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Costume College 2017 – the Great Gala Photo-a-thon

This years Gala at Costume College was amazing. Last year was spectacular, but I swear that the caliber of costumes this year was even better. (and the food was definitely better, and they didn’t make you announce yourself on the red carpet, which I approved of!)

I took so many photos, because there were so many gorgeous things to take photos of. I’m just going to share the more spontaneous, ‘what it was like to be there’ ones with you, rather than the really posed costumes shots, because most costumers will hopefully be posting about their costumes in detail on their own sites.

Admiring dress details while waiting in line for the Red Carpet.

Taylor of Dames a la Mode and Merja of Before the Automobile have “Oooh, your dress” moments while Jenny La Fleur looks on.

Cleverest solution ever to the eternal ‘How to carry all your stuff while looking historical?’ question.

I love the way the blue in Teresa’s be-you-ti-ful 1660s jacket brings out the blue in Merja’s hand-painted gown. There was a whole group of costumers in 1660s, and while I really wanted to be part of it, I just couldn’t manage it with my sewing schedule & luggage allowance.

Between this beauty by Sabrina and Rebecca’s gown (see below) I really want to make late 1860s-early 1870s pretties…

Twin Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s (Sisi’s) Hungarian court gown! The left version is by Jessica Grist who performs with Bella Donna.

Both versions get excited about Jennifer’s beautiful recreation of an 1880s fashion plate (which also had a twin recreation)

I knew it was going to be a good night when Rebecca of Diary of a Costumer’s amazing blue gown is the first thing I saw when I stepped out of the lift, and I was not disappointed! Here she is photographing Meg of Nutmeg Sews gorgeous entirely hand-sewn Romantic Era frock.

More pretty ca 1870s: Lauren of The Homemade Historian in a dress based on an 1872 fashion plate & Seamingly Vintage with Meg.

Jenny La Fleur, like me, is always behind a camera!

I love these two. I feel like I stepped into a Jane Austen film looking at them.

Caroline of Dressed in Time made a gorgeous recreation of a 1902 Worth Gown from the Met which I was very excited to see, because it is also on my to-make list, thought I’m going about it in a very different way – it’s really fascinating to see how costumers approach the same garment from quite different perspectives. Unlike her I don’t think I’m dedicated/mad enough to hand-stitch all the fabric-to-lace joins though!

At dinner I sat with Cathy Hay & friend from England (but across the table, so couldn’t do much more than wave at them) and Gloria of In the Long Run, The Lady Detalle & Meg at dinner.

After dinner it was back to more gown excitement and photos (apparently there was dancing, but I missed it entirely – oops!)

I love taking photos of people taking photos…

Here Meg and Angela of Burnley & Trowbridge photograph Lauren of The Lady of Portland House in her truly spectacular hand-spangled frock.

Foxy Ladies! Loren of The Costumers Closet & Jenni La Fleur are campaigning for Charles James Fox, Aubry of A Fractured Fairy Tale (in white) is in a spot-on recreation of Romney’s 86-87 portrait of Susanna (Miller) Lee Acton, which I got to see at the Huntington on this trip!

And, to finish off, Carolyn of The Modern Mantua Maker in ‘I want to steal this entire outfit and especially that fan’ from her natural-form.

So much inspiration! So many things I want to sew for next year!

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Rate the Dress: mid-century ‘Drumbeats’

Published by The Dreamstress

Well, last week’s dress was proof that not everything Worth did was perfection. Due to a bit of un-subtle trimming, the dress had to bow out of the top ranks (pun totally intended) with a paltry 6.4 out of 10 – low by any standard, and terrible by the standard of Worth garments featured in Rate the Dress.

I just can’t keep track of the day/time differences between NZ and CA, and when I’m supposed to do Rate the Dress, so once again you’re getting it a little late. Next week should be right on time though – I’ll be back home (yay! and sniff at the same time)

This week’s Rate the Dress is California inspired – and what could be more California than a mid-century playsuit by a Los Angeles designers collaborating with Jantzen, now in the collection of LACMA?

Woman’s Playsuit and Skirt, ‘Drumbeat’ Louella Ballerino for Jantzen, Inc. 1947, cotton, M.2007.194.5a-b

While the artist is Californian, the inspiration for this playsuit’s design comes from much further afield, with motifs probably taken from African textiles, and a name that reflects the mid-century obsession with all things ‘exotic’ and jungle-y.

Woman’s Playsuit and Skirt, ‘Drumbeat’ Louella Ballerino for Jantzen, Inc. 1947, cotton, M.2007.194.5a-b

The playsuit’s accompanying skirt is even more exotic, giving a restrained nod to pareu and the ‘sarong’ dress that Edith Head created for Dorothy Lamour’s Jungle Princess in 1936, a look that became iconically associated with tropical-inspired fashions – whether they were from Africa or the South Pacific.

Woman’s Playsuit and Skirt, ‘Drumbeat’ Louella Ballerino for Jantzen, Inc. 1947, cotton, M.2007.194.5a-b

What do you think? Does this look like a chic way to keep cool in the California heat? Do you like the mix of modernism and exoticism?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

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Costume College 2017 Friday thedreamstress.com

Costume College 2017 – Friday photos

Published by The Dreamstress

It’s that time of year again! The time when you get to see all the AMAZING things that were created for Costume College.

I didn’t get as many, or as good a selection of photos, as I did last year, because I’d packed my schedule far too full with teaching (3x 2 hour classes was too much…), and had sewing to finish, which left me stressed and over-busy. I’ve realised in looking over my photos that the really bad side-effect of stress is that I didn’t talk to as many new people as I would have liked, and didn’t get everyone’s information and links to their blogs etc.

So this post doesn’t have the name of everyone I photographed. I’m so sorry about that, and if you do know who anyone featured is, please let me know so I can credit and link to them.

The other side effect is that the majority of my photos are from the evening events, when I had time to hang out with a camera and squee over the fabulousness.

And there was so much fabulousness…

Like the suffragettes, who included Katherine of Koshka the Cat, Loren of Costumer’s Closet, Jen of Festive Attyre (in the most phenomenal teens hat), Nicole of Diary of a Mantua Maker, and a bunch of other fabulous ladies. I’m swooning over every single garment in this photo!

Nicole was wearing and is showing off the new American Duchess Molieres. She was wearing a prototype so they are the tiniest smidge different in the finished version, but they were still so deliciously covetable.

I didn’t managed to get a good photo of Nicole’s Saturday Gala gown, but it was phenomenal, and she made her own shoes, and they were even more phenomenal. You can see some good images on American Duchesses’ photo post.

1790s (which is an era I’ve long wanted to do, but keep being distracted by other obligations) was also wonderfully represented by Lauren of The Lady of Portland House, and Abby & Lauren of American Duchess.

Those hairstyles!

And more gorgeous later Regency frippery on Jenny La Fleur (who is always rocking the most perfectly-done period hairstyles, naturally!)

Amazing 18th century stuff is always well represented at Costume College, and Friday night was no exception, with Taylor of Dames a La Mode and a bevy of other beauties in Georgian finery.

And Christina of The Laced Angel in be-you-ti-ful 1740s (I may not be a fan out Outlander, but, with the help of American Duchesses’ superlative patterns, it has resulted in lots of fabulous reproductions from that era – and that I am a fan of!)

The Friday Night theme was Casino Royale, and some costumers went on-theme in the most wonderful and creative ways:

That’s Meg of Nutmeg Sews (who was one of my fabulous roommates) in Regency playing cards, and Teresa Nguyen (Tall Princess) in the scrumptious Romantic Era frock with epic hairpiece.

My other fabulous roommate was Christi (@g0thlette), doing glamorous 1930s with the most drool-worthy sequinned lace piece:

So Marlene!

I did glam 1920s in my Hula Goddess frock, so I had fun posing with the glam ’20s & ’30s crowd:

And showing off our matching green & gold ’20s finery with Tanya of Mrs Hughes, who was one of the people I know online who I was thrilled to finally meet in-person this year.

To finish, the costumes I was most excited to see:

So exciting! So perfect! Alas, no Magrat – though I would happily have volunteered. My hair is very cooperative in the Magrat look (much to my usual chagrin).