Attending the SCA West Kingdom’s 12th Night… read more about my 1560s Venetian gown project
2008 Costume Wrap-up/2009 Plans
Since everyone’s doing it – what I accomplished in 2008! I appear to have been shockingly productive, although it doesn’t feel like it:
- 1855 Comtesse de Montebello evening gown, part of the Eugenie project which included a Best in Show win in the Historical Masquerade at Costume Con 27
- 1760s mourning robe à la française, also for Costume Con
- 18th c. tart, which really only involved whipping out a new skirt and hat, for the Pirate Festival
- 1770s pouf wig
- turned my half-finished 1780s jacket into a 1740s jacket, which I have completely failed to document on my website aside from event pics from its wearing at Costume College
- 1560s Venetian gown for Bella Donna performances
- new, perfectly unperiod gored skirt for Bet at Dickens Faire
So what’s on the docket for 2009?
- I am, as we speak, finishing up a new partlet and girdle as the final touches on my 1560s Venetian gown, which I’ll wear to 12th Night
- 1775 maja costume for Costume College (definitely); maybe for the historical masquerade at Costume Con Baltimore IF I end up going?
- 1660s Nell Gwyn dress for the Charles II project, for Costume College (and Costume Con?, again if I go)
- I really need a new Gatsby dress, and as we’ve taken 2 years off, I can’t imagine we won’t go this year? So probably I’ll resurrect my 1920s day dress
Beyond that, I’ve got a ton of ideas but no firm plans. It’ll depend on which events happen and what puts a bee in my bonnet!
Spangles
Okay, so I asked the expert – Bjarne Drews – and he says the embroidery is spangles and nothing else. And that it’s impossible to find metal spangles in black and white, which I’ve confirmed through some web searching.
So now the question is – use plastic sequins? Or switch the color to silver (or possibly gunmetal, if I could find that) so that I can use metal? I do think gunmetal would be a good compromise… Hmm.
1850s Dickens Fair Costume
I finally got organized enough to post a picture of my new Dickens Fair skirt – how unexciting! You can see it on my Victorian gallery page.
Initial Thoughts
I have wanted to make this dress FOREVER. Seriously. Ever since I saw it in Dress in Eighteenth Century Europe. I think I have a black & white thing, plus I love the jacket, the embroidery… the only thing I DON’T like is the snood. It’s too “Hi I bought a snood at renfaire!” So I think the hairstyle/hat will go. But otherwise!
The “maja” was a term used in late 18th and 19th century Madrid for a particular group of people: the majo/maja, who were lower class artistic people who spoke “pure” Castilian and wore elaborate outfits. Both women’s and men’s costumes were distinguished by jackets worn open, and were usually in black. The upper classes appropriated their dress as a means of being anti-French (the French being the fashion leaders of the era). Of course, if I do a French hairstyle then I’ll really be doing the aristocratic-appropriation-of-lower-class-style thing… But then hey, it’s exactly what Sophie (my French Lumieres character would do) – pick up a dress in Spain and have no idea how to wear it properly (“What do you mean – doesn’t EVERYONE wear French hairstyles BLINKBLINK?”)
So theoretically this will be my Costume College gala dress, and of course will go to some Lumieres events too!
Currently I am working on really analyzing this portrait to figure out what’s going on. The main question I have is what the embroidery is — silk, probably? Tambour? Bridget suggested it could incorporate spangles, but I feel like it’s not shiny enough – what do you think? Also, do you think those sleeves tie on, or is that just decoration? And metal buttons on the front, or some sort of thread that matches the embroidery? Check out this high res image if you want to peer at it and help me out!
