
Last November I had to go to Paris to do some research and business stuff – and as usual I decided to combine the business stuff with a bit of pleasure. It was Lucas’s big birthday, and so a … Continue reading
Last November I had to go to Paris to do some research and business stuff – and as usual I decided to combine the business stuff with a bit of pleasure. It was Lucas’s big birthday, and so a … Continue reading
In September Julia from Sew Curvy ( the organiser of the Oxford Conference of Corsetry) and I, together with our husbands, flew to Munich for a few days. The lads were indulging in photography, sightseeing and beer ( not necessarily in that order) and we were busy attempting the conference organised by the folks behind The Patterns of Fashion – The School of Historical Dress.
The book 5 was also launched there! A treasure!
The conference was held in the Bayeriche Museum and attracted A LOT of attendees – crowds aplenty! It was amazing to meet up with people you only knew from the Instagram or Facebook 🙂
The programme was varied and interesting, with seveal fascinating lectures, and the museum itself was a gem too.
a few favourites below…
The biggest discovery was this – a girl’s jacket and skirt in heavyily slubbed silk…
The dress display was next door to weapons and hunting exhibition, also some fascinating objects!
and the only way to get the best angles….
The hosts of the conference ran the show nicely, the food was good ( that soup with sausages was amazing!) and locals friendly…
The only irritating thing – the organisers asked us not to take any footage of the lectures – especially the slides…. and yet a few folks were doing this…. almost all the time :-(((
In the evenings we made a point of sampling the local cuisine, and for three days we were full of potatoes, sausages, sauerkraut and pretzels…. and cake….
And since the hotel we stayed in had an excellent sellection of gin, late evenings were spent sipping new mixtures and playing Cards Against Humanity…
On the last day we were supposed to go on an excursion to a museum of corsets nearby – but the realisatin that the nearby means 3 hours on the coach, each way, we simply couldn’t handle it – too peopled out! And a combination of bad sleep ( Munich centre is very noisy) and having spent 2 days surrounded by people meant the prospect of a busy day like that just too much for my introverted soul. We managed to swap the flights for a day early and had a relaxing morning wondering around the town, its fabrics shops and cafes instead 🙂
This was my first conference of this kind and although I have enjoyed it, I discovered it was far from my natural habitat – I was exhaused afterwards! Still, glad to have made the trip and to have met with the folks there 🙂
It was my pleasure, yet again, to organize the Victorian Ball in Bath – our 4th! This year it was a little bit earlier, and so far the coldest spring event so far – all the dolmans, mantles, coats … Continue reading
Corsetry is currently experiencing a bit of a revival – which is great ( if you still think they are torturous, rib-breaking, garments-from-hell, please read this first…). However, since they were out of fashion for quite a while, people nowadays … Continue reading
1880 walking suit in bluebells As a part of my incoming book, The Victorian Dressmaker, I have been making a lot of new frocks. This one is one of the 5 or so different frocks representing the Natural form – … Continue reading
Romantic era ( late 1820s and 30s) is a rather, well, ‘interesting ‘ period, fashion wise. Men’s garb is superb – nipped in waists, tailcoats, cravats, waistocats galore – very smart, very dashing. Women’s fashions are – a bit extreme. … Continue reading
Some things start unexpectedly…. last January I picked some lovely silk that just screamed Victorian Seaside Bustle frock… And so for the summer I put a few days aside to make it – and to nip somewhere on the coast for … Continue reading
You are a creative person and would like to run a creative business full time. You have read the success stories, you have chatted to friends, and everything looks peachy – so you are leaving your mundane day-job and are … Continue reading
A long overdue post on a rather splendid ball we attended in London, in December. The Buttercup Ball was organized by Stuart Marsden ( the dance master for our Victorian ball last year – and this year’s edition too!) … Continue reading
It is finished at last!!!! I have loved this plate from ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ for years, and planned to make the jacket almost 2 years ago – now am happy to say that it is complete (well, almost…) I got the … Continue reading