Happy New Year! I hope your 2018 has been going well so far. Taylor of Dames a la Mode is kicking off the year with her #GeorgianJanuary Instagram challenge, although “challenge” isn’t really the right word as the only difficulty is trying to decide which photo to post each day. If you’re following @lilredsquirrel you’ve already seen my picks, but I love being introduced to new paintings or dresses through posts by other historical costume lovers. You can join in at anytime so take a look at the next batch of themes if it sounds like fun!
I’ve been reading a lot of “Me Made” 2017 roundups and 2018 sewing plans posts, and perhaps you’re in the same boat, but they make me feel incredibly inadequate. Which isn’t to say I’m not very happy with the progress I’ve made, but hot damn! I aspire to be one those prolific sewists with a closet full of awesome things that they’ve made (including the majority who aren’t blogging or gramming all their garments).
I am very good at making detailed lists of elaborate plans and then being hit by reality later like “In what world would you have 3 hours to sew every day to reach this goal?!” So instead of my usual “shoot for the moon!” — which ends up being “shoot for the new planet and wake up 90 years too early by yourself and proceed to ruin everything” — I am doing “rent a car and drive to a BnB.”
I decided last fall that I would like to make an 18th century gown by the end of the year and a TBD DC cosplay for NYCC in October. Both are big, multipart costumes, BUT doable over the course of several months. Also, that gives me time to look for deals and budget for my fabric and supplies. Fun, challenging, but not absurd– huzzah for 2018 me!
And then I did something totally crazy.
I got a ticket to an 18th century dinner in March!
I had seen photos of the annual Française Dinner (hosted in recent years by Jessica Jackson), but it never occurred to me that I could go. So when I spotted the announcement for ticket sales the “make all the things!” me took over and talked about it frequently for a few days, waiting for spousal eyebrow-raising and rejection. But it never came and here we are! I grew up in Virginia, and I’m very familiar with Old Town Alexandria so it’s not that big of a deal to travel there for the weekend.
And then last week Lauren and Abby of American Duchess announced they’ll be at The National Arts Club here in NYC at the end of February! Last year I bemoaned the fact that exciting things like Costume College were out of my reach and now two (Count ’em TWO!) cool events right out of the gate! However, there is the small matter of not having anything to wear.
Commence flailing and freaking out!
Once that was out of the way, I made a lot of lists and a rough timeline. (Okay, who am I kidding, there will be plenty of flailing during this project.) My first step was to put a pair of AD shoes on layaway. I was torn because I still want the Fraser heels for Outlander outfits, but I need something formal and in a later style for the Française Dinner. I choose the black Dunmore heels and I can’t wait to see them in person!
Next, I need to decide on a style of dress. Not as easy! The attire guidelines specify the last half of the 18th century, 1750-1800. Since there’s a firm deadline to meet and I don’t have a backup (a J. Crew cocktail dress isn’t going to fly here!), I don’t think I’ll be able to blog about the gown until it’s all said and done. BUT I’ll be sharing little bits on Instagram along the way! Sadly, my shoes and gown will not be ready for the American Duchess book event, but I think I’ll go in my Claire cosplay. It does feel kind of wrong to attend an AD event with modern shoes peeking out, but oh well!
Will you be going to these events? Let’s be friends IRL 🙂
February 23rd FashionSpeaks Fridays: 18th Century Fashion with American Duchess / The National Arts Club, New York, NY
March 17th Seventh Annual Francaise Dinner / Gatsby’s Tavern, Alexandria, VA
What are you looking forward to in 2018? There are a few cosplays that I’m sure will be very popular this year, including Admiral Holdo and Rose from The Last Jedi, but also from the slew of upcoming superhero movies starting off with next month’s Black Panther, followed by Deadpool 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Dark Phoenix, Aquaman, and even the animated Teen Titans Go! to the Movies and Incredibles 2. Plus, there’s A Wrinkle in Time (that trailer is bursting with Bjork-worthy costumes!), Solo (the Han Solo standalone movie), The Crimes of Grindelwald (aka Fantastic Beasts 2), Disney’s Nutcracker movie, and the Tomb Raider reboot. So many cosplays, so little time.
On the historical costuming side there will be Mary, Queen of Scots, to be played by Saoirse Ronan opposite Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I, and Robin Hood with Taron Egerton as the Prince of Thieves. Granted, the world really doesn’t need another Robin Hood movie but I really like Egerton, and Jamie Foxx as Little John and Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlet has me intrigued.
Do you have grand costuming plans or just a couple everyday garments in the works — or perhaps a mix of both? I’d love to hear what you’re planning for 2018!
little red squirrel 