Rowr

What a weekend. I made the annual pilgrimage (as my cousin like to call it) down to the Australian Costumers Guild ball in Adelaide this weekend. We headed out to the Brisbane airport before the sun had risen to catch our 6.25am flight. On the plus side, we arrived in Adelaide bright and early ready to get our shop on. After picking up our fellow room-mates who flew in from Sydney, we headed to our little unit to check in. The best thing about this unit had to be the fact that it was only a 5 minute walk to the hall where the ball is held (a short walk to the next street over and past one building).

Our first stop of the Friday was Eastern Silk. I simply adore the store and am a frequent online customer. Of course it is nothing like being in the actual store and drooling over all the silk. If only I could afford to take it all home. The other side of Eastern Silk sell a lot of pashminas, saris and home furnishings. I took it upon myself to stock up my supplies with a couple of pashminas which are perfect for re-enacting (especially regency). We rounded out our afternoon with a trip into some local shops and the supermarket as well as a fantastic little antique shop that we spotted on our way in. I managed to score on getting a Max Factor instructional makeup book from the 1930s.

We woke up ready to go on Saturday and headed out to DKs fabrics. A couple hours later, we all stumbled out with bags full of fabric and trims. For myself I picked up some lovely linen, velveteen, pompom trim, velvet ribbons and the most amazing false eyelashes. We had to be back at the hall at 2pm for the parade rehearsal and the judging of entries into the workmanship award. I entered my 1823 ballgown that I made for JAFA this year into the workmanship competition. And I actually came out as the winner which was a huge surprise.

Later that afternoon, we all headed back to our rooms for some last minute sewing (wenz....) and to start getting ready. After the super-late fiasco that was last year, there was not going to be a chance for us to be late. As it turns out we arrived right on our schedule, each of us debuting new costumes. For me, it was my Saber Lion suit. For those not in the know she is from a game called "Fate Tiger Colosseum" that is based off the anime "Fate Stay Night". I was really pleased with my costume and in fact won one of the hall awards (for cuteness). It was a great night and we had a blast of a time.

I am really looking forward to going down again next year, and am even working on my costume plans now. I definitely don't want to be quite so last minute next time.

Below is a selection of my shots from the ball...