A Shimmering Drop Of Crimson On Gold

A gift from Sir Thomas Sharpe, acquired under far more desirable circumstances than its previous owner contended with.

As you might have suspected, I'm also gathering odds & ends, and pulling fabrics from my stash for Crimson Peak-inspired sewing. I'll likely do a replica of one of Edith's costumes from the film eventually, too. The trick is picking which one to do (first), and finding that perfect russet gold silk taffeta if I make her suit.
For now, I am planning a gown for the Edwardian Ball in January. It will be inspired by Edith and the blood red stain left on her memory of Crimson Peak. Or from a still-broken heart; like a mended porcelain teacup it's never quite the same again. Perhaps it still bleeds a little for Thomas.

I have a lush gold silk taffeta in my stash, 6 yards worth, that would be plenty for an 1890s evening gown. The only issue is that it's not a glowing color, much like Edith's pallet in the story, but more dusky.
Then again, maybe after her survival of Crimson Peak her colors would have become richer, deeper and sometimes more like dusk than the dawn-like shades before 'the calamity'.
But, my desire to have a brighter base fabric is because I'll be adding a small dose of rich blood red velvet and crystal trimming on the bodice, and I want there to be a striking contrast between the two.

While I can't spend money on 6 more yards of silk taffeta, I may break my historical sewing rules, and choose a nice quality synthetic if I can find some at my local discount fabric shop. This gown will be worn to a sometimes raucous and always crowded ball. So, if anything gets spilled on it or the hem gets soiled, there will be little difficulty or worry in washing it out!

That's all for now, folks. I'll keep you posted on what I find in place of the silk taffeta XOXO

Edwardian Ball 2014: Photos Part II

It's hard to see in this photo, but the 'dots' on the bra are actually deep red Swarovski crystals. They embellished the corset as well... 

Jain, me and Euphrates posing for photos between sets, in Dark Garden couture corsets. Photo by T.L.Schmidbauer

Backstage with Caitlin, at the end of a fabulous night!

A Grand Ball And Red Rooms

This past week has been a whirlwind of preparation for this year's Edwardian Ball in San Francisco.
I had the pleasure of modeling once again for one of my all-time favorite couturiers; Dark Garden Unique Corsetry. Under the direction of Dark Garden's Caitlin Amaton and Euphrates Dahout, we performed a unique fashion show on both Friday and Saturday night, inspired by a classic Edward Gorey tale; The Curious Sofa. 
I also had the honor of meeting, and doing an impromptu photo shoot, with the Amazingly talented photographer, Joel Aron. When it comes to the use of light, this man is a modern-day George Hurrell. Hopefully I will have a few shots from that shoot, plus a few more to post here soon.

Meanwhile, here are a couple from Friday night:

 Toward the end of Friday evening, resting my feet in a most regal 'chair'.

This is my own Dark Garden custom couture corset, made just for me. I love it so much.