I’ve had this fabric earmarked for Leonard’s 16th-century suit for ages, and I finally bit the bullet and commissioned Jenn to make it for me. After all, she’s the pro, having made countless gorgeous such suits for fellas in the Court of St. George. We had a great time planning the design and during the
One of the events my friends and I planned to attend at Venetian Carnevale 2020 was the Napoli Ball, and 1860s evening attire was requested. But Victorian ballgowns bore me, so I decided that Leonard should branch out from the 18th century. I bought a black wool tailcoat tuxedo, a waistcoat, and a shirt. I
Many of us have seen this delightful painting with an 18th-c. gent wearing leopard-print breeches and waistcoat. It’s the generically named “An Interior with Elegant Company” by Venceslao Verlin (d. 1780). While I can’t find much about this specific painting, there are other images from around 18th-c. Europe of men and a few women wearing
My motto for this website and all my dress-up endeavors has long been, “We’re born naked, everything else is a costume,” which is a paraphrase of RuPaul’s “We’re born naked, everything else is drag.” Because Mama Ru and I have the same philosophy that all the clothes / makeup / hairstyle / etc. we garb
When the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild announced a Game of Thrones event at the glorious Castello di Amarosa winery in Calistoga, February 2015, I really wanted to go. For a while, it seemed like finances would conspire against me, but I had a little help from my friends, and the plan came together. But
When Costume College 2014 announced that the theme for the Friday Night Social was “Club Ice” & made allusions to bling, sparkle, diamonds, rhinestones, & the like, well, I took this as a personal challenge to wear something eye-blindingly sparkly. I went through a lot of options of what to make or buy & finally
Taking my dip into “early period” to new heights … This started as a cheesy dress bought on eBay just to kick around camp, probably on Sundays, maybe in summer (since it’s a fairly lightweight cotton). I bought a size based on my hip measurement, knowing I’d have to fit the bodice down, plus hack
Because apparently “early period” will get to you if you hang around in SCA long enough. Made using the same pattern drafted for my gothic gothic fitted dress. In a linen-rayon blend & fully lined in old bedsheets (because I hate the feel of linen touching my skin). The sleeves were patterned from a pastiche
If you’ve looked around my website or seen me at SCA events, you might have noticed I’m really fond of 16th-century clothing. And I don’t go much earlier than this era. In fact, I often joke that 1530 is “early period” for me (when, in SCA circles, “early period” means Norse, Viking, even Roman garb).
For the Costume College Gala in 2013, I had a hard time coming up with something to wear. Originally, I wanted to make the 18th-c. masquerade gown I’ve been lusting after for years. I have the main fabrics, I know how to design & create it, I have scads of research about it. Heck, I
At first, when one of my BFFs Sarah said she was having her birthday party at Castello di Amoroso & asking people to come in medieval costume, I figured, whatever, I’ll wear some of my usual 16th-century garb. It’s what I like, she wouldn’t mind, & it would fit in at the 14th-century-style Italian castle
As advertised by Loren, this costume was both fabulous *and* comfortable to wear! My version was much more voluminous than the other ladies, but I planned it that way. I wanted to float around on a big cloud of silk. And I did. Good news is that this will become a Costume College tradition, so
A bio-queen a la “RuPaul’s Drag U,” even tho’ nobody figured it out at the time. This was the costume I pulled together at the last minute for Costume College’s Saturday-night Gala. I intended to be a female drag queen — a faux queen — but everyone just thought it was me dressed up extra
I kind of need to have a finished belt before I can hem the gown, because the gown(s) hang differently when caught up by the belt. You’d think this belt would be easier, but no. The sari trim was floppy, so I lined it with some light buckram, thinking that would be sufficient. Alas, it
Only occasionally do I follow costumer trends. Usually, when everyone else wants to make chemise dresses or venetian gowns, I’m not convinced & wait 5 years until they’re all bored with the idea to create my own weird little take on the concept. Unless someone has a really really good idea. That’s easy. And comfortable.