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Whew! I'm tired out. I had a long day today. This is the weekend of Doors Open, when a bunch of historic sites around the city are open to the public for free tours. Places like the Legislative Buildings and the Lieutenant Governor's house, but also other random houses (and a jail!) that have been converted to offices and things. My living history society was invited to spend the day at Dalnavert House (built 1895) to add some colour. We hung out on the lawn and porch all day, playing games like croquet and the game of graces, and had a couple of displays of an early 19th century tea set and some 19th century sewing notions and tools.
I had to get up early to dress up in my polonaise and such. I was happy to learn that I was alright wearing the corset for about 5-6 hours, but that I might want to make a Victorian one with less reduction in the future (probably for the 1867 stuff). I had lots of nice comments from people about my dress which was fun. :)
I've also come up with a very simple hairstyle that works for this era: it's a low French braid (so that all the hair is joined into the braid as the first three strands are braided) with the end looped up and tucked/pinned under the little hole the French braid makes. I'd have a better braid loop if my hair was longer, but it gives the sort of low silhouette of the very early 1880s. I got the idea from some of the pics in Fashions of the Gilded Age Vol. 2 that have a sort of knot above a looped up braid. Mine's just a simplified version.
I didn't get a chance to see much of the house, but what I did see was lovely. It's all restored and filled with period furniture. The Costume Museum of Canada had also put up an exhibit of 1880s dresses in one room. This sort of confused me because the house is 1890s and they have tons of 1890s stuff, but whatevs. Also a weird convo with someone from the Costume Museum. I was with another living history girl and we were looking at the dresses when the Costume Museum lady said, "Can you imagine wearing a tight corset like that?" And I said, "Yes, I'm wearing one right now." She just sort of looked at me like I was speaking gibberish or something and then said, "The waist is so tiny," pointing at the mannequin. I'm not sure if she just didn't hear me, or actually had no comprehension of what I said. It was so odd. :s
I have lots of pictures of the dresses but am too tired to upload them right now. I also got several pictures taken of me in and around the house and I'll post those when I get them from the photographer.
I had to get up early to dress up in my polonaise and such. I was happy to learn that I was alright wearing the corset for about 5-6 hours, but that I might want to make a Victorian one with less reduction in the future (probably for the 1867 stuff). I had lots of nice comments from people about my dress which was fun. :)
I've also come up with a very simple hairstyle that works for this era: it's a low French braid (so that all the hair is joined into the braid as the first three strands are braided) with the end looped up and tucked/pinned under the little hole the French braid makes. I'd have a better braid loop if my hair was longer, but it gives the sort of low silhouette of the very early 1880s. I got the idea from some of the pics in Fashions of the Gilded Age Vol. 2 that have a sort of knot above a looped up braid. Mine's just a simplified version.
I didn't get a chance to see much of the house, but what I did see was lovely. It's all restored and filled with period furniture. The Costume Museum of Canada had also put up an exhibit of 1880s dresses in one room. This sort of confused me because the house is 1890s and they have tons of 1890s stuff, but whatevs. Also a weird convo with someone from the Costume Museum. I was with another living history girl and we were looking at the dresses when the Costume Museum lady said, "Can you imagine wearing a tight corset like that?" And I said, "Yes, I'm wearing one right now." She just sort of looked at me like I was speaking gibberish or something and then said, "The waist is so tiny," pointing at the mannequin. I'm not sure if she just didn't hear me, or actually had no comprehension of what I said. It was so odd. :s
I have lots of pictures of the dresses but am too tired to upload them right now. I also got several pictures taken of me in and around the house and I'll post those when I get them from the photographer.
