modehistorique

• http://www.gala-nocturna.com/
• http://www.viona-art.com/pages/frameset01/setmenu.html (most especially in the 10th row down: the Birdcage one, with orange hair, and also the bride. Side note – do take a gander though the other photos, I am completely enthralled with Viona’s costumes – such attention to detail, including hair and makeup, as well as playing with shapes just totally ROCKS! ;-D)
• http://darkromantics.co.uk/

• A totally oversized feather boa: http://www.ostrich.com/boa/Turkey-Ruff-Feather-200-gram-Large.html
• Edgy kick-ass Victoriana boots: http://www.goodgoth.com/ladiesboots.htm (the Splendor-130 style, about halfway down the page. Lots of other cool ideas there, too ;-))
• And the real piece d’resistance: I’m gonna get one of those purse-dog sized robotic dog toys (this or this) and re-paint it to be steampunk-ish, in coppers, golds and bronzes =D (I don’t know how much more kit-bashing it will require then just painting; I haven’t seen either in person…) I’m having visions of saying “Come, Fido” and being a complete bimbo over my “pet dog” like the heroine of Legally Blond :-D
• Of course there will also be long ropes of pearls, a monocle, net gloves, some sort of asymmetrical hair ornament, etc. But it’s those three accessories that make me feel like the concept has really gelled ;-)

steamfashion

corsetmakers

steamfashion

• my circa 1904 lingerie dress is sniffling and making forlorn abandonment sounds in my general direction
• a spectacular vintage 1904ish wool suit just arrived (Total SQUEE!!! Unfortunately it doesn't fit any of my dressforms very well, so the display pictures will leave much to be desired :-S But the suit! Want, want, want !!! :-D)
• I've been completely artistically absorbed in a 1900-ish Steampunk concept all week *rubs hands gleefully in appreciation of my devious plan ;-)*
• while trying to track down a rather misplaced inspiration picture for the steampunk outfit (and it took me THREE DAYS to find it. I swear I'm going to have to start creating the 1900s research binder purely in self defense. Sometimes there are down-sides to having a very large library; I completely misremembered which book the photo was in...). ANYWAY, while flipping though almost all of my museum catalogues I found this:

harmanhay

coffeekitten

• It’s much harder to “edit” ill-chosen fabric/projects when the choices are recent; I’m still too close to the initial obsession…. :-S
• It’s hard to “edit” ill-chosen fabric when the inspiration itself is extremely seductive. I have 3 different lengths of goldenrod wool. I am completely enamored of this picture by Hans Holbein (and think it would be incredibly amusing if I finished the outfit before I turn 34, given the title… ;-) ) Unfortunately, I am not sure that goldenrod is the right color yellow for this dress, no matter how good I look in it. However, due primarily to the seductive qualities of the Holbein painting, the project survived my purge, goldenrod wool intact. The painting is just too enticing for my feeble willpower; it should be required to go veiled ;-).
• It’s hard to “edit” a project when the fabric is ill chosen, but the accessories are incredibly enticing! (I have the cutest patent leather 1950s purse, little black hat and patent leather shoes! They need to be used! Unfortunately, the fabric I have assigned to them is… well, it’s a little bit stiff and heavy to make a good 50s dress. Unfortunately the swatch I got before buying wasn’t large enough to realize that… *sigh*)

1.  61 project boxes means I’ve got to be consistently very good about “no buying fabric for projects I don’t already have boxes for” and not adding a new project box without first completing a different project. On the plus side, I’m very close to filling up an entire plastic-bin shelving-unit thing with COMPLETED projects! *preen*
2. It is much more relaxing to have a 1-box, 1-project rule. Even if it means I’ve invested in a bunch of “half-sized” boxes to hold “little” projects. For example, before I started my reorganization 6 different regency outfits shared the same box. Two have now been moved to the “unassigned projects” box, and 4 of ‘em have each been given their own “half-sized” box (bigger is probably not required since I already have most of the regency under things… unless the hats end up taking a lot of room, but that’s what hat boxes are for ;-)) This makes them each less intimidating, ‘cause I don’t have to mentally deal with all the others. Except in the two instances where multiple projects use/will be using the same (large) bolt of fabric. Those’ll have to share space until one of the projects has claimed it’s share of the yardage. (Thus I’m back to waffling over which to do first – the Nancy Bradford 1806-9 regency or the Tidens Toj regency. They share the same 20 yard bolt of ivory cotton voile…)
3. Interestingly, I feel like I’ve been obsessed with the 1890-1918 period for the last 5 years, I have very little fabric devoted to that era! Apparently my obsessive tendencies have been focused on vintage garments, rather then increasing my horde. This is actually kind of relieving, as I probably have a year’s worth of research to do before allowing myself to design “off-the-cuff” for this era. Of course, I am very much looking forward to that freedom ;-)
4. I really, really, really need to be careful about the mid-way-though-the-project desire to “do multiple versions!” I have 4 un-started 1950s projects and 3 different 1930/40s outfits, all inspired by my floral 1950s dress from last fall. I have no idea where I might wear any of ‘em if I did finish ‘em. Besides, who needs 9 outfits from the same 15-year span? Apparently I thought I did… and the ideas/fabric/patterns are still entrancing enough that I couldn’t bring myself to completely cull the projects… (Although I did get rid of a couple of the 1930s ones… I love the Hollywood glam; but I so do not have the starlet figure… :-S)
5. I now have all these orphaned accessories… not at all sure what to do with them :-S. My current non-project assigned accessory storage devise is already full… *sigh* Any of you have advice on this score?

• I have a pink early teens evening dress that… well, it’s fashion-challenged. I think it was fashion challenged at the time it was made. :-S I bought it for sewing reference thinking it would scratch the itch and decrease my obsession. Didn’t work at all.
• I have a fascinating ivory late-teens evening-dress-styled wedding dress. It’s complicated. So complicated that I am not 100% sure where all the pieces attach to each other! I love it, but it’s not at all in the long & thin early teens style. It’s more the ankle-calf length, strange asymmetrical layers-on-layers look that you see starting around 1915 though the early 20s.
• I have an early teens ivory and gold evening dress that looks like what a fashion-conscious woman would do on a limited budget. It’s lovely, but only makes a nod at playing with shapes and textures that the high fashion designs are extolling.

1. No more LJ access from work *sniffle*sniffle*
2. Giving up Starbucks as part of my newly implemented "Vow of Frugality" is harder then I expected… and it’s not the caffeine withdrawal that I’m talking about! I’ve switched to making my beloved Chai tea lattes at home… but I miss the lunch-time excuse to get out of the office and stretch my legs (having a goal in mind helps a lot with the motivation)… This time of year, walking around the lake shore at lunch doesn’t appeal; it’s all cold and windy. Plus, I haven’t found a nice route yet. I miss getting a friendly smile and having the barrista’s know my name… *pout* Sadly, I just did the math, and it costs me pretty much the same to make the tea at home as to get it from Starbucks. *double pout* I suppose that means I should completely switch over to tea… *mournful sigh*
3. These issues are on top of being (almost) at the beginning of the most mind-numbingly dull kinda review work at the day job. Has to be done, but...Bleh. Current estimate: A month of BLEH from the work-side *more pouting*

1. New attendee! wheee! :-)
2. The Cleftland's Needleworker's guild was awarded a Purple Fretty [an award for service] at the event I missed this weekend *Woot!* *HAPPY DANCE* *Punches air!* :-D !!!! (Seemingly, for work done during my tenure as guild mistress! *preens about such spiffy people who let me lead them around ;-)*)  Apparently, it's the second Purple Fretty the guild has won *more preening* :-D (the first was in 2003, so it had absolutely nothing to do with me ;-) )
3. The people at needleworkes are so cool; they make me feel so very loved! *happy, contented sigh*

I gotta go see this exhibit: http://dept.kent.edu/museum/exhibit/gazettedubonton/Main.htm !!!!

8polaris8  graciously agreed to take photos of me in my not-so-recently finished Edwardian underwear. Much fun was had! I thought y'all might enjoy the pictures too:

http://c3po.barnesos.net/~polaris/Photos/2009_09_15-Needleworkers/

I've never seen the underwear from the back and I'm now feeling totally inspired again :-D The Past Patterns #109 petticoat is very much a 1898 shape! Which wont really work for my super narrow front-clingy circa 1904 lingerie dress, but it leaves me formulating tailored Edwardian suit plans *happy sigh* Or maybe the way-late-19th century leg-o-mutton sleeve outfits.

I'm being very inspired both by this and by this :-D Kinda different, but I can see doing either or both. The pink would be such fun to swish around Costume Con or Costume College in! (Of course, the pink is probably 1901-7 rather then 1898-ish... and the suit is 1900...:-S so much for appropriate inspirations. Guess I'll have to look at more pictures ;-) ) There's always the Keystone Jacket  stuff ... 8-D *wonders away whistling happily*