Here are a few more photos from the Afternoon Tea fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. There is a funny story behind why I am posting these photos involving certain people thinking that the gorgeous Rachel (who is wearing Japonisme, which I almost always wear) was me, because I didn’t post any photos of me. Flattering as that is, I thought I’d best post some of me to clear up any confusion!
Today I gave a talk on the interaction between tea and fashion at an afternoon tea charity fundraiser for Ronald McDonald house. It was held at the Coronation Cafe at the Museum of Wellington City and Sea – a charming venue themed around a display of reproduction British crown jewels made for the New Zealand centennial. We had tea, I talked, we visited with guests, lots of photos were taken, and a lovely time was had by all. Many thanks to the wonderful Daniil for being the photographer!
Whenever I give a talk there are certain questions I can be almost certain I will be asked. How long does it take to make one of these dresses? A long time. A long, longtime. But it does depend on the dress. A Regency, even hand-sewn, can go together in 12 hours. I actually counted with the tea gown, and it took between 32-40 hours from draping to hemming. The Ninon dress was much longer, thanks to all the hand-sewing and bodice boning. The Japonisme dress would have been relatively quick, were it not for the hand-appliques obi motifs. Are the dresses (and corsets) uncomfortable to wear? Chiara in Ninon said “Yes!” much too enthusiastically to this question this time, much to my chagrin.Certainly cramming all five us into a car for the ride from dressing to Premier House didn’t help with the comfort factor. I like to say that they are ‘differently comfortable’. Like a suit isn’t the same as jeans, but you wouldn’t necessarily say uncomfortable. How do you sit in them? …
