scalps, from the persian and american indian tradition of collecting heads/scalping. The bound fur on her arms is a form of protection, the bone plates on her chest piece reminiscent of armor (the least realistic part of the costume).
As far as her character, Akasha (the piece title) comes from Anne Rice's book The Queen of the Damned, later adapted into a very tacky movie. However, her costume in that movie was one of the first images I had for this one, and she is also an egyptian warrior queen. That in mind, I adapted this girl to be a sort of warrior/goddess of death, the type that doesn't often come onto the battlefield but watches from a high place. However, when she does, all enemies get the 'hosnap we're screwed' impression, becase her very appearance inspires fear, her battle style being a whirl of flashing blades and a whip that can skin a man. She lives on their fear, and bathes in their blood. Freakishly scary but morbidly beautiful was the intent behind this costume design.

So, actual specs (from the top down)
Head: (profile next to titling)
hair accents made from gold and lapis lazuli. The raised marks on her face are achieved through a method of scarring the tissue to produce patterns, with the eye mask tattooed the tan to red pattern. The earrings are bits of rabbit fur with dyed wool 'dreads' (matted hair) beaded with green wooden beads and attached to a garnet cabochon.
The neckpiece is made of gold plated brass coils beaded with garnet, with a wool yarn tassel attached to the end of each line of stones in the front, a larger garnet bead in the back. The armband is hammered gold.
The wrapped armpieces are made of black sheepskin wrapped with linen, her bracelets being gold bangles and a gold and ruby beaded cuff.
The swords are made of steel (in the past it would have been iron or bronze) with a leather wrapped jeweled hilt and bone pommel.
The shirt/chestpiece is made of patterned cotton fabric onto which carved bone plates are attached with cord and ivory beading.
The underskirt is a prussian dyed woolen circle skirt. Underneath it would be a shorter cotton skirt (not visible) the overskirt made of dyed camel hide, the ends tattered both from the tanning process and from battle. The tanning process left the leather soft so it moves better, and provides protection for the legs and thighs.
The waist ensemble comprises a dyed muslin scarf/veil with muslin tassels. The furs are sheepskin and hyena, the hyena's mane left intact on the pelt. The belt is made of embossed dyed leather onto which scalps and a horse's tail switch are attached, along with leather and gourd pouches, and eagle feathers. The whip is made of braided leather attached to an iron and ivory hilt (the iron is shown rusted) with polished steel (then brass or iron) barbs on the end. Not visible here but visible in the action picture (link above) are the gold anklets, with camel hair anklet on one foot and woven reed sandals.
The cape is made of heavy green wool with a sheepskin mantle, the back shown here. There is a bone clasp on the front.
For those of you who think it strange that I have her so heavily clad when her home is obviously the desert, I would point out that the desert, though scorchingly hot during the day, becomes VERY cold when the sun goes down. also, such clothing is needed to protect the wearer from the sun's scorching rays.

I really hope you guys like this....I worked really hard to finish the coloring. Originally I had drawn a lot more patterns onto this costume, but after having been working on this for 8 hours, i decided that at four in the morning it was just time to keep it simple. However, I am encouraged, as it seems others have been emulating my style of presentation a bit in their backgrounds. Im glad, as it lends to a more professional feel in terms of the quality of the competition (in my opinion, although I know not everyone has access to photoshop or the experience using it, which is fine) it's just fun to see what people come up with.

Enjoy! and thanks to those of you who actually read through all that.