PLANG THANGS
Ponderosa Pine King
What am I looking at?
Custom clothing made from up-cycled fibers, some of which are hand-dyed. The ensemble is adorned with glass throughout and styled with custom glass accessories. On this outfit you will find bark, moss, lichen, mushrooms, pine needles, buttons, and fern leaves made of glass using a variety of techniques.
Starting from the top, the crown is composed of flameworked glass with a gilded finish. The cape epaulette displays glass fern leaves and a turkey tail mushroom cluster, as well as glass fringe. The side and back of the cape are decorated with approximately 5000 moss beads, 15 wolf lichen broaches, and roughly one hundred traditionally formed beads. On the chest and legs are dozens pate de verre bark pieces and wolf lichen broaches. Smaller details throughout include glass buttons, collar tips, cufflinks, and a chain. On the King’s left hand is a flameworked pinecone ring with a gilded finish. In the King’s right hand is a hot sculpted cane similarly finished with gilding. Kilnforming and flameworking were used to cover the shoes in a mossy glass texture, turkey tail mushrooms, and fern leaves.
This outfit was made for Laura Donefer’s 17th Glass Fashion Show which took place at the Corning Museum of Glass in June of 2026. At this exhibition, Langley modeled their creation alongside 80+ other glass artists.
*Interested in the specific types of glass and techniques used? Scroll down to see the chart!*
What does it mean?
The fashion style for this project is a merging of French King attire, specifically that of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, and modern-day business suits. This choice is a comment on the lineage of the ruling class and their influence over the physical world they control, and often destroy, though their power.
Throughout modern history, deforestation has been a result of human societal expansion. As capitalism continues to drive the destruction of our natural world, the issue has become a highly political arena where the ruling class plays with the balance of our planet’s ecosystems for personal gain. This project explores how the power struggles of human culture affect the nature we are a part of. Choosing to immortalize this specific tree species with molten glass speaks to the longevity and fire resilience of old growth ponderosa pine forests.
While making the thousands of small components to create this work, Langley was reminded of something incredibly powerful: Showing up in numbers makes a difference. This can be directly applied to the human experience and the challenges we all face in the current state of the world. The interconnectedness of humanity and nature is undeniable; by working together to combat maleficent uses of power, we can protect our planet and provide a better future for all who come after us.
*Chart of understanding materials and techniques used:
