If you’re in the SF Bay Area, and are interested in such shenanigans, I’ll be teaching a Bodice Draping Workshop (for the Victorian era) for GBACG on Feb. 11th (advance signups required). I’ll demo how to drape a basic dart-fitted bodice, then students will pair up and drape each other. You’ll learn how to drape, plus we’ll go through all the mockup stages so that you leave with a perfectly fitted pattern that you can adapt to most eras of the 19th century. Should be fun!
Costume College Teaching – Thinking Ahead
I’m starting to think about what I’ll teach at Costume College next year, as they are putting together a preliminar list of classes. Right now it’s looking like I’ll be repeating my 18th Century Overview, plus doing a lecture/demo on 18th Century Hair & Makeup (models needed!! Ideally I’d like to have three different models who come to class with their hair set in rollers, so I can style one of each into a 1760s, 1770s, and 1780s look, plus do makeup on one). Less likely is that I’d do a class on library research for costumers. Next year (2008) I’d like to do a demo on How to Drape a 1760s-70s Robe a la Francaise, but I need to make at least one more so I’m sure I have the technique down (don’t want to go claiming I’m an expert yet). Hmm!
Costume College Classes (Mine)
Just got my list of what I’ll be teaching at Costume College. Three overviews of women’s costume: 1830s, late 16th c. venice, and 1750-1780. Yay! Should be fun. The 1830s one I’ve done twice before, so that’s easy. Just did the 18th c. one at Costume Academy; I’ll make some tweaks to that. And the Venice one should be fun as I’ve done way too much research on that, plus it hasn’t been done before at CC to my knowledge.
Now here’s a random question for you Costume College attendees: do you like it better when the instructor wears a costume from the period, so you can see what it looks like on and (hopefully) get inspired? Or would you prefer to have the costume on a hanger/mannequin, so you can look at the construction?
And I guess this helps me determine which costumes I’m hauling to Costume College this year! Although I still need something new and fabulous for the gala… Hmm. I was considering making this 1910 evening dress, but now I have the 18th c. bug! I could wear my caraco and petticoat but I don’t think that will be very showy, or my 1875 evening gown which is very showy, but I wore the day version last year (so maybe it won’t seem very exciting to sort-of wear again. Although it is really cute, imho). Hmm! What do you think?
Random Musings
Last weekend I went to the Oakland Museum’s White Elephant sale where I only bought a pearl necklace and a 40’s style olive green suit ($10)… only to get home and on a hunch, start poking around and realize that my 40’s style suit is actually a vintage Women’s Army Corps uniform (minus all its buttons). Yay! So now I’m wandering around ebay trying to find buttons and all the other insignia that it’s missing.
And I’m teaching two classes this weekend at GBACCG’s Costume Academy — one is an overview of 18th century costume, the other is on draping the 18th c. bodice. In doing so, I came across the sketch Nancy Bradfield includes in Costume in Detail of 1780s bum rolls/pads. That’s the only evidence I’ve seen for these, and since I love the 1780s, I thought I’d just go see if I could find the original she redrew that from… behold! I’ve ordered the catalog on ILL so I can see a better version. Anyone know of any other documentation for bum rolls in the late 1780s?
Costume College Class Ideas
So the (first) deadline for class ideas for Costume College is coming up in a few weeks, and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to teach. I have a couple of ideas: overview of women’s fashions in Renaissance Venice, or of the 1780-90s, or of the 1910s. Also, I’m thinking of either reoffering my Victorian bodice draping workshop, or instead doing one for cone-shaped bodices (workable for either Elizabethan or 1770s-80s anglaise/polonaise styles).
But it’s always so hard to figure out what I know that others might not know! Does anyone have any suggestions beyond what I’ve come up with?