Wow, have I been lax about blogging this summer/fall! Life, work, blah, blah, blah. Time to play some catch up. Costume Con 33 was held in Charleston, SC this year. Through some sort of cosmic frippery, I ended up having an entry in pretty much every contest over the course of the weekend. So I was hella busy doing pretty much nothing but over the course of the four day event. But I got the chance to show off a lot of stuff that I'm really proud of, and I got to work with some of my bestest costuming besties throughout, so it was worth it. I did have to leave my Honey at home, though, since he had classes he couldn't get out of. Also meant that I didn't have a companion's luggage for spillover, so I had to get super conservative on the packing. My year's as a Girl Scout served me well here. I can pack like a boss, and I had to do like I've never done before.
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| There are eight, count 'em, EIGHT costumes packed into those four bags. (there's a black check bag at the back of the stack, blending in with the sofa) |
I spent much of the day on Friday running about, turning in paperwork and entries and doing all of that last minute BS that always eats the day away. So I went with something more comfortable to wear: the chemise a la reine. It's nice and cool, even with the stays. And it's easy to sit in. Plus the hedgehog wig just sorta plops on the head and requires very little prodding before getting covered with a cap and hat. I got a lot of very flattering comment on the dress, including one from Sandy about how I 'always look so lovely and put together' at con. Which just about made my weekend right there. While I love Love LOVE to make pretty things, I always get a bit weird when it's time to put them on. So yeah, total confidence boost there and a great way to start the weekend. Sandy spent a lot of the con hanging out in the con suite, seeing the rest of us parade through. And his smiles over the weekend always made me feel like it was worth getting all dressed up just for that. Unfortunately, I was so busy that I never caught a picture of myself in this outfit. But not so dire, as I've gotten some good photos in it before.
The Friday Night Social had a 1920s Speakeasy them this year. And the Single Pattern Contest included two Folkwear patterns that I've made use of in recent years: le Smoking Jacket and the Monte Carlo Dress. Both were used in the making of our big 1920s Batman Villains group from Arisia the year before, but neither had gotten any recognition on their own (our Best in Show for that group was in Presentation, and the only Workmanship award went to the Joker's suit). Plus, this Poison Ivy dress is one of my all time favorite costumes, yet not something that I could ever personally wear. Luckily, Lauren was a doll and agreed to play dress up for me. A few minor adjustments for fit and a new bob wig and she was ready to go! I'm no sport a shaved head, so I made up a house cap to match the smoking jacket and cover my hair.
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| Lauren being a life saver and donning the dress for me. She must have been having fun, because I'm pretty sure she sashayed those hips and made the skirts swish all night long. |
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| Silver buddies at the Social. So Much SHINY! |
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| Not gonna lie. I totally had Maral's Cyd Charisse in the back of my mind when I was designing Poison Ivy. I was tickled to get to see the two of them back-t-back like this. |
I was going to link to the project summary for these two, but it looks like I only ever got around to posting the one about Poison Ivy. Note to self: get on with that. The judges split the awards up, giving a Best in Show for each of the four featured patterns, and the two of us each took home that honor. And amazing start to the weekend.
