Author: kendra

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Report: I Am Not Dead!

I have been, however, sick as the proverbial dog since Wednesday. I know you all know, but there’s nothing worse to a costumer than taking TWO sick days and not be physically able to sew. Okay, I did a tiny bit on my Wings of the Dove dress (post forthcoming), but really nothing in the scope of having TWO DAYS OFF. So in non-fever, nose blowing news…

I’ve added a review of A Very Long Engagement to my 20th c. costume movies page.

I’ve caved and decided I am going to Costume College, where I shall be teaching a class on bodice draping and another on hairstyles of the bustle era.

And Sunday I dragged myself off of the couch (outside? there’s an outside?) to go Costume Academy, which is the GBACG one-day multi-class costume workshop. Attended Margo Anderson’s class on courtly women’s costume in the Elizabethan Era, then had lunch and looked at pretties (we had a dealer’s room this year!) and bought some vintage buttons — bought four (I know, they were expensive!) white satin with a little embroidered black flower 3/4″ vintage 1870s buttons, and five 1″ sorta brass colored will-work-for-Renaissance vintage buttons (I’m thinking I’ll incorporate these into my jeweled-belt-for-which-I-don’t-know-the-name for my Venetian gown) — and THEN taught my class on bustle gowns/overskirt (apron/poufs) draping. The class seemed to go well, in that some people said so afterwards, but I was so sick and out of it that I feel like I was very scattered and uninformative. It’s also SO annoying to try to teach an overview class without being able to have a bazillion images. I brought 11×17 color photocopies, but because of cost could only have about 20 images, when I would have loved to have shown much more (esp. undies, more construction details, etc.). I skipped the last class to return to my proper place on the couch.

And now I have to go back to work today! Whine!

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Felicità

I am going to be joining Bella Donna Venetian Courtesans, a group that performs at the northern Calif. Heart of the Forest Renaissance Faire. I just found out yesterday, and I am already sitting on my hands to keep them from starting work on an appropriate outfit. (Guess it might be good to figure out my character and what sort of costuming guidelines the group would like me to stick to, eh?) But that’s not stopping my mind from buzzing!

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Oscars!

Yay to Sandy Powell for winning Best Costume Design for The Aviator! Loved the second-class citizen “everyone get on stage so we can shoot the losers” presentation, but hey, at least they let her on stage!

And the fashion report!

Hands down, Cate Blanchett won my best dressed award. Loved the cut, loved the fabric (silk taffeta!), LOVED the color combo. She’s fabulous.

Although I’m not terribly into blue, Kate Winslet looked great in it and I liked the glinty bits.

Charlize Theron looked like what she is: boring! Also Annette Bening (you couldn’t even see any detail [if she had any] on her boring black dress).

Beautiful color, beautiful fit: Salma Hayek. Same on Virginia Madsen (MUCH better than that clinging-in-all-the-wrong-places Golden Globes dress).

Straight outta 1988, and not in a good way: Melanie Griffith.

Emmy Rossum and Renee Zellweger both looked fabulous in my favorite shade of garnet red. I loved the tulle/organza/whatever on Zellweger’s neckline and train. Of course, both of them needed some protein, stat.

Penelope Cruz — good color, nice fabric, hair overwhelmed her… BUTT BOW!

Imelda Staunton looked just beautiful. Loved the very 1950s cut of the dress, great neckline, beautiful color. Perfect for her. See Melanie Griffith? You don’t HAVE to look like Dynasty!

Gwynnie wore a satin drawstring bag.

I liked Scarlett Johansson‘s glinty hair thingies. Thought the dress should have fitted a bit better on top.

Natalie Portman was 50/50 for me. I liked the Grecian look, very simple and elly-gant. But the color was a bit of a washout on her, and no one wants to see that much bony sternum.

Laura Linney: great cut, loved the fabric and the ruffles etc. Color was a bit of a washout, weird hair.

I’m torn on Hilar ySwank. The color worked well on her, I liked the fit, and I liked the dramatic backless-ness with the covered up in front. But the neckline was just a bit too stranglehold-y, and the fabric seemed very bike-shorts-y.

All of Beyonce’s dresses were either ugly or boring, but they were better than some of her usual stuff.

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Gaskell Ball

On Saturday night the GBACG went to the Gaskell Ball. It was much more successful than I thought it would be — there were at least 35, maybe 40, of us, and I think I got to say hi to most of them.

PHOTOS

Possibly because the guild was promoting that specific ball, and probably through some freak of the space/time continuum, the costuming was MUCH better than it usually is (meaning, there was more of it and less corset/prom skirt!). I had an excellent time dancing, chatting with friends and fellow costumers, and stalking all of the lovely costumes. Some of the best gowns were on Barbara, who wore her grey striped (!!) wedding dress (more info on her website), and by Heidi’s recreation of the Madame X dress from the Sargent painting.

I wore my stripedy 1780s robe a l’anglaise, and had fun ratting my hair out. As I was leaving the house I mentioned to my husband, “You know, about half of the people there are going to say, ‘What the $!)# did she do to her hair?'” — and I was right. One person said, “It looks like you’re going for a servant look or something…” Le sigh!