Favorite Things

It's a softly grey and rainy Sunday afternoon and while some might complain, I rather like days such as these. Not just because I'm from Seattle; the rain offers a relaxing break from the dry and dusty California weather we've been plagued with during the drought.
Taking a break from the sewing area duties, I decided to make myself a nice cup of tea paired with a snack of cocoa ladyfinger cookies.
The tea is one of my favorites; Paris, by Harney & Sons. Its a delightfully sweet and heady floral, almost like candy in aroma, with a smooth flavor that doesn't taste 'flavored'.
Another favorite of mine is their Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea. A sucker for lovely packaging, I have a growing collection of H&S tea tins. The loose teas come in a black and gold tins, such as the Paris tea seen in the above photo. Harney & Sons tea sachets come in pretty and colorful tins, often with pastels and gold or copper highlights. They look fabulous stacked together in the tea cabinet, and when emptied, they make nice storage tins for sewing thread, buttons, jewelry, soaps or anything you desire.
Getting my mitts on some sachets of Laduree tea is the next step, but for now H&S will do nicely.

In other news of pretty things; a friend tipped me off to a sparkly Ebay listing. I now have a reproduction on its way to me, of an exquisitely beautiful tiara from the tail end of the Victorian period, around 1900. I'm obsessed with Victorian starburst and moon motifs in fashion and jewelry, and I snatched this one up right away.

The original recently sold via auction at Bonhams for $24,599. It was gold and a tiara/ring/brooch combination that unscrewed into the separate pieces. Even though the above repro is just a solid tiara, I think I like it even more in silver.

XOXO

Liebster Award!!

I have been awarded the Liebster Award!
A big Thank You to Little Mothball of the Mothball Fleet blog:
So, as per the rules, here are the questions with my answers, and nominations:

1. When/how/why did you start sewing/costuming/crafting?
    When: I was about 10 or 11 when I began making little clothes for my dollhouse dolls. I had seen some 17th and 18th century dollhouses, at a museum in Amsterdam. When we returned home, I instantly set about trying to turn my own humble colonial style dollhouse into an 18th century manor house. I made tiny stays and panniers, even tall wigs for them from mohair. If only I had pictures!
    How: With anything I could get my hands on; scrap materials, et all. My mother and my grandmother's all sewed, and taught me how to do the basics on a machine later on. I began my sewing with hand sewing the doll clothes, so I already had a good foundation for real clothing construction later on. I would also repair my dress up clothes, which were often vintage 1950s stage costumes, prom dresses or 1970s Gunnie Sax (sp?) dresses from my grandparents estate auction finds. I still have some of these repaired dresses in my vintage clothing collection, only now I've grown into them ;-)
    Why: I'm just going to quote some of this from my website;
I have always loved anything to do with costuming, makeup, dance, art, burlesque/theater history, and music. Along with 15 years of classical and modern dance, I spent countless hours listening to works by composers like Handel, Scarlatti, and fell absolutely head over heels in love with the music of Mozart. When my father and I would travel to Vienna, Austria to visit family I would spend hours wandering Schönbrunn Palace until I knew the maze of gardens by heart.
What does Mozart and the palaces of Austria have to do with my sewing & costuming, you might ask?
It was sort of the key that unlocked my love of history and all its forms of artifice and embellishment.
I poured over old family photographs, and practically devoured books on fashion history and construction starting at a very young age. I attended operas in some of the original opera houses and watched films like Amadeus, Dangerous Liaisons and various BBC productions. It was, and still is, an attraction to an aesthetic from past centuries you simply don't have now. I wanted so badly to go back in time when I was a kid so as I grew up, I continued to sew and experience the past through the historical clothing I recreated and wore.




2. Do you have a favorite era/genre? What is it?
    Like picking one favorite color, this is a tough one. I love many, but my top 3 are;
1. Mid to late 18th century (Georgian)
2. The 1930s Deco Era
3. Victorian natural form (1876-80), and mid (1874-75) to late (1883-86) bustle years.

3. Your favorite piece you've made?
     Currently, I have two favorite pieces.
1. my reproduction of a velvet and fur winter ensemble worn by Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria.
2. my raspberry silk faille 1880s ballgown, with optional daytime bodice.


4. Best sewing tip(s)?
     Make a mockup first!! Even if you have a pattern.
     Don't give up. Put the project aside for a week or two (maximum) if it's frustrating you, and come back to it with 'a fresh brain' as my grandmother would say.


5. Favorite fabric(s)/material(s) to work with?
     Silk taffeta is number one, silk organza/organdy, cotton, wool, rayon, linen.

6. Favorite color?
    It's always interesting when someone asks me this question. Creative individuals have a hard time just picking one ultimate, unwaveringly favorite color. They usually never pick one and keep it, or if they do, it's their favorite one for that moment. Right now may favorite color is a rich lavender shade, like the kind you see on lilacs. Next month, it may be Tiffany blue ;-)


7. Sewing pet peeve?
     Twisting thread when doing hand sewing, so that it knots up.
My biggest pet peeve right now is too many other obligations (self inflicted, of course) that get in the way of sewing more 18th century items; like a pair of stays.


8. What new project are you working on/planning that you are most excited about?
 My Lagertha costume (from 'Vikings').


9. Going to Costume College this year?
     I never make this event, sadly. This is due to my calender always getting too full to make space for it. I'll also admit that I forget about it, until it's too late to plan for it.
I'd love to try and go to the next one, though! I just need to block out that weekend waaay ahead of time.

10. What do you listen to/watch while you sew/craft?
     Haha! This one might confuse people.
I listen to everything from classical (Mozart, Wagner, Beethoven, Handel, etc), to croony 1930s music from Germany and the UK, to Scandinavian/folk/"Viking" metal bands such as Arkona, TYR, Korpiklaani, Einseferum etc. There might be some Lana Del Rey in there sometimes.

11. Favorite mythical animal?
     I think it's always been mermaids, but dragons are a close second.

  11 random facts about myself:
1. I dyed my hair black for about 10 years, until 6 1/2 years ago.

2. I developed a taste for dried seaweed (the sushi kind, seasoned or not) at age 5. I still crave it, maybe for the iron content?

3. My first Disney character (what would now be called cosplay) costume, was the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, at age 6

4. I taught myself how to use a bullwhip, with no injuries

5. The first 'corset' I ever made was actually a pair of early 18th century stays. Learning experience, but hey were a success.

6. Went to my prom with a big group of friends, all of us dressed as Victorian vampires

7. My first corset was a white satin ribbon corset from Amazon Drygoods' mail order catalog. I was 14 or 15.

8. I'm an Aries but with more Pisces tendencies.

9. I've been doing burlesque for almost 11 years

10. I've sat in what was Mozart's studio window in Vienna, and heard a singing lesson a few windows over. It was a time travel moment.

11. I've performed on stages in Paris, that you can see in famous artworks by the likes of Toulouse-Lautrec

 Now for my nominated bloggers:

Not nominating anyone yet, as I've run out of time today. I'll save that for a follw-up post

xoxo

     Future questions for my soon-to-be nominated bloggers:

.......?

Agfa Foto! I Finally Have My Vintage Camera

For a long time, I've hoped to find a vintage camera, preferably German, that was still in good working condition.
I think I finally found it; an Agfa 'Billy Jgetar' from around 1931 that someone in the UK had in their collection.

I can take this beauty to living history events (carefully of course), hopefully to get a few historically accurate 'fotos', and learn to develop them myself. Film for these can still be had.
This little lovely even had a roll of film already in it, that had been there for who-knows-how long. The film had only 2 exposures left, so even though the film is likely no longer good, I used those two shots taking photos of my adorable dog, Lucy just for the hell of it.
I wonder if anything on the previous exposures, or my own shots, survived? I'll just have to get it developed to see ;-)

 Still had its original canvas case

Zee film...

 

Adorable case in fair condition. The tip of the closure strap is ripped off, but someone was kind enough to keep this little bit inside the case. I may attempt to repair it by backing the two pieces together using a small additional bit of leather.

A Resounding "Awwww!"

One of the cutest photos taken during the filming of Amadeus.

Fabulous Finds

A quick trip from the Victorian into the future; the 1930s.
You know, when you're quick and wily, sometimes you really do find those 1930s evening gown patterns online...in excellent unused condition...for under a bazillion dollars. Case in point:

I randomly logged onto Etsy last night, and after 10 seconds of searching vintage patterns, saw the above.
$20, baby!!!

I barely looked, I just hit the Add To Cart/Buy It buttons after determining that it was a complete pattern.

I think all that Anders probably heard from his office down the hall, was an "AAAH!" or "HOLY SH*T, YOU ARE MINE!".

Factory folds, no missing pieces, envelope is in great condition with a few rumples on the corners. That's it!

Thank you again, Etsy ;-)
...and curse you. I told myself I was going to take a break from you.

A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Large ostrich plumes, with those wonderfully lush heavy tips.
In this case, size does matter ;-)

I collect these whenever I can, and my collection has grown to nearly epic proportions. Ordering online can be daunting, because you truly never know what you'll get when it comes to feathers like these. So, when I find the occasional luxe plumes in a shop or flea market I snatch them up.
For 'new' feathers, I've had amazingly good luck at Beverly's. They are a mix between Michael's crafts and Joanne's fabrics, and they often have loose ostrich plumes in an array of shades. Amazingly, one of the best locations has been the Beverly's in San Luis Obispo, CA. I always need to do a bit of sifting through the skinny ones, the damaged ones and the colors I avoid. I'm always rewarded though, with a few lush feathers such as the ones above. Sometimes the colors can be limited, depending on the season. My last visit garnered me the lovelies above; two in a pale pink, a powder blue and a soft violet.

Dickens Fair is also a time during the year that I look forward to buying more. Every year there is one merchant that sells nothing but hand dyed ostrich plumes in every size and color you can imagine. Instead of bleaching them first, they are dyed from their natural light color so they retain some of the pattering and ombre-like effects. They are amazing, yet for the life of me, I can't remember what the shop is called :-(

Wearable Favorites; What's Your Decade?

Of all the eras of fashion I adore, there are some styles which I yearn to wear all the time. This would never be practical however, considering what my daily activities require of me at work. Even at home.

How I long to flounce about in 18th century splendor, decked out in a striped silk Georgian ensemble.
Or glide along the sidewalk in a 1877 promenade gown.



*Le sigh* there are days where these ensembles would be appropriate, but they are sadly few in number.
This is where my love of the 1930s comes in.





As far as "Modern" 20th century fashion is concerned Deco era fashion is still, to this day, ultimately wearable.
While I do love the 1920s, I also love having a defined waistline ;-)
The 40s are great, but my heart really skips a beat then races for the 1930s.
Sure, the 1950s rockabilly retro look is in full swing with some folks these days, who want to capture vintage style. But I'll be honest, it's so "Done". What we see today is a plasticized version of it, thrown in with a more modern tattoo/rock n' roll culture. It's not what it was, although some truly wear it well.

This is why the 1930s styles remain uniquely vintage and a step above the 1950s regurgitation we see today. Designers are constantly drawing inspiration from cuts invented by the likes of Vionnet and Lelong. The idea of sportswear for women may have been invented in the last decade of the 19th century, but it was perfected during the 20s and 30s. And we still return to these concepts today.

But back to the literal wearing of these 30s styles;
If I had to pick a span of 3 years from which I would draw my daily wardrobe, from everyday wear to evening, it would be 1934 to 1937.

For casual cocktails or dinner with friends...


For those blustery days this winter...


For a night at the theater or formal party...