In Shadows of Dreaming Spires

Monday, January 16, 2012

2012...New Year's Resolutions....

One of my more "exciting" New Year's Resolutions for 2012 is to make a better attempt at keeping a blog....and also to get around to making a Tudor gown!

So to quickly recap the year in costumes...
LeeLoo

This was a very last minute attempt to make a LeeLoo costume for a "Cowboys and Aliens Bop". The majority of the costume was relatively easy apart from the braces. There's a fantastic tutorial on how to make proper silicon braces here: ihttp://jiajem.com/tutorials/leeloo-suspenders/ but lacking time and equipment, I went hunting in my favourite costume supply shop - Primark! - and found a cheap pair of orange jeans...the whole thing took about 3/4 hours.

Alice in Wonderland:

favourite part of this was by far the face paint!

Halloween:

Tea-stained ripped up sheets....nightmare to make...

Vaudeville Rave:

Pity I don't have better photos of this - but the dress was a ball gown that I completely ripped apart and added a corset to. Fantastic night!

Woodstock:
Hippy Love (new use for my "regency dress")

Anything BUT clothes:

I think my favourite costume from last year! Yes, that is rolls and rolls of "Fragile tape"

Sub-fuscing it up:

Technically not fancy dress - but I think my huge bow should be introduced as officially part of the dress code - way neater instead of those silly ribbons!

And finally - 1920's Birthday Party:

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Regency Garden Party!

It is a happy coincidence that Amber's and my birthday fall quite close together....and what better way to celebrate then prancing around the beautiful Merton gardens in Regency costume....

We had planned to rent costumes...but Oxford has surprising few costume shops and no decent outfits could be found! In the end, we both ended up making a last minute trip to the old reliable....Primark!!

Oxford also has a major problem in the lack of any material shop, however Primark always seems to deliver one way or another. I love Ambers outfit which is made from a sheet and the pearls in her hair are simple and beautiful. My outfit cost a total of £15....I couldn't believe my luck with the jacket which was on sale in Primark for £5 and just took a bit of sowing to shorten and fit better.

We weren't the only ones dressed up.... in fact the majority of our guests made a fantastic effort which you can see in the video below.

I love how your can here the bells ringing in the background and I also love Patrik's very blue outfit!

....Fantastic Party!!

We already have plans for next....Tudor Party!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Never To Old To Play Dress Up!

I've always loved masquerade (paper faces on display...) so you can imagine my delight when I realised you can practically wear anything in Oxford and get away with it.... in fact wandering around in full costume is seen as quite normal! After a year of BOPs, fancy dress and black (not even to mention white) tie, my wardrobe has become unsurprisingly cramped with all manner of unusual apparel. Who knows what the coming year will bring....there are even plans for an investment in a sewing machine! Therefore, the propose of this blog is to document the highs and lows (mostly highs...of course!) of my (and my partners in crime - the lovely Amber and the wonderful Claire) costuming exploits and experiments.

Also, when my poor wardrobe finally gets to breaking point I may be forced to start selling off some of my created, acquired and purchased creations...and what better way to do it then via a blog (well there are better ways...but this will do for now!).

Here are a few of our past attempts......to be fair most of these were last minute rush jobs! :) :)

1920s...Flappers...