All posts filed under: What I wear

Art Deco Weekend roundup

Last week I posted the tiniest bit about my wardrobe for Art Deco Weekend 2012, but I didn’t really tell you much about what it was about. Napier holds an annual Art Deco weekend because an earthquake (and resultant fire) on Feb 3 1931 devastated the city, killing 256 people in the greater Hawkes Bay area, and necessitating the rebuilding of the entire downtown business district. All the rebuilding was done in the Art Deco and Spanish Mission style. So every year Napier holds a festival to celebrate it’s Art Deco heritage, and commemorate the earthquake. Or so goes the official line. Sadly, my impression was that the festival was really just an excuse to sell stuff, wear silly clothes with only the barest veneer of historicism, and drink too much. There were a few tours about architecture, and a 20 minute ceremony about the earthquake, but I found the lack of history and recognition of why the event was held vastly disappointing. Also, the whole event puts a huge emphasis on the 1920s. The …

Art Deco wardrobe planning

Published by The Dreamstress

This year, for the first time ever, I’m going to Napier’s Art Deco Weekend. I’ve tried to go in the past, but things have come up. But this year, unless something happens in the next 5 days, it’s actually happening! Three days of 30s clothes and dancing! Being crazy and ambitious I’m planning a specific wardrobe. It’s based around the idea of what a well-off girl from Hawaii would have taken for a trip to Napier to visit family in early 1933*. So all my clothes will be from the very end of the 1920s and the early 30s. I’m going with a red, white & blue theme, to organise my design and keep my accessories down. I’ve got a pinterest board with inspiration. But don’t think it will be all patriotic and nautical red, white & blue! Here is my fabric pile: I’m hoping to make two evening dresses, one out of white lace with black lace that looks like this: With this: And one of blue lace in a cut very similar to …

The Cymbidium Orchid corset for Madame Ornata

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve been working on a corset based on the 1890s corded corset pattern for Madame Ornata. She asked me to make a BRIGHT green corset for a Victorian Poison Ivy costume. There were lots of complications (it’s complicated) and ended up going with an 18th century take on the idea for the costume party. The brief for the corset was BRIGHT green. Unfortunately we just couldn’t find anything in visits to every fabric store in Wellington. We did pick up a cute ivy-leaf patterned green quilting fabric for the lining. And then Madame O found the outer fabric on her own. And it was BRIGHT green. Did I tell you it was BRIGHT? Yeah. It made the lining fabric look dull and brown. So I had a mad rummage through my fabric stash. I found a flowered pink cotton that was rather sweet. Too sweet in fact. It just couldn’t stand up to the green silk. Finally, I found a mid-pink quilting cotton. I’m not even sure why I own this fabric. I have no …