My First Historical Event! The 2018 Française Dinner

Hello all! Two months ago *cough* Hmm, make that almost three months ago (wow, it has been a while!) I attended my first historical event, the Seventh Annual Française Dinner in Alexandria, Virginia. I had so much fun at the dinner, even if things didn’t go according to plan (more on that in a moment). It was held at the historic Gadsby’s Tavern, where George Washington celebrated his birthnight ball two years in a row. They still celebrate with a birthday banquet every President’s Day weekend. I met lots of talented costumers, and I’m already thinking about how to be better prepared next year!

If you saw photos on Instagram back in March then you already know I ended up wearing my back up because I bit off more than I could chew. I wanted to challenge myself and I definitely succeeded at that at least! The attire guidelines are 1750–1800 formal wear, which essentially covers all the popular gown styles of the 18th century. Not helpful to the indecisive! I narrowed it down to a 1770’s Robe a la Française or a 1780’s Italian gown, and in the end a combination of fabric budget and complexity were the deciding factors.