The knockoff Atonement dress

You may remember that this past April, to console myself upon aging out of the best years of my life, I purchased a dress off of eBay that was designed to resemble the gorgeous green silk charmeuse gown worn by Keira Knightley in the film Atonement. I've had it for some time now, but have yet to have an occasion to wear it. But one thing I've been meaning to do is take pictures of myself in it to post here.

The dress is not a perfect fit. It's actually cut for someone less curvy than I, if you can believe that. It's a bit tight in the hips, so it has to ride up to lay right, which makes it rumple in the waist. I like how the bust shaping gives me definition. There's just same old problem I have regarding my boxy, massively oversized ribcage that means the zipper in the back only mostly closes. I think that also means the straps are not pulled as taut as they should be, and are prone to slipping. I may shorten them a bit because of that. Fortunately the back shape camaflauges the slightly gaping top of the zipper. I've always found a bare back very sexy, particularly my own.

If I remade it, which I'd like to do someday, I may copy the original, but I also would love to make it as the Tailor dress. Cornflower blue, slight cowl neck over a close-fitting beaded bodice with a straight skirt. And of course, sized to my proportions. Or possibly someone else's-- niobien* not only plays Bethany Loring, the wearer of the famous dress, she is the one cast member who I actually think physically resembles what I picture for her character. It sure would be fun to dress her up in such a gown and take her portrait in character.

But even if this dress is not perfect on me, I still like it. It has a long train and is very hot, which makes it not the easiest dress to wear, but it is a fabulous, flattering, striking color and I love the drama of it. And at the very least, it will be good inspiration for future dressmaking efforts. 

 

Debut of the preppy plaid skirt!

Decided my newly sewn plaid skirt, while technically a mini, is no shorter than many other skirts I wear to work on a regular basis, so I couldn't resist making today its debut. I put a hook and eye at the top of the zipper, but otherwise it is unchanged from the other night. Ensemble, c'est tres chic, non?

I can't believe how well I did with the fit. It sits at my high hip so nicely. I was afraid it would ride up, like another stiff-fabric skirt I have, but it's sized so well that it just clings to the shape of my hips and stays exactly where I want it. Exactly the right amount of ease and everything. I'm sure this is due to the precision with which the sloper instructions have you use your measurements. Though I did alter the pattern by lowering it to hip height, which could have caused a problem, but I guess I was in fact able to logic it out. The instructions are so well designed, even with the myriad mistakes I made in the drafting process, that I would realize right away when I did something wrong because the elegant, logical structure would be obviously disrupted. I was very impressed.

I figure I'll test it with a day of wear and see if it needs anything, like a waistband or a lining. I'm inclined to think not, it's working so well as it is. Seems a little prone to wrinkling; though the fabric is a coarse woven cotton, it has kind of a linen-like feel. But I can sit and stand and move comfortably in it. It lays flat across my front and hugs my backside without clinging too much. The only thing I'm actively unsatisfied with at the moment is the inside is completely unfinished. My seam allowances are just kind of flapping around in there. Makes me wish I had a serger to just securely seal them all up. If I lined it that wouldn't be a problem anymore, but as I said, I worry a lining might make it too heavy, and I don't want to risk screwing it up with a process I've never attempted before. Yeah, yeah, practice makes perfect, but I actually like this garment. Maybe I should save the first try for something I don't care about. But that would mean deciding on some other way to finish the seams.

As with any successful project, now I want to make more things. Too bad I'm so busy today, or I'd spend the rest of the day messing with draping my dress form. I don't know much about draping, but I want to just pin stuff all over it and see what I get.

I made a preppy beige and burgundy skirt!

Oh, my God, guys, I made a skirt! A skirt for which I drafted the pattern myself! And it fits me great and came together nicely despite the fact that I'm still new to a lot of these techniques!

I sized it to fit to my hips instead of my waist, so I didn't have to worry about darts. And I was careful about where my seamlines fell so that the fit was on. I love how it flares out just a little to hug the shape of my hips.

I inserted my very first invisible zipper, which went in okay. Not perfect, I wish I'd gotten the edges closer together, it gaps as the skirt stretches with me as you can see, but it looks pretty presentable. The sloper instructions tells you how to make a waistband, but it looks so nice as it is. The only thing that it might help is the slightly messy top edge where the zipper ends. I may skip the waistband, but I should probably sew in a hook and eye at least.

I even managed to match the lines of the plaid to itself pretty well! At least the horizontal lines. But it doesn't look too weird.

This fabric started life as a valance curtain I got at the thrift store, so I used the finished edges it already had for the waist and hem of the skirt. That happened to work out cleanly, I thought I was at least going to have to make a new hem. The other thing the instructions recommend is a lining, which I may also eschew. It fits so nicely as it, a lining would make it heavier. Also, I've never lined anything before, so maybe I don't want to risk messing up the skirt.

It probably needs a few finishing touches, but I'm really happy with it. I'd like to wear it tomorrow, though it might be a little short for the office. Still, it's so preppy and chic, and my legs have been looking so long and toned lately, it might be a shame not to. ;-)

Getting over that popped button

I popped another button on a pair of jeans the other day. Promptly collapsed into a self-hating mess that I had to dig myself out of before I could be a functional human being again. In order to make that happen, had to think through some things to get myself out of that headspace.

When I was in undergrad, this is pretty typical of how I dressed every day. Jeans (size zero Lucky's) and a shirt short enough to show at least a little bit of midriff. My stomach, obsessed over constantly by me, was one of my best features, and I liked to show it off.

Now I have a day job, in an office with a professional dress code. It's frequent I'll go weeks at a time without wearing jeans, because it would mean going through a whole second set of clothes after work. I don't always want to generate that much laundry. And the whole bare midriff thing in the professional world certainly does not give off a vibe of "take me seriously." But I've also done it less because I've put on weight. I am ever so slightly too big for my old jeans, and while it's mostly okay, I wore them tight enough already that I don't exactly have a lot of growing room. And I hate the muffin top look, the look of being squishy. I am less enthused to show off a midriff that is less lovely than it was before.

I know I'm being melodramatic. I'm still small enough that I still get referred to as "the skinny one" and have people marvel at how child's-sized my clothes are. But I've been thin enough in the past to model underwear. To have those jeans fit like someone painted them on me. And going from that to popping buttons is depressing like I can't express. I look at pictures of my old body, remember how my pants used to fit, and can't help but feel like things have gone a little wrong.

But you know, the more I get hung up on my literal size, the less that size becomes associated with how good I actually look. Which is what I really care about, of course. Yes, I probably have a little bit too much attachment to that little zero on the tag in my dress, but I really just like having nice narrow waist to allow my decidedly non-childbearing hips to seem somewhat full by contrast, and smooth muscle on my tummy. Yeah, well-defined abdominals someday would be nice-- I have a kidney and a liver in near-mint condition if someone would like to trade --but I will settle. And even a little heavier, I need to focus on the evidence of my eyes. Something that can't be quantified in inches or pounds. And you know what? I'm still looking pretty good.

And yeah, I'm looking to drop a little of the extra weight. I'm already working to tone back up. But giving myself a complex about it is not going to help me feel better about my body. Which is what I really want.

Bah, ribcage!

I am a person of petite dimensions, and of the good fortune to be proportionately built in practically all measures. It makes buying clothes a lot easier, as the retail clothing industry tends to assume there is kind of one general figure and makes each successful size just larger in all dimensions according to those proportions. But time and again, I am confounded by my one feature that is decidedly OUT of proportion with the rest of me, the one that just happens to be my least favorite physical feature, my monstrous blocky ribcage.

A while ago I was reading an article about retail dress sizes that included the measurements they generally conform to for various fitting points. Despite the fact that real people are rarely "standard" shapes, there are a certain confluence of measurements that are expected to coincide in people that dictates their size. For example, for a woman of a given height, she is predicted to have a bust of so many inches, a waist of so many inches, so on and so forth, and that's how they determine the dimensions of a size. For mine, let's call it size X, because what number they actually put on the size is all over the place depending on the manufacturer-- it tends to get considered everything from a double-zero to a four. My height, hips, bust, waist, and shoulders were almost exactly right for size X. My band size? Almost three inches LARGER than the measure predicted. In many systems that three SIZES above where the rest of me falls.

Of course I didn't need a numerical breakdown to tell me that. I don't know how many beautiful things have fit me everywhere except for the uncomfortable binding over my ribs. It's a curse modeling samples, because it's the one part that doesn't conform. The only upside is that it's not usually super-visible in how well it fits me, it just feels really uncomfortable. It sucks being restricted in a place that's supposed to expand even farther out when you breathe. And it's not a matter of weight or anything, this is the shape of my skeleton, so there's nothing I can do to change it.

Look at this. I love this dress and it looks great on me in most ways, but still, when I sit a certain way you can see how the material is pushed on by my monstrous ribcage trying to punch its way out.

Ugh. My stupid ribs are one of the reasons I want to stay so thin. They're so oversized that they blend into a wider waistline and make me look blocky. They're not even freaking EVEN, the left side comes out farther than the right, made worse by the fact that my hernia surgery on the right side seems to have included the complete removal of the patch of muscle immediately below the ribs.

They are easily my coarsest, most unfortunate, least liked feature. And I especially hate it when it makes me feel like a cow when I try on pretty things that fit nicely everywhere else.

A cavalcade of dresses

So I have learned that this Festival my costuming will consist entirely of eveningwear! I am super-pleased about this, finally, finally some of my secondhand gowns will see the light of day. But I might decide which among them will get to take advantage of this rare opportunity. For Jesriah, I'm currently looking at these three options:

 

This is the first-ever thrift store gown I ever bought, encouraged by nennivian* and katiescarlett29* in a move that inspired an addiction that continues to this day. I love this gown; the shape is flattering and deep blue is one of my best colors. I'm also fond of the ripply, asymmetrical hem and the wrap bustline. The glitziness of it would work well for a retro diva look, though I'm not sure the color suggests the '30s era all that well.

Another option is this glitzy black dress. It has a similar silhouette and hem to the blue one above, but this has a halter back and a rouched bodice. The shape is not quite as flattering, however; it's slightly stretched out, and there isn't any support in the bust. Because the fit isn't as good, it makes me look a little blockier. Maybe I should sew some bra cups in it sometime to make it fit a little better.

 

 

This dress actually was not rescued from a thrift store. It is new, but I didn't buy it. This one I found when I was cleaning out the green room after Titus wrapped. It was in a shopping bag that still had the receipt in it, shoved between the sewing table and that ugly yellow couch. I checked with everyone around and nobody recognized it, so I decided to take it home. I feel bad for the person who lost it, but the date on the receipt was from over a month before, so whoever it was, they must have thought it was long gone. Plus there was a red bra in the bag with it. They clearly intended to wear with them together because it was exactly the same color, but with the dress's racer back the bra's straps would have been exposed, so obviously the original owner had no taste. ;-) It's from Kim Kardashian's line and the material is extremely cheap, but the color's nice and it fits me like a glove with cool retro shaping. The only real problem is that the hem is so narrow that you have to take mincing little steps while wearing it. I have long strides for as short as I am, so that takes some getting used to.

And of course there's a chance the green Atonement dress might come in before this Friday, which makes it a viable option as well. Though it's a little more society lady than diva. Does anyone have an opinions or preferences?

Atonement dress

As some of you may have noticed, Tuesday was my twenty-fifth birthday. I am officially on the wrong side of twenty-five. I really don't like celebrating birthdays, but to console myself I decided I could get myself a little present. So I wandered around on eBay, my retail poison of choice.

Though I haven't seen the movie, in my opinion probably the most gorgeous dress to come out of film in the last ten years is the one worn by Keira Knightley in Atonement. It is green, bias-cut silk charmeuse with gorgeous details like a hip swag in front, complicated braiding effect in the rear, with an unusual mostly-bare back but with slim straps.

I'm crazy about it. I would say this dress is the primary inspiration for the design of Bethany's gown in Tailor of Riddling Way. Though since I have moved its creation to 1917 or so, it's even less period-appropriate, but I don't care.

Surfing around, I came across a listing for a prom dress that someone had commissioned but didn't want to keep anymore that had been styled after the Atonement dress. It was not very expensive and it was in my size, so what the hell, I decided to go for it. Here is what it looked like on the listing.

As you can see, far from a perfect copy. The color's not quite that vivid poison green (though that could be the camera) and that awesome strange randomly intertwining fabric effect on the rear is simplified to what appears to be rouching. Still, it captures a lot of what I like about the dress and even fixes the one thing I don't-- the bodice is kind of whatever on the original. I don't know why they went with laser cutting instead of beading on it, and emphasizes the boniness of Keira Knightley's chest. I have more going on up top anyway, so the more structured bodice of the version I bought will look better on me.

Probably someday, once my sewing skills are adequate to the task, I will make my own version of the dress. Charmeuse is a difficult, slippery material to sew with. But I bought the pattern that Gertie recommended as a good base for emulating it, Vintage Vogue 2859, just to have it for when that time comes.

 

Though it occurs to me that when I get to that point, what I may really want to do would be to make the Bethany dress, something similar except in cornflower blue with a nicer bodice. ;-) That would be a lot of fun.

Anyway, the dress I bought is scheduled to be mailed on Friday, so I expect it will arrive in the middle of next week. If so, it might be an option for my costume for Jesriah at Festival. It's ostensibly from the period I was told to emulate with my look. :-)

Drafted my first sloper!

Last night I got to work on my planned beige and burgundy plaid skirt idea. valleyviolet* cautioned me against a wrap style, so I searched around for simple directions on the Internet to making a basic skirt. I came across a really excellent BurdaStyle tutorial for drafting your own basic skirt sloper. It's very cool, teaching you how to use your measurements to draft two pattern that reflects the front and back of your body by quarters, which are then cut on the fold to make two halves.

Due to only having a fourteen-inch-wide piece of fabric, that required me to shorten the length of the skirt from eighteen inches, and I prefer wearing my skirts at hip-height anyway. So in order to alter it to my purposes, for the front I did not include any shaping, such as darts, that would not come down to my high hip line, and I moved the waist curve down. For the back I drafted it according to the directions in order to get the side shaping right, again moved the waist curve down, and then just cut off everything that came above the high hip.

It was fun and precise, I enjoyed doing it a lot. I used my French drafting curve for the firs time making the side and waist shaping! I was really impressed at how meticulous and well-though-out this design was for even a simple skirt sloper. Fit is one of the most challenging aspects of garment making, so this level of precision with the use of measurements is really great.

The last thing I did was cut the fabric. I added a one-inch seam allowance instead of a half-inch to give myself a wider margin for error. When I held the pieces up to myself they seem to have come out right, like they will take on the shaping they're intended for. And I really love this print.

I need to get a beige zipper before I sew it. I am going to be super careful, since going slow and following the directions precisely has served me up to this point. I really hope I can maintain the really good fit that I think I achieved on the sloper.

A small sewing project idea

I haven't done any sewing in a few weeks, but I find myself itching to get back to it. After taking a stab at Gertie's layer cake crinoline, I was somewhat pleased but wanted to give it another try and make a second version. I found I didn't have any of the white silky fabric left in my stash-- I honestly think it was left over from the banners my mother made for my production of Hamlet. Instead I repurposed the horrible sack dress I made that one time, because it was the only thing I had with the right hand and texture for lingerie fabric. It also has a lovely print, a very subtle black floral outline over a deep purple background. So I made the slip part, but didn't get any farther than that because I decided the white vine-embroidered netting I had wouldn't work so well with the black and purple. I will probably need to get some black tulle or something instead.

I also recently picked up a curtain made of a textured cotton with a great plaid-y sort of design, dark red lines crisscrossing over a beige background. I love the pattern and the hand of it, and I think it will make a great above-the-knee skirt. Sort of preppy, sort of classic, very chic. The one question is what kind of closure. At first it occurred to me to put in an invisible zipper, which means I would need to pick up a beige one, but then I thought of maybe doing a sort of wrap style. My plaid pleated skirt is like this, with the front part lapped over itself, and a closure on either end of the fabric. Maybe I could put in two jean-style metal buttons, one at the left end of the lapped part, one at the back. I wonder if that would be secure and attractive-looking. I'll do a little experimenting to see what I like.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar dress

While I didn't watch the Oscars this year, a lot of the sewing and style blogs I read include pictures of the outfits worn by the celebrity attendees. Apparently dresses with peplums were big-- whatever. :-P My favorite gown, however, surprised me. It was worn by Gwyneth Paltrow and not something I would have expected to like, but I found it elegant in the extreme and absolutely perfect on her.

It's a white Tom Ford column dress inspired by Jackie O's famous 1961 white inaugural ball gown, made by Bergdorf Goodman's Ethel Frankau but designed by the first lady herself.

Frankly I hate Jackie's outfit, I think it's prissy and frumpy and hasn't aged well-- honestly my irritation at the way we've canonized Jackie's style, and in fact her and her whole family, is a subject for a whole other post --but weirdly I love Gwyneth's. The dress itself is simple, fits her well, has an interesting neckline shape, and while normally I would find a cape to be an awkward additional to modern formal wear, this one complements her look perfectly. It has a sleek shape, not to much weight or volume, and I love the way it cuts diagonally over her shoulders but then opens just a little to lay away from the rest of her.

Milanoo.com, a website that sells various sorts of interesting dresses at prices low enough to make me suspect the quality, is offering a replica of this dress at discount, around $127. I confess this tempts me; I like this dress a lot and think it would look good on my body type. I'm not as tall as Gwyneth, which I think helps her pull it off, but I still think it would look nice. But it's not like I need any more dresses, especially formal ones; my thrifting expeditions have yielded more than I have occasion to wear. I definitely should not be spending the money. Also, I am wary of knockoff even in the best of cases. I notice the Milanoo website describes this dress as "one shoulder," but when you see pictures of Gwyneth with the cape off, as it is apparently removable, you can see that it clearly has both sleeves, just an asymmetrical neckline that creates the illusion otherwise when the cape is on. So chances are they screwed up the design.

Hi, Pepper and Tony. Wow, I never noticed how much taller she is than him.

Anyway, so it seems likely that buying this dress from Milanoo would be a waste. Now I'm wondering if I could sew such a thing. It wouldn't have to be an exact replica, I'd just need to make a column dress, maybe emulating the asymmetrical necklace, and figure our how to make a cape that would drape in exactly the same way that this one does. I'm not sure what the fabric should be, probably something smooth but with stretch, given the way it fits. Likely something with crispness to it too, given the folds in the bodice. Not sure I'd need to both copying those, but I do think they're nice. It may yet be beyond my skill, but I'll definitely be adding to it my List of Dresses I Want to Copy Someday, along with the Margaret dress and the Cordelia dress.

Sewing project: Gertie's layer cake crinoline, mark 1

Last night I really needed a change of pace from my homework routine this week, so I decided to get in a little sewing practice. I remembered that ages ago, I decided I wanted to make another one of Gertie's tutorial projects, specifically the Layer Cake Crinoline. It was cute and looked easy enough, so I picked up some netting from the sale bin at Jo-Ann Fabrics, a semi-stiff white with great embroidery in a sort of bamboo motif with scallops on the edges. I couldn't exactly remember, but I think I got some white rayon as well for the top part. But I decided to wait until my sewing machine arrived before I started, and once I got it I started working on other projects and never got around to it. So yesterday I dug the materials back out and gave it a try.

I found the netting and pressed it smooth because it had been folded up in my basket for quite some time, but the only silky white material I could find I'm pretty sure was leftover material from when my mom made the Hamlet banners. That meant it probably isn't a garment fabric, and the drape likely isn't ideal. Still, it would probably serve, so I pressed it as well.

Then I went on the Blog for Better Sewing and found the instructions. The Layer Cake Crinoline basically consists of a slip with some elastic at the waist made of a typical lingerie fabric, with two gathered tiers beneath it made of a fabric with more body. Gertie's tutorials are good, but sometimes I think they take for granted that you already have the process of garment making down in your head, which I would not say I do yet. So I cut out two squares of my silky material to make the slip part, sewed the side seams, and pressed them open. Then I needed to put the elastic on the top edge. I cut it to fit my waist (hips actually, because I prefer my skirts to ride lower), sewed the ends together, then marked off the quarters of both the elastic band and the top edge of the slip.

I had gotten the fancy picot edge lingerie elastic like Gertie recommends, and as far as I can tell she says to sew it to the right side of the slip with the scalloped edge facing down, then fold it down into the inside so that the scalloped edge is facing up, and sew it again so that it stays in place that way. She didn't specify whether to start on the right or wrong side of the slip, however, and I sewed it on the wrong. I could have gleaned this information from looking more closely at the pictures, which it is possible to tell from, but that didn't occur to me. So when I turned the skirt right side out, the picot scallops were right side up, but had a little frill of fraying, folded over material sticking out from under the bottom edge of the elastic. Attempts to trim this off were either not complete enough or resulted in cutting little holes in the slip under the band. So I dug around in my stash and pulled out some of the lace I used to make the garter that Caitlin wore in Margaret. Cutting off one of the two frilly sides, I attached it under the waistband to cover the holes.

Next I cut the second tier of the crinoline of the embroidered netting. Gertie says it should be only five and a half inches plus seam allowances, but I wanted to preserve the bamboo embroidery pattern, so I just cut to the top of the tallest stalk. I sewed the edges of that piece together to make a tube, then put two long basting stitches in on each side so I could gather it. I folded up the hem of the slip, pinned the gathered netting underneath it, and then sewed it all together. I didn't like the look of the stitching around the bottom of the slip, however, so I took the other half of the lace and sewed it on over the hem to hide it.

That is how it currently looks. I did cut out material for the third tier, but I feel like at knee length it's already long enough. I also love the pretty embroidered scalloped edge, and I don't want to mess it up by trying to attach anything to it. Here are the details from another angle.

I'm not sure I love the look of the lace at the waist, but it sure does look nicer than it did before I put it on. I think I do like it inverted at the slip's hem, though. It's not terribly voluminous, which is the primary point of a crinoline, to add volume to the skirt you're wearing over it. Thought the way it is, I don't think it would be terribly inappropriate to wear it as just a skirt, if the weather and situation allowed.

I'm got it on today beneath my other handmade skirt project, my full gathered red silk dupioni. I'm not sure it makes any difference; the dupioni may have more body and fullness than the crinoline. I kind of like the idea of the neat edge of the crinoline peeking out beneath whatever skirt I'm wearing, but I don't know if I like the look of it here. This is my unsure face...

I think I'm going to make a second version of this project. I have plenty of the netting, and if I don't have enough of the silky stuff I'm sure I can substitute something else in that wasn't originally intended to hang from the fly system in a theater. I really want to see if I can get the elastic band technique right, so I don't have to cover up my mistakes with lace. I'm out of that stuff now anyway.  But, whether I wear it or not, my construction here isn't too shabby. Every bit of practice leads to improvement!

Old lady sweater

I recently thrifted a sweater that I've been wearing quite a lot lately, but despite that it's not in my usual style and I'm not sure how I feel abut it.

I do not normally wear long sweater coats, particularly of this shape, but I was drawn to it to use as a warm over-layer. It's actually a very high-quality piece, BCBGMaxAzria in a hundred percent lambswool that isn't itchy at all. It's also got unusual horizontal seams on the middle of the back and the elbows that spread out into triangles on either side.

I've been wearing it a lot lately because it's warm and easy to thrown on over whatever else I've got on. Trouble is, I feel kind of schlubby in it and that bugs me. I usually hate wearing things of a boxy shape, especially when they're oversized. Clothes that fit like that are the easiest way to make yourself seem shapeless, sloppy, or not put together, all things that I've been trying to avoid ever since I resolved to learn how to dress better. And from the back, well, let's say it doesn't make it my most flattering angle.

Looks like you could land on a plane on my ass. At least you can see the back seam better.

I never want to settle for looking like a schlub just for something that's comfortable and warm; there is always an equivalent that looks nicer that I could go for instead. I haven't been feeling terribly attractive lately, what with the weight gain and everything else, so I worry this is a sign that I'm starting to feel like what's the point, I'm not going to look that good anyway. I don't know. I go back and forth between whether I think it looks bad or whether it's a perfectly legitimate styling I'm just not used to on myself. I know it's just a stupid sweater, not exactly worth having a crisis over, but I do worry if it means I'm trying to hide myself because of not feeling pretty much lately.

Strapless white gown with net overlay; or, why Phoebe shouldn't be allowed in thrift stores anymore

So for three of the last four days I went on long walks where I got in the ten thousand steps they say you should shoot for to use walking as a form of exercise. I'm pleased with myself. I also ran errands in the process, including culling some unwanted articles of clothing and dropping them off at the thrift store. Unfortunately, I can't seem to enter a thrift store without poking around a little to refill the storage space I just freed up. Which means I brought home another fancy dress I didn't need and don't have nearly enough occasion to wear.

It's a white polyester satin with a tulle overlay that is wrapped around the bodice such that it overlaps in front and makes a neat split-petal effect on the skirt. The bodice has plastic boning in it to keep it in place. I've never owned a strapless dress before, but this fits nicely and stays up well. And it finally occurred to me to find a shot timer app for my iPhone so I could take pictures of myself that didn't block out my face. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to allow the camera to focus, which results in a much higher quality picture, but this isn't bad. I could see this as a great wedding dress costume, if I ever want one that is a little younger, more modern, and sexier than the real wedding gown I have that I think dates from the 70s.

Obligatory bodice shot. I really like the little gold branch details on the net:

I like it a lot, but I really have too many fancy thrift store dresses at this point. It's especially silly since I'm planning to start sewing stuff for myself. I have made a lot of progress through my text, Sew Everything Workshop, and am approaching the section where it walks you through actual projects, so the last thing I need to do is fill my closet with more clothes I don't need.

Ah, well. It's not like it costs me much, and I do get real pleasure from them. I guess I'll just have to throw another fancy party where I change outfits every hour to give myself an opportunity to wear them.

Bizarre sewing whim - authentic priest's cassock

I have always been a fan of cassocks, the long, severe coats worn by priests outside of liturgical dress. I like how many different vibes they can give off; authoritative, modest, powerful, reliable, separated, even scary. If anyone ever saw that lame comic book adaptation Ghost Rider from a few years back, you may remember the way Peter Fonda playing Mephistopheles. My mom pointed out to me, "They have him dressed like a bishop." So they did, and I thought it looked incredibly creepy and cool.

Ever since seeing Andy Kirschbaum in his awesome black cassock at Venezia I have had a bee in my bonnet about having one. I'm not really sure why. Women don't really wear them, and it's not like I don't have enough coats, or an abundance of opportunities where it would be appropriate to dress like a priest. But I like the idea nonetheless.

I bought this pattern on eBay as a compromise, so I could eventually make my own one day that would fit me if I really really wanted. It came in the mail yesterday along with the costuming I ordered. Looking at it, the front is pretty simple but the back looks complicated, with lots of tailored placed and pleats in the folds, so it's probably too difficult for my current skill level. It also doesn't have the capelet like higher-ranking priests wear either, though that would be easy enough to draft. I don't know what I'd do with it if I did make it, maybe just take lots of weird pictures of myself as a girl priest or something, but now I have the option if it bugs me enough.

Costuming for Ariadne and Irene!

The costume pieces I ordered for Ariadne and Irene Adler have arrived! I am extremely pleased with them. The Grecian-style gown is absolutely lovely, made of a lush crinkled velveteen in a sumptuous color. The straps are watered silk, smooth and luscious against the skin, and they work by crisscrossing behind the neck over the back and then wrapping around the waist. I like the detailing, and I feel like looks quite appropriate for an ancient Greek costume. It's actually a couture gown, BCBGMaxAzria, in new condition but bought off eBay for a fraction of the price. It's a wee bit big for me, despite being a size XS, but it still drapes nicely, though the bottom of the hem drags a little. I think it looks nice on me.

And the obligatory closeup on the bodice. Despite the fact that the gown does not really allow for the wearing of foundation garments, I find it rather flattering to my bust.

The other thing I ordered was a hat off of Etsy to finish my look for Irene Adler. I could not find any strictly Victorian broad-brimmed hats that gave me the look I wanted that were in my price range, so I widened my search to include Kentucky Derby hats and church bonnets, and found some reasonable facsimiles. I'm not sure the silhouette of this hat is totally accurate, but I like the way it looks a lot, and I think it captures the spirit if not literally the style.

I am well pleased with my selections, and hereby stop myself from spending any further money on costuming for Intercon.

Costuming mania for Feast of the Minotaur

As I mentioned, I got my Feast of the Minotaur casting for Intercon, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn I would be playing Princess Ariadne. I want to look good for this role, so I found myself browsing the Internet looking for a suitably Grecian dress, and before long I was feeling obsessed with finding the right one.

Looking for something as literal as "Ancient Greek" dress or costume mostly turned up cheap, cheesy-looking Halloween-type costumes, which I definitely didn't want to go with. But I found when I changed my parameters to "Grecian" or "Greek style" dress, the real-clothing options they turned up often looked much more believably Greek. It gave me a lot of dresses with crinkles or rouching, empire waists, gold trim, and flowy lines to choose from.

My preferences were a little strict going in. I wanted something pretty and sexy but not too short, as I thought a long skirt would look more period, so that cut a lot of club dresses that had other correct details. I also wanted it in a color, preferably a jewel tone, but not black or white. A folded-over waist would have been technically accurate, but it's not the most flattering style for my figure. But eBay, wonder that it is, provided.

I looked at lots of things, including white ones that it occurred to me I might be able to dye, and discounted a lot of nice pieces because they were more than I wanted to spend. I finally narrowed it down to two options, both of which I really loved.

 

After much agonizing, I finally went with the magenta-red one. Its sizing was likely to fit me better, and it was a little bit less expensive. But I love the other one too, and it probably looks a little more Greek. Oh, well. I'm sure what I chose will work fine. Now all I need is a pair of sandals to go with it, and a way to do my hair in a suitably Grecian style. But I highly recommend that anyone who needs an Ancient Greek dress for Feast of the Minotaur or other classical game try looking on eBay, as there were a ton of great possibilities.

Costume noodling for HMS Eden

I hit the thrift store in Waltham for the first time in a couple of months-- which for me is kind of a long time --in hopes of finding something for my upcoming larp roles. Well, that store is magic if you don't overuse it, and if so will deliver exactly what you want. Though initially I thought I might go in the more "adventuress" direction, I found this lovely dress that I think I can make work for playing for Irene Adler in HMS Eden.

The dress is brown with a black mesh overlay, and it has a kind of corsety look to the bodice which made think it might be made to look Victorian. Here's a weirdly-lit closeup on it, with the little flower motif in the overlay.

And here's an awkwardly-framed picture of the dress's fabulous back, which is laced. I love, love, love laces.

The question now is how to make it more Victorian-looking. The answer is probably that it needs sleeves. So I got out this floppy, gauzy black blouse with the frilly collar and cuffs that was one of the best costuming purchases I ever made, given how often I use it to make my outfits more period. I put it on under the dress unbuttoned but arranged so that the front ruffle made a kind of jabot down the bodice.

I think that helps. Sadly it will probably cover up the lovely laces, but it's probably not Victorian to have a bare back. I tried wearing that bustle that I got at the Brandeis theater department costume sale underneath it, but it looked like a bulgy mess under the slim silhouette of this dress, so I guess it will have to stray straight-skirted. I kind of wish I had a big elaborate black hat, the kind with the wide brim and the gathered satin decoration on top. Wonder if I could get one of those without spending a ton on it. Any suggestions to dress it up further are of course welcome.

Biweekly Theater Writing Challenge #13.2 - The Tailor of Riddling Way, scene 2

This is the second scene of the piece, immediately following this one. There's not much too it, but I like how it begins, with Tom trying to parse out how the dress is made just from what he can glean from an old faded newspaper clipping. In my head the dress looks similar to this one that Keira Knightley wears in Atonement. It's not a totally period choice for the early twenties, but it's close enough and I like it very much. Striking as that gorgeous vivid emerald green is, however, I picture it here in cornflower blue, and instead of a deep v-neck, the bodice comes up higher and is covered with an intricate pattern of beadwork.

SCENE 2

SETTING: Tailor’s shop on Riddling Way

(Sound of sketching on paper.)

TOM: (Heavy sigh.) Let’s try this again… floor-length evening gown in cornflower-blue silk satin. Flowing bias-cut bodice, slight cowl from a square neckline, over intricate bead detail. Appears to be of a lily design. Loose over the bust, fitted through the waist, with a wide waistband and… is that a hip swag? Yes, knotted in the front and left to hang. God, lovely detail. Now how does that attach? Does the band… wrap? Or… is there gathering in the back? Can’t tell. The skirt is straight-cut, I think—interesting! Makes the girl look tall. Probably a circle skirt, then, with a moderate side slit… and is that a rear train? Oh, God knows what’s going on with the drape back there.

(Sound of paper being crumpled up.)

TOM: That does it. I just don’t have enough to go on.

(Rotary phone dials.)

MRS. WARREN: Residence at Loring’s End. Who’s calling, please?

TOM: It’s Tom Barrows the tailor. I’m calling after a gown Miss Emma Loring ordered from me.

MRS. WARREN: Right, sir. What shall I tell Miss Loring?

TOM: I’m having some trouble with her commission and I’d very much like to speak to her about it.

MRS. WARREN: Trouble, sir. I see. I’ll pass on your message to Miss Loring— what’s that, madam? Beg pardon, Mr. Barrows, she’ll speak with you now.

(Receiver is handed off.)

EMMA: This is Emma Loring. Did the bolt I sent over arrive?

TOM: Yes, and it’s as fine as can be.

EMMA: Then what seems to be the trouble?

TOM: It’s like this, ma’am. I’ve been coming at it from every angle, and I just don’t know if I can copy that gown as close as you asked for. There’s too much detail I can’t make out in the newspaper clipping, and I can’t see the back of it at all.

EMMA: I see.

TOM: Please don’t be let down. I’ve got some sense of it, and I think I could make it for you if I just knew a little more of the fine points. Is there any way you could get me a better look?

(Pause.)

TOM: Madam?

EMMA: There’s nothing for it. Do you know where Loring’s End is located?

TOM: I do.

EMMA: Then you’ll have to come by the estate tomorrow morning. I believe there is some way I can help.

TOM: Thanks very much, madam. I’m sure I won’t disappoint.

EMMA: Ten o’clock sharp.

TOM: I won’t be late.

EMMA: I shall expect you then. Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Barrows.

(Click as the phone hangs up.)

Sewing project progress: pink checked dress muslin, part V

This past weekend I sewed in the facings of my dress muslin. I'm fairly certain I didn't do it exactly right. The diagram in the sewing instructions was as clear as mud-- it looked to me almost like they were meant to be attached above the top part of the back and front pieces, but I know that's not what facings do, so I took my best shot. They did not seem to match up at the edges the way I expected. I think I was supposed to sew them together at the edges before I tried to put them in the dress, but they seemed to fit even worse that way, so I just laid each of them in separately and then tried to match them up as best I could. Then I ironed the two layers and pinned them together.

Thinking about it now, I should have realized that this operation was generic enough to look up on the Internet and get an idea of how it was supposed to work before I sewed it. Instead, dissatisfied with what I did, I only thought to find a tutorial afterward. I think what I should have done, if I understand what I read later in an article about putting facings into a sleeveless dress, is to put them right sides together, sewed them in place, and then turned them inside out like you do in so many other aspects of garment making. The video I watched also left the top of each shoulder unsewn and suggested, in a process that is still not a hundred percent clear to me, that you somehow pull the back of each shoulder piece through the front shoulder piece's unsewn top part such that they lay inside one another like larger and smaller tubes, then you sew just inside the lip of the whole tube you just formed. Then you turn it right side out again and you're supposed to have a clean hidden shoulder seam inside. If that makes any sense. I'm not sure I get it myself, especially how you're supposed to pull them through one another to make that tube. I think I at least understand it enough to give it a try and see if I can logic it out myself. The object of this project is to learn and do better in the future, so that's something.

As it was, I at least had the presence of mind to think about how I wanted the seams to look on the outside. I ended up clipping the seam allowance, folding each piece of edge over on itself, and pressing it flat. Then I sewed in down all the way around the edges from the neckline to down around the armholes. It isn't as nice as a turned edge might be, but at least from the outside it looks pretty neat.

Here's what the front facing looked like from the inside, though without the armhole edges similarly pinned.

And here's how the back facings looked, again before pinning the edges of the armholes. I accidentally interfaced the same sides of both back facings, meaning one side had to be laid interfacing side out as you can see, but I figured it wasn't a big deal since it was on the inside of the dress.

I just sewed the shoulder seams right sides together and flipped them. The results were not nearly as neat as the process's described above, but it's not terrible. At least from the outside, the dress looks okay. As I said, I got it to fit surprisingly well. All that remains is to hem it, and then I will model my not-hideous-but-still-very-cobbled-together first true finished handmade dress.

Also, as a sewing side note, I picked up another nice sheet to repurpose for material. I really like this one, with its black and gold stripes on a white background, and I think it would make a really cool button-down shirt.

New pattern

As a side note, I recently bought this pattern during a Vogue sale. I absolutely love the view in the photograph, with the wavy skirt and the lace overlay. I even like it in the white. It's probably still beyond my skill level, but I'd love to try it. I also could see myself wearing some of the other views, though the pictured one is by far my favorite. I really should looking into a good beginner sewing text, because there's so much I just don't know.