Category: Costume Con

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Costume Con – I’m Off!

Whew, I think I just packed the entire house! Lots of sewing the last 2 weeks, but I finished most everything on Sunday morning. Of course, since then I’ve been working on masquerade documentation, making packing lists, etc. You’d think I was off for an Arctic trek!

The current plan is to wear Bet on Friday (I never would have thought I would, but Cynthia is wearing Nancy, and Nancy needs her Bet! Besides, it’s comfy, which I want for day costumes), the evening version of the candy cane bustle dress Friday night, the 1923 black & white dress on Saturday (again, comfy, plus the hat is fabulous), Florentine on Saturday night (dressy but also comfy, since I’ll be sitting for hours at the scifi masquerade), jeans on Sunday (you know I’ll be sick of corsets by then!), the secret masquerade dress on Sunday night (details as soon as I get back!). And the mourning dress will be in the exhibit – I promise a full report when I get back!

Anyone who is coming, a few things to plug – first, on Friday we’ll be recording a special Con edition of the Frock Flicks podcast, with audience interaction! (12:30-2pm in the Gateway Foyer). Also on Friday, I’ll be hanging out at the exhibit 3-4 for the “meet the costumer” hour (there are set times to chat w/ the people who made costumes in the exhibit). On Saturday, I’ll be demoing bodice draping (2-3:15 in San Jose).

Hope to see many of you there!

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Somebody Stop Me!

So I’ve found out (thanks to Trystan) that I don’t have to put my 18th century corset on my dress form at the Costume Con exhibit, which means I can wear 18th century – yay! Of course, I’m suddenly fantasizing about quickly finishing my jacket just so I have something new to wear – and am contemplating maybe pushing it back to a 1740s-50s jacket, with a laced-over-stomacher and cuffs. Wouldn’t that be cute? And I finally found an inspirational image for my new Venetian dress, which under no account can I start until after Costume Con, but I am busy fantasizing about it nonetheless! Okay. Deep breaths. IF I get the masquerade and exhibit dresses done, I can finish the jacket and fulfill my need to wear something new. I shall NOT think Venetian! No way!

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Costume Con 26 Planning

So I’ve realized that while I am sewing madly, on two projects, for Costume Con 26, I’m not actually going to get to WEAR any of it (except for the secret masquerade project, but that’ll just be Sunday night). So I am grumpy about having nothing new and fabulous to wear, and have been joking with Sarah about things like “wear your most boring costume!” gatherings (which for me would be the Bet costume — if you see a gin-soaked pickpocket roaming around CC26, you’ll know why!).

I might wear my Florentine, if I can tweak the bodice fit in time, but even that feels like a “this old thing” to me as I’ve worn it a few times in the past year. Otherwise, I don’t know! Rewear something recent and fabulous like my purple striped 1871 dress? Something new-ish, relatively unworn, but boring like my Meg dress? Something I haven’t worn in forever like the 1909 afternoon dress? The MOST annoying thing is I won’t be able to wear anything 18th century, my current passion, because my stays will be on my dress form in the exhibit. Grump.

In other news, the CC26 people have added a Suggest a Program Item form (direct link doesn’t seem to be working, so go their homepage and click on Program & Exhibits > Suggest a Program Item) to their website, and I want to highly encourage attendees to both suggest programming (panels, lectures, workshops) they’d like to see, and especially to volunteer themselves to be on programming. The only way we’re going to get programming we like is if we all pitch in and do it ourselves! Costume Con seems very DIY to me, so get over your shyness and think about what you could share with others. I know I’d love to hear from so many of my online friends (I’m especially hoping someone could put something together on 16th century construction, as that’s something I know little about and would love to know more – hint hint!). So suggest and volunteer!

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Costume Con Report!

Whew! I’m back and totally exhausted! It was in general a good time. On the one hand, there was some amazing costuming in evidence, and I had a good time hanging out with friends and meeting new people. There were a lot of GBACG people there, and I was excited to meet an ex-GBACG person whose work I’ve admired. On the other, it was no Costume College — although I only made it to a few panels, I’m not really a fan of the “panel” format and definitely prefer the lecture/workshops at Costume College and the focus on teaching rather than just talking about. I did get excited about making some not-so-strictly historical costumes, like my LOTR dress and maybe an 18th c. pirate-ess costume.

So the big super sekrit thing that wasn’t really a sekrit, but hadn’t been announced and I wasn’t sure of the etiquette, was that I was one of three judges for the historical masquerade. In general, it was fun to see and talk about costumes with some really talented and brave (to get up on stage and be judged!) people. I really liked getting to reward all of the hard work and talent we all put into our costumes. The down side was that it was a HA-UGE amount of work, including getting up at 7am-ish EVERY DAY except Monday and spending a good time of each day on judging (reviewing documentation, meeting with costumers to examine workmanship, etc.).

I wore my green stripey 1780s to the Friday Night Social, my 1910 Wings of the Dove afternoon dress on Saturday afternoon/evening, and my black & white natural form to the historical masquerade on Saturday night — which I heard looked good on stage, although I have no photos of myself in it! What with all the judging, the 1909 afternoon dress never made it out.

So here you go: PHOTOS, most of which are of historical costumes, but you know what I like!

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Costume Con Pt. 2

Okay, I’m (mostly) packed — it only took four hours! Unfortunately the red & white stripey early bustle dress is getting ditched. I ran out of room in the suitcase for things like modern clothes, jammies, etc. Taking out the red & white dress meant I could also take out the bustle, huge petticoat, and matching shoes. Also, I realized that all the pleating and ruches were going to get crushed in my suitcase. So that meant I had room for my 1909 afternoon dress. Whew! I THINK I’m ready to go…