The theme for Costume College 2026’s Friday Night Social was My Villain Era Party, and it took me a while to figure out what to wear. C’mon, villains, that’s right up my alley! There were too many cool villains to choose from. Finally, I settled on Erzsébet Báthory, the so-called blood countess who bathed in the
Since we didn’t go to Carnevale in 2026, Kendra and I decided to throw a big birthday party for ourselves. Our birthdays are in the same week in February, and often in the past few years we’ve been in Venice so there’s no need for an additional party. So this time, we rented out Little
For some reason, I fixated on this one Edward Gorey illustration and wanted to make the outfit. It’s big and shapeless and not directly connected to a specific historical period (unlike some Gorey drawings). It seems this drawing wasn’t part of a book or story, and according to one website, this drawing is part of
The Bella Donna Historical Performers were invite to participate at the Wyld Hunt Fae Ball in 2025. The event’s theme was fairy and fantasy, but somehow we landed on doing witchy dark group costumes. We all bought the same filmy black fabric and made our own style of drapey gowns with it. Everyone created some
For a trip to France in 2025, I wanted a new outfit and was inspired to try the levite style because it’s a little more casual and it just seemed interesting. Also, I was inspired by Kendra’s book and articles she’s written on the topic. I considered draping a pattern based on her work and
This is the presentation to accompany the lecture I gave at Costume College 2016. The topic was the evolution of the gothic subculture’s fashion, rising out of punk in the 1970s and combining historical fashion elements with music, literature, art, and pop culture, plus how gothic fashion became high fashion. Punk + History = Gothic
This is the presentation to accompany the lecture I gave at Costume College 2015. The topic was how black clothing has been worn over the centuries, sometimes for mourning the dead but also for utilitarian reasons and for fashion by different classes in western Europe. Black, It’s Not Just for Mourning – Costume College 2015