Party by the pool

It wasn’t long before the Christmas parties started. The first costumed one that I attended / hosted as for my re-enactment group RIFF. This year we decided to have a retro themed pool party – making use of the pool at my place. We all brought along a number of vintage dishes to share and of course had more food than you could poke a stick at. In fact, the food was so impressive, I think that’s pretty much the photos that I took of the day.

I didn’t make anything new to wear for the occasion, but simply raided my wardrobe which is mostly vintage pattern clothing and paired my green capri pants with my retro cherry swimsuit and a short cardigan. I did festive it up a bit with a lei and the grass skirt that my mum had in her wardrobe. But the real showstoppers that I put all my effort into was the food. I made empanadas, punch, a sandwich loaf (3 layers of sandwich – egg, chicken and salmon), and a strawberry cheesecake. I certainly did not need dinner that night after snacking on our delicious retro recipes all afternoon.

It was certainly a start to the festive season and it was great to have so many of our members there with us.

A French Dinner Party

Things have been very quiet for me on the costuming front of late. I had planned to attend a Steampunk Ball in July however it was a bit beyond my budget and I had to sell my ticket, as it turns out though, I was so horribly sick that I would not have been able to attend anyway. My next plans were to attend a daytime Steampunk event last weekend, however it was cancelled about two days before. Alas foiled again. Don't get me wrong, I have been sewing like crazy, that is when I get the chance and a break from the Uni work.

Mostly I have been preparing ahead for a few events later this year. But first up, I made a new 1950s style frock to wear to a French themed cocktail dress Birthday Party last weekend. The dress I whipped up is on that I have made before (in red) and I really liked the design. Hopefully this one will last longer as the red one got worn out a few months ago. I'd had the dress cut out for a few months now and it was just begging to be made up. I love the fabric - a super soft purple rayon, and I love the design. I felt super girly all dressed up for the night and had even spruced up my hair colour so that it was a purple tone as well. You can't see the dress overly well, cause I dug out my warm winter coat for the evening chill had set in.

 The dinner party itself was lovely as well. The Birthday girl put on a lovely spread for us with the piece de resistance being a croquembouche for dessert. I had a blast of a time.

Some Like It Hot

It was quite a change, but lovely none-the-less to have a weekend almost all off from costuming. I’ve been feeling a little burnt out lately and needed to recharge my batteries, so the last couple of weekends, I have stayed home. It’s been great for productivity and I am making some good progress on my costumes for Supanova coming up in early November.

But more about that later. I decided a Saturday evening out would not be too much work, and organised a trip with a couple of friends to Cineretro. They are a film society who screen original reels of film on a monthly basis. This one was their 10th anniversary and they were showing the Marilyn Monroe film Some Like It Hot.

If you haven’t seen it before, I highly recommend it. The movie was considered quite racy for its time. The main reason is that it involves full male cross-dressing. But what do you expect when it was filmed in the 1950s. The movie was originally supposed to be filmed in colour, but the thick makeup that the men needed to wear to become women turned their skin greenish, so they turned to black and white. At any rate it’s a great movie, just don’t look at it for any sort of historical accuracy in terms of costumes. It is supposed to be set in the 1920s but everything from zips to figure hugging fashion is present. I tell you know, just look past it and enjoy the film for what it is – a bit of fun.

The event is held at the Old Brisbane Museum on Gregory Terrace. I have always driven past but never been inside. The site was originally built in the 1890s as part of the Royal Show Grounds and was used as a museum, to host social balls and events and theatre productions. It would have been wonderful to be there in its heyday, but right now, the building is maintained to a wonderful standard. It has been well restored but made suitable for modern use. One entry and turret was covered in scaffold at the time of our visit, and we were told to keep out of the zone as there is a danger that the turret might fall. But, I have to say it is a lovely building and I am glad this is still has many uses. I’m just hanging out now to attend an event during the daytime.

Inside the area, a small section up one end was curtained off for our use. Provided was tables of about eight in cabaret style seating. We were greeted upon entry with a glass of champagne and found our seats to sit down to our picnic dinner. We had all brought along a little something to snack on – I tried a new biscotti recipe (chocolate and pistachio). It was lovely to be greeted and chat with the man who started running the events over ten years ago. The evening kicked off with the drawing of the raffle and followed with the film.

While the website for the event says that you do not need to book a seat at the event, I highly recommend it. Every table was full and I would hate to turn up and there not be enough space for a seat.

We decided for the occasion to get in the mood and dress up in our 1950s frocks. I chose to wear my pink and white hibiscus print dress. I went with a light petticoat underneath as I knew we would be sitting for a while. It’s funny how much I have been wearing pink of late – now that my hair is mostly pink. I wonder what will happen when I change the colour?!

Retro style picnic

Last weekend, I organised a Retro picnic to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens with a few of my girlfriends. We all brought along a little something to share for lunch, so it was a very yummy outing. It was simple and lovely to catch up with everyone in a relaxing environment.

For the occasion, I wore my new 1940s summer frock. I made it from an apple and bee print fabric that I bought to match one of the vintage hats that I bought many moons ago. It's a lovely light cotton voile, so perfect for warmer weather.

 I also managed to finish a new dress for my mum. Made out of a black and blue hibiscus print rayon in one of the newer vintage vogue patterns out on the market at the moment. It's quite flattering and looks very good on her. She is very pleased with how it looks and I am glad that I managed to get it made in time for her to wear it.

And the other lovely ladies in attendance: