Monday, August 24, 2009

Ormiston House - Regency

And another weekend has drawn to a close. Such a shame. I really do love the weekend. But I have to say that I was very unproductive. I woke up Friday morning and my back just about froze in place. I struggled into work but schlepped on home at 4 to lay down, and have since done not much else. Thankfully I picked up the new BSG blu-ray box set last week so I had lots of time for viewing.

But I did make my way out to Ormiston House with Kerry and the Kaleidoscope Dancers. We were dressed in Regency again, me in my well worn purple ensemble and Kerry in her brand new muslin dress. She looked so very pretty twirling around on the lawn. I took a truck load of photos but have taken the opportunity to just load up the best ones. One thing I will sat about Ormiston House is that it is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the house, but I admired it all the same. The wallpapers were especially spectacular with one room in green flocking. I am desperate to venture on back out there some time for a historical picnic in the gardens. I am thinking bustle (just because there are not enough opportunities to wear a bustle gown). But for the photos...
 

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Victorian Birthday Picnic

Today, I attended a birthday part for my cousin's daughter. It is her 11th Birthday this week, and as she loves dressing up, Cherie organised a costumed picnic for her (surprise!). We met at New Farm Park at around 11am and picniced the afternoon away. There were some very beautiful gowns to be seen and we even ended up on the channel 7 weather this evening. Mum and Dad came along in full historical regalia, and I got to wear my very new bustle gown...

I have been needing an excuse to make up this gown, as it has been cut out for months on end. It has just been sitting in the sewing room waiting to be made up. And the perfect excuse and deadline for me to get it done pops up, so I jumped on that bandwagon and got stuck into it. It is an early bustle gown (around 1870s) based on a drawing in Nancy Bradfords Costume in Detail. It is made of blue cotton and silk. I am really rather pleased with how it all turned out and I love how the colour looked on me. But onto the photos... (there are quite a few of me, mainly because my Dad had my camera all day).
 

Monday, August 3, 2009

Steampunk Picnic

And just when I thought that I had a free weekend, something new pops up. On Saturday I headed into the Roma Street Parklands to meet up with some fellow Steampunkers for a picnic. Now, since I don't actually have a complete and true steampunk outfit, I went rifling through my costume wardrobe for something appropriate to wear. I came up with an ensemble using my bustle ball gown skirts (I replaced the flowers with a piece of steampunk jewelry), my black velvet Padme bodice (without the embroidery), some bits of steampunk jewelry that I picked up on Etsy and my Mrs Lovett sunglasses. I think that for a last minute effort it came together pretty well in an aristocrat sort of theme. And I do like my steampunk to have a cohesive theme about it.

I did manage to get a few photos of some of the different costumes there, and I have to say that I am rather in awe. And now desperate to finish my steampunk costume. I mean, I already have all the fabric for it and a couple of the accessories that I want to use. I even have the bodice part cut out, so it seems like the perfect time to actually get something together. I am determined that I will have a full outfit for the next meet that I go along to. But enough about all that, onto the photos...