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Costume College
Costume College 2012
Costume College! This post is extremely picture heavy, but I know you don’t want it any other way.
For more photo goodness, visit my Flickr page. (still working on learning Lightroom, but I’m getting slightly faster!)
This is my second year attending Costume College, and I had a blast. Last year I mostly took limited classes (hands on workshops) but this year I attended more lectures. The number one thing I’m excited about now? Hat blocking! I’m on the hunt for a 21 1/2″ basic block so that I can make fabulous cloches.
This year’s track theme was “Golden Age of Hollywood”, but a lot of my vintage and repros just feel like everyday clothes to me, so I opted to rewear some of my projects from the past year instead.
Thursday night they had a Carmen Miranda meet-and-greet cocktail party, and low and behold, in the garage I had a pretty awesome Halloween costume I made a few years back. (You might recognize the top from my Maharaja costume.) This was definitely my shiniest costume for the weekend, even if I did forget my maracas! I built the turban/headpiece over a knit ski hat, which keeps it secure on my head.
Tutti-Frutti with Lauren (Wearing History)
Ginger in a killer 30’s chenille bathing cape (Scene in the Past)
Friday night was the ice-cream social – the theme was Medieval, which our group all flagrantly disregarded.
Lauren in her a-maz-ing plaid bustle dress
Ginger, in Regency
Stephanie and I both wore Edwardian and Castle bobs
Rachel, looking like a Vogue cover in her perfectly coordinated ensemble.
Everyone tried to steal her hat!
Saturday night is the Gala, where you wear your most spectacular outfit, and walk down the “red carpet” – there are quite a few onlookers who come out to see the show! Too many great costumes to even remember – I only captured a few!
My favorite photo of the weekend – love the deep colors of all the outfits! In case you’re wondering, my husband and Lauren’s husband are hamming it up on the other side of the camera, cracking us up.
Another Blogger photo! This time adding “American Duchess” Lauren into the mix. 🙂
The Nevada ladies all wore their state colors – they were so impressive!
All I can say is – Lauren’s lucky we’re different sizes. But the cape is ripe for stealing!
Which her husband promptly did!
Icing on the cake – Ginger’s recreation of Olivia de Havilland’s costume from Robin Hood (1938).
Ginger’s entourage arranging the publicity photo.
Costume College 2011 – Classes
I only took 4 classes at Costume College – despite signing up rather late, somehow I got into 3 of the 4 limited classes I requested (limiteds are the hand-on workshops, and unlimiteds are lectures). Each class was long and took up most of each day, but I didn’t mind – I got to make some new pieces and try things I’d wanted to learn about for a long time.
I think that most of these classes will be offered again in the future, so I’m going to recap them in case you want to know more. I know I’m a bit effusive about them, but they were all great – the teachers all volunteered (many MANY) hours on their classes, and their hard work showed.
Friday I was in an all-day class on Pocket Hoops. J.P. Ryan herself came out from the East Coast to teach the class, and we used her pattern. It’s an excellent pattern and went together quickly, but there were a couple parts that I didn’t understand from the instructions, and I’m glad she was there to answer questions. The pattern is correct, but a couple of the construction illustrations could be reworked for clarity. IMO, the best part of the class was that she brought all the materials for us, so I didn’t have to worry about which weight of linen or reed to buy, or how to handle the reed in the hoops. That saved me many hours of research and guesswork! (And yes, they do collapse for storage.)
On Saturday, I got into a very popular limited class on Regency Bodiced Petticoats, taught by Mela Hoyt-Heydon & Martha Davis. The first part was an unlimited lecture on the construction & materials, and they primarily referenced Hunnisett’s Period Costume for Stage & Screen. In the second part they did fittings on us and made a bodice pattern so that we can make our own at home. I’m very curious to see how the shape will compare with my Regency Stays…once all those projects are finished. 😉 We sent our measurements in advance and they had muslins ready for us, and tag-teamed the fitting & pattern work. They worked really hard, and I’m looking forward to having proper undergarments for the next Jane Austen Evening!
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| Finished bodice pattern after fitting – it’s tiny! High waisted AND low-cut. Gusset size, shape and placement were determined during the fitting – so much smarter than using the generic placement in a pattern. |
Sunday I took a 3rd limited – Beginning Embroidery with Catherine Scholar. I’ve tried to teach myself embroidery several times previously, but there’s no substitute for a real person showing you technique and giving tips. When it’s finished, I’ll stitch this up into a little Regency-style reticule (purse). I was so excited when I saw the project – it’s exactly the kind of purse I’d pick to make. Have I ever mentioned how much I love monograms? And did you notice that it’s GREEN? 🙂
Sunday afternoon I attended the unlimited lecture “What Real People Wore – 1930’s and 1940’s” by Lauren – she had a ton of info, and I just wish the lecture had been longer! I think she’s going to post some of her research material on her blog, so keep an eye out!
Costume College 2011
Bit of a change up, now – last weekend I got away from swing dancing for a little bit, and headed up the 405 to my first Costume College! As I’ve mentioned before, usually this event is on the same weekend as Camp Hollywood, but this year they were back-to-back weekends instead (and next year too, it turns out, so I can go again!). It’s funny how similar the two events were – both in Los Angeles Marriott hotels, with classes during the days and parties at night. Tools of the trade vary though – Costume College is full of sewing machines, and Camp Hollywood is full of sweaty t-shirts!
It was fun being a newbie at an event, and I was lucky to have a couple of regulars to show me around! As excited as I was, I was still worried about doing things “right” and not looking out of place, as I don’t have a huge wardrobe of historical costumes. I needn’t have worried though — it was a low-pressure atmosphere, where everyone was more supportive than competitive.
Things I was worried about going into Costume College:
1. Not having any costumes that matched the themes.
There were nominal themes for different events (Friday night social was Steampunk, the bonus class track was medieval, etc.) but it turned out that everyone just wore whatever they felt like, whenever they wanted.
2. Not having enough impressive historical costumes.
There were some a-MAZ-ing historical gowns, but I was surprised at the wide variety of costumes and clothing at the event. There were fantasy outfits and costumes made from non-traditional materials, with a wide range of skill levels. Dressing up during the day was the exception, not the rule, and there were even jeans and t-shirts at the Gala on Saturday night. I’m all for dressing to the nines, but all efforts were appreciated, no matter how small.
3. Only knowing a couple people going into the event.
This was probably the silliest thing to be worried about! Everyone was was incredibly friendly and supportive, and I met lots of new friends in classes and just roaming around the hotel.
Even though I knew I was going to CoCo several months in advance, I didn’t have time to make any new outfits for it. I decided to go with what was already in the closet, and just focus on the classes instead of worrying too much about what to wear. Glad I did – I loved my classes, and I was glad I didn’t have to change clothes/redo my hair several times a day.
All photos courtesy of Lauren of Wearing History
At the blogger meetup on Thursday night, wearing a vintage 60’s dress
– Me with Lauren of Wearing History and Jen of Festive Attyre
Friday night at the Ice Cream Social, I rewore my most recent Regency gown. The theme was Steampunk and they had great props and table decorations!
Saturday night at the Gala I busted out my Prom dress! I felt like a cheater because my mom made this instead of me. 🙂 It was from a 30’s Vintage Vogue reprint, and 12 years on it still looked pretty good. Now I want another one in green…
Fun stuff! I can’t wait for next year – the bonus track for classes is Hollywood Glamour, 1930-1955.
Wonder if my mom is up for sewing a green satin gown?