Since I was already working on the 4 day Polonaise Project for the Colonial Ball next weekend, I took advantage of Halloween to do a trial run of the gown.
I very quickly "polonaised" the gown by gathering up the back in two places and stitching the gathers with a sturdy linen thread; the same I used to make the green lucet cord I tie my stays with. This isn't a perminant solution, just something so that I didn't have to worry about evening out the hem while in a rush to get to a Halloween party. I plan on evening the hem in the coming week and possibly wearing the skirt down for the ball with a false rump underneith instead.
I wore my standard other clothes, brown fully boned stays, regular shift, white petticoat, lavender cotton stocking and buckle shoes. I left off the neckerchief & did "spoobs" instead (this was Halloween at the bar after all). The fake wig that I purchased turned out to be mispackaged, so I wore my pleated cap & straw hat instead. I also found some white face powder and played up the 18th century "white face" look with that & some red lipstick. In the photos you can almost see the velvet beauty patch I made in the shape of a dancer, the simple choker of white fake pearls and the guillotine gash that J painted for me.
Unfortunately no one at the bar "got" the costume. I thought for once it would be semi clear, but again people asked if I was Amish. Yeah, when was the last time you saw an Amish woman with cleavage. Idiots. But at least I know the gown fits & is comfortable. I'm looking forward to the ball next weekend and being around people who will appreciate the work I put in.
I very quickly "polonaised" the gown by gathering up the back in two places and stitching the gathers with a sturdy linen thread; the same I used to make the green lucet cord I tie my stays with. This isn't a perminant solution, just something so that I didn't have to worry about evening out the hem while in a rush to get to a Halloween party. I plan on evening the hem in the coming week and possibly wearing the skirt down for the ball with a false rump underneith instead.
I wore my standard other clothes, brown fully boned stays, regular shift, white petticoat, lavender cotton stocking and buckle shoes. I left off the neckerchief & did "spoobs" instead (this was Halloween at the bar after all). The fake wig that I purchased turned out to be mispackaged, so I wore my pleated cap & straw hat instead. I also found some white face powder and played up the 18th century "white face" look with that & some red lipstick. In the photos you can almost see the velvet beauty patch I made in the shape of a dancer, the simple choker of white fake pearls and the guillotine gash that J painted for me.
Unfortunately no one at the bar "got" the costume. I thought for once it would be semi clear, but again people asked if I was Amish. Yeah, when was the last time you saw an Amish woman with cleavage. Idiots. But at least I know the gown fits & is comfortable. I'm looking forward to the ball next weekend and being around people who will appreciate the work I put in.
I think if more Amish women looked like that it would a far more popular religion.
ReplyDeleteI have a funny story for you. I happen to have Amish friends and one day... we took their family to "Gravelrama" (a redneck 4WD hillclimb- the Amish husband LOVES trucks) Anyway- I was standing on line at a concession stand with my friend. When the person in front of us turned around they had such a honest and stupid surprised reaction- as if a stoormtrooper was standing there breathing down their neck... only they exclaimed "Aaaaah! A pilgrim!"
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I had such a laugh over that. But I just want you to know that the stupidity flows both ways.