Rocogoth

I just realized I hadn't posted any pictures from the masquerade ball and our finished costumes. It was truly a  day and a night to remember, and I dearly hope that it will become an annual tradition in one way or another. Since other bloggers have covered the event earlier and better than I have, I don't think I'll babble on any longer. Here were Lady Caterina Auditore and Lord Melchioré Auditore from Monteriggioni:

The bodice is imitation dupion silk and organza for the sleeve ruffles, 100% polyester, that is, except for the red silk scraps that I used for decoration on the neckline and left hip. I flat-lined it with cotton muslin and wore it over my victorian ribbon underbust corset. The fit isn't quite rococo without the proper underpinnings, but with the budget restrictions I had, I went for the overall feel of the style rather than historical accuracy. There'll hopefully be time for that later. The skirt is supported by a tulle skirt and small hip pads that I made from muslin and pillow stuffing.

I added two rows of pleated satin ribbon trim and a chinese braid around the neckline, bodice hem and the sleeves. The two bunches of trim on the neckline and hip consisted of black coque feathers, bits of silk, some cut out lace and red seed beads. I wore my hair up in a 18th century poof style with real roses and 3 sets of 2 ostrich spads sewn together in the stems to give them a little more body. It's a shame I couldn't get the feathers fastened well enough to stop them from turning all over the place. And the thing about having 20 cm of hair poof between my head and the feathers, I didn't even notice they weren't the right way when we took these photos. The mask was also made by me, loosely following this tutorial and applied to the face using eye lash glue.

 My prince wore brown breeches with gold buttons, a white cotton shirt with huge sleeves, a black and gold brocade vest and a lacy neck ruffle. His mask was made using a cheap Spiderman mask ask a base and some creative painting and glueing of chinese braid, feathers and lace. These were close to being the first menswear pieces I've ever made and I'm quite proud of how he looked :). I used existing patterns which I altered to be more period accurate and for a better fit.

For more pictures from the event, visit Shadow Selves, Enchantment of Satin or Through the Looking Glass.


It was great getting to make something historically inspired again and I have to say I've got a pretty severe case of new gown fever at the moment... I've spent the past couple of days cleaning the apartment and reading through costuming blogs trying to do some research for a new project. Dozens upon dozens of posts later and I'm quite set on starting to make me a 1870s or 1880s bustle gown ensemble. I just listed the different pieces that I'd like to make for it and came up with a total of 10 :D. But before I get more in over my head, I think I'll start tomorrow with a trip to the library to get some literary references. After that, the first pieces will most likely be a lobster tail bustle and a mid-bust corset when I can afford to buy the materials for that.