Le Cafe des Muses

 Okay, so they've FINALLY put out the info for the Con's games. This may be easier than I expected.

Changeling is going to be a Summer Tourney, an Autumn Research Symposium, a Winter Mystery, and a Spring Cook-Off. While Lilith will largely be attending for the research, she has a vain streak and they're handing out prizes for the best raiment. If I can make a top to go with my glittery red lace skirt (red, with black lace and red beads?) that would be relaxed enough to be comfy while working and pretty enough to be suitable. Or maybe, my lolita skirt and matching hair bow, with striped socks and my purple Nightmare before Christmas t-shirt. Not flashy, but cute and very, very Lilith.

Mage is some kind of meeting. So, I can't see Ursula dressing all out. Jeans, shirt, jacket, sneakers, done.

Vampire, it seems, WILL be the hard one. It's 80's themed. I can accessorize my tux and do the whole pop genderbending thing, but with what?

 Yup! I hardly ever go to LARP cons, but this year I can afford one. *dances*

So now, the question is, costuming: what to do? This is really difficult as this is a new chronicle and they haven't released any preview notices for the games yet, so I have no idea what to make or wear. We do at least have a basic schedule and there's a good amount of time in the day to prep for the daytime games. Looks like I'll be playing...

Thursday, 7:00PM-12:30AM-Requiem (Lady Alisa)
Friday, 11:00AM-5:30PM-Lost (Lilith)
Saturday, 12:30PM-5:30PM-Awakening (Ursula), 7:00PM-12:30AM-Requiem (Lady Alisa)

So, for Lady Alisa, the ice queen Nosferatu Elder, I know at least one of those outfits can be my tux and Tim's old tuxedo shirt. I'll need cufflinks and a weskit and a cravat, for shoes I can get away with my squishy mary janes, because the pants cuffs will cover them and make them look manly, and if not, I can make spats. For the other outfit, it depends on whether this is a casual gathering (unlikely, but possible) or a formal occasion. If it's formal, i can either borrow a wedding gown/white ball gown, from my mother, or see what I can find in white or blue at a thrift store. Lady A doesn't do casual anything, so I might just dig out my pinstripe pantsuit and get a blue or black blouse for it.

Depending on the situation, Ursula, the no-nonsense Thyrsus scholar, shouldn't be hard to dress. Awakened don't tend to do big, fancy balls, so it's either going to be a meeting of some kind or a battle, maybe both. With a different blouse, the pantsuit can do double-duty, or I can get hold of some scrubs, since Ursula is mostly a healer behind the lines.

Lilith, a Gravewight witch and performer, is going to be the hard one. Lost parties are all over the place and Lilith is one of the few characters I don't have much for. I can either make something or, again, borrow something from Mama. A frosty white ballgown for Lady A can easily be a ghostly debutante for a Southern corpse bride with my vampire bite choker and sugar skull earrings, and a few other accents. OR I have, somewhere, a ballgown in white with big red roses on the skirt. Red on white has a certain ghoulish elegance, I think. I have a big red dance veil that would make a great shawl and a fake red rose to tuck in my hair. I may want to make a corsage of roses, lilies and autumn leaves, perhaps with a sparkly white or silver skull tucked in. The only thing I don't have is red shoes and possibly witchy stripey socks or stockings. My old sparkly red platforms are in sore need of repair. What I'd LIKE to do is get hold of a pair of character shoes and paint them a snazzy shade of glittery red. I have a pair of character shoes, but I want them to stay tan if at all possible. Which means an order to Discount Dance Supply and a trip to AC Moore. Thank god Mom showed me how to paint shoes in high school. Of course, it might not be a ball. It'll be easier for, say, a rave (purple corset, stripy lolita skirt and petticoat, boots and LED jewelry), or a sporting event (Baltimore Ravens t-shirt and hair bow, denim skirt or jeans, stripy socks, sneakers), but harder for, say, a hunting party (I'll need to sew a hunting habit and get a proper hat) or masquerade ball (could be done with just a mask for the ball gown or something else).


I've got less than two months. Here's hoping they give us something soon!

So, after all this time, I suppose you're wondering how that Burlesque show went.

I think it all went over really well. My veil number didn't do so great, but hardly anyone noticed. I think it would have gone better with smaller, less slippery veils and a better tucking job (that was my fault). The polonaise number was a success, except that I need to practice throwing candies more or they may forbid me what I think is my "gimmick". Also, underhanded throws are advised. I almost put somebody's eye out with a peppermint.

At the end of the show, Eyrie Twilight offered my mother and I a gig (okay, told us we were gonna be there, dammit) at a show in April. No word as to whether that's Easter weekend or not. It's tempting to do a "Bunny" number, but if it IS Easter weekend, somebody will beat me to it. "April Showers" will probably be obvious as well. But, "cherry blossoms" could be fun, as could a "candy" theme.

Eyrie says she wants to be a little bolder and show more skin. Chicken me, I was too shy to tell her WHY I'm not showing it all, but I guess a little more skin wouldn't kill me.

( Cut for people's f-lists... )

Found a forgotten bolt of some sort of white brocade type fabric. I can't think of what else it might have been meant for and, unlike most of my stash (which I live in terror of actually cutting into), it's so bizarre, it doesn't seem much good for anything else.

Trystan Craft (one of my costume idols) has a dress diary for her own stripey gothy polonaise. It looks quite useful and I can see the basic idea, though we're aiming in two different directions stylistically. It's got really good photos of what each stage looks like and how it should fit and drape. I think the only thing I'll need help with is figuring out the sizes and shapes of the pieces and what the hell I'm to use for a corset busk.

No short cuts this time! I'm going to do this right!