Random Pictures from Events I Have not Posted About, Part I--the sorta-kinda ball

....meaning, of course, that we were told that we could dress up for this dance, but not to worry about coming in costume.

Ha. 

Haha.

Hahaha.

We read it something like this:

OMGSH.

A BALL! YAAAAAAY!

What are we going to wear?

Mother! My muslin needs new trim! And my ridicule is absolutely ridiculous!

I need new ribbon for shoe-roses...and ostrich feathers...

HOBBY LOBBY, HERE WE COME!

At least the boys' costumes are okay...

DAD'S WAISTCOAT IS TWO INCHES TOO SHORT!

WHERE IS BRENNAN'S QUIZZING-GLASS?

...while some people might respond to this reaction by wondering why we stress over something so simple and informal...

...we are too busy sewing each other into gowns to notice. Actually, we love having an event for which we must dress up, so we make the most out of it. If we have to make a mountain out of a molehill...well, we'll do it. Can't really tell the difference in LA, anyway. Don't have many mountains. It's not stress! It's fun. 

Actually, curling Lu's entire head in paper is stressful. But that's not our fault.  

Without further ado...

 Left to right: Em,  Jess, Bren, Lu, et moi, confident in our poshness.

 Brennan and Dad...

 Myself dancing the Ship's Cook (an wonderful dance from a wonderful miniseries) with Kristoff Grayson

 Shoe-tying--one of my chief occupations of the evening. Apparently, I was the only one whose stays didn't prohibit her movements. Ergo, guess who gets to secure the footwear? Me, that's 'oo!

 My parents, also posh

 Lu and Em in full aristocratic snobbery.

Fun fact: Emery sewed the red ribbons on her gown crossed in back (they came undone) and crossed in front in memory of the victims of the Reign of Terror. The ribbons symbolized the captives' bonds, and her red choker stood for...yeah. *gulp* that. We based it off a fashion plate from the 1790s. She said she hoped someone would ask about them so she could explain in all the gory detail.
Luckily for her, someone did. O.O

 Gabe. Need more be said?

 Gabbi and her mother. Aren't her sleeves nice and poufy? ;) 

 The Dark Side of ECD

 Lu and Gab. I was responisble for Gabbi's tunic-drape-thingy (I am so eloquent!). It's a curtain panel than was cut for use in a pelisse, but the pelisse was completed without it. It was the perfect shape already--all I did was hem and stitch the shoulder and add a sash. I would have preferred the sash to be higher, but I thought it still turned out well. 

 Scottish!

Shoe ribbons in disarray!


And I leave you with this photograph, which perfectly portrays our stately grandeur and dignity.

100 Years Fashion Cycle, part 1

A series of most amusing realisations led me to these posts. 'Twould seem that, once a century for the past three centuries, the same general shape keeps popping into clothing, often in the same decades. I am giving general dates in decades; the idea is to see how silhouettes have changed (or not), not to get precise historical information. For that, you need Pinterest. All photos were selected from Google; I have no idea who took them; thus I give credit by warning that I'm not going to give credit.

Without further ado,

The 1750s 

The 1850s

The 1950s

If I have time, I might investigate the poofy hair trend next time. Also, watch out for bustles!

Celebrate Musicals Week: Tag

I'm not sure how well I'll do on posting, as I'm pretty busy, but here goes nothin'.

Yet Another Period Drama Blog

1.  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?
I finally, after running through the numerous (5) musicals that I am well acquainted with, I decided...that is, I have almost made up my mind...to do 
The Scarlet Pimpernel
...mainly because Jess already took Oliver! and everyone is doing Les Mis. And I hardly know anything about Mary Poppins (as far as the play/songs/other casts go--on the movie I am quite the established authority). I just recently discovered this musical, and am quite ready to dissect it--and here was a chance to do so where others might get something out of it (?). 

2.  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?
I read the book. And watched the one and only TSP '82.

And saw there was a musical. Keeping in mind that Mom can't stand Phantom and was tired of Les Mis, I thought it was time for some variety. Actually, I think it was the Song of Percy's Awesomeness that did it.

3.  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?
oooh, the hard one.
 "Into the Fire" is certainly my favourite (nice British u there) .
  "When I Look at You" ties with "The Riddle" for second place, and
"She Was There," and "Storybook" compete for third. 
"Madame Guillotine" is, shall we say, effective.
4.  What's your least favorite song from your musical?
Probably, oddly enough, "The Scarlet Pimpernel" for its general stupidity, but "Where's the Girl?" isn't lovely, either. I hate the portrayal of vice as being attractive and 'wordly,' but more on that later. Probably quite a bit more on that. "You are My Home," isn't the most intellectual song out there, either. 
5.  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?
Well, Percy, Percy, and Percy, right? 
Oh. three different characters. Percy, Marguerite, and, um, not Chauvelin. 
Third try: Percy, Marguerite, and the Scarlet Pimpernel. There we go.
6.  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?
I have never seen the entire musical, any version. I own the original Broadway cast recording; this is what I listen to. I've heard Rachel York's "Storybook" and the 'other Chauvelin's' "Falcon in the Dive." Of all the professional recordings I think the original Broadway cast's is my favourite; the VHS performance, or the snippets on Youtube, anyway, look great. Chauvelin is AMAZING.  This performance looks great (especially Marguerite) but I can't take the bad audio for more than a few minutes at a time. 
7.   Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?
No--I love Les Mis. And Bach's St. Matthew Passion is kind of like a musical, isn't it?
8.   Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?
I listen to my siblings and friends hum it--our own special edition. Apart from that, the Original Broadway cast recording. 
9.   What is your favorite costume from your musical?
Oh, the costumes. I haven't seen many costumes from the musical itself, but I love, love, love Georgian costumes--even though, technically they should be early Regency costumes. And I hate, hate, hate Percy's Tiger-stripe tailcoat. The end.

I hate this coat.

Ugh. there's That Coat again.

10.  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?
(I am speaking of the storyline described in the album I own, not the newer version of the show)
That ridiculous Coat from "the Creation of Man." Come to think of it, I would cut/rearrange several songs, change the plot to be more like the book, and rewrite the entire script. Oh wait. I did (more on that later). 
11.  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?
oh boy. Eponine, obviously. I like what Miss Dashwood says, "Her songs are all within a comfortable mezzo range (no struggling with super-high notes),  she has one of the best solos in the history of theatre...she gets to die onstage and sing a heartbreaking duet while doing so, and she doesn't have to kiss anybody.  Wins all around."
Marguerite would be fun (obviously), depending on the version of the play (again, no super-high notes, if "Only Love" were cut(yes, Jessie, that does count as a high note). 
Unfortunately, in our impromptu plays I always wind up playing Sir Percy. And Jean Valjean. Oh well.

Me starring as Jean Valjean in a stirring rendition of "One Day More," although now it looks more like "Masquerade"

12.  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have him/her play? hmm. I love Marguerite from the Album I Own, but she's kind of warbley. I'm trying to think of someone who would be a great Marguerite but can't think of anyone professional. 

Best friends don't count, even if they are making lovely faces.

13.  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?
Theatre is an art form, like any other, only more epic*.  It's dangerous/effective because it allows so much portrayal of emotion through randomly bursting into song (which is what makes it epic). Any further and we'll run into a Deep Thoughts post, which I don't have time for. I love the art form, and I love a few musicals. I just don't like musicals in general (if that makes any sense). I don't dislike musicals in general, though. :)
14.  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?
um, to tell the sheepish truth, almost.
15.  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?
"The Scarlet Pimpernel," Ironically enough. 
"I See the Light," which I'm not sure counts, but Jackie Evancho's rendition is sweet,
"Believe" which does not have the dumbest lyrics in the world (I keep telling myself this), from TSP, not The Polar Express.
The first song from the American Girl Revue also came on, but... 

*epic in the popular, almost meaningless sense of the word. Virgil, Dante, and Milton are really epic. Now, a musical of The Odyssey would be an epic epic.

There's a Hedgehog on my Head...

I suppose I should 'pologize for not posting in a long time. Sowwy.

Now that all's forgiven, I can proceed in introducing my NEW PET. 

Thanks to *TSP*, I've been studying Georgian fashion. It's been interesting. Regency is all about columns, long vertical lines, flowy gowns, and Greek statuary, but Georgian...quite simply, Georgian is all about the POOF. So POOF it is. 

I've discovered the method of curling my hair--insert squeal--why aren't you squealing?--perhaps we need some backstory.

Catie's Tragic History of Trying to Curl her Hair  

by Catie

Once upon a time there was a 10-year-old girl named Catie who thought that the epitome of hairstyling was a smooth, bump-free (usually greasy) ponytail on the back of her head. She wore this for several months, until her best friend convinced Catie to allow her to curl Catie's hair for the LPCC concert. Catie allowed it. After 45 minutes, when the heat of the curling iron had removed all of the humidity from the air in the bathroom, a curl was born. It was not just any curl. It was a Nellie Olson curl. Catie was excited. Catie ran to show her mother. As she opened the door, the curl realised that there was humidity outside the bathroom. It died.

Catie often tried again to curl her hair, but it never really worked. After her sister Jess bought the best curling iron ever, she could get a few Romantic wispies, but they never stayed long. Catie gave up in despair and cried in the dark, cobwebby corner.

  

 All right, I made up the last part. You get the point. I was reading the other day, however, about paper curls. I tried it. It worked. I kept waking up at odd hours, but it worked.
Back to the new pet. It is called a hedgehog, and you can see some examples of it here. Mine is semi-historically-accurate. That is, I didn't feel like following instructions, so I pinned and pulled and twisted until it looked right--that is to say, frizzy.

 I am enormously proud of the thing. Now for an almost-semi-historically-accurate construction. I managed to get hold of Gabbi (actually, she volunteered) at a sleepover. The results?

hehe.hehehe. POOF.

I had to climb on a chair (while she was sitting down) to reach it. Part of that is that I am short (according to Jessie). Part of that is, quite simply, POOF.

I think it is time to cease my incoherent rambling about hair--in the meantime, if you haven't read/watched The Scarlet Pimpernel, go do so. For your own good. :D

It's About Time

...that I posted again. Excuses aside, here are some pictures from the Jane Austen Ball in Walker (could such things really be? Never thought I'd say that!).
Gabbi and I making the exact same face. Funny, no?

 It is, however, a good picture of the back of our gowns.

A rather blurry image of me
Gabbi dancing. The Virginia Reel, I imagine.

A very sassy Lu and yours truly in the middle of a two-hand turn...

A shot of everyone either 

a) trying to learn the Scottish

b) trying to practice the Scottish for the fun of it

c) trying to decide whether or not to do the Scottish

d) trying to stay out of everyone's way

Oh, the decisions to be made...

Myself, my very handsome brother and my pretty sister preparing for the Comical Fellow 

Jess in full Mrs. Bennet-whispering mode (sorry, Jess, but I couldn't resist!)

 and Grayson looking...dashing (?) in his coat.

 Our Mom-we're-50-minutes-late-and-need-to-get-inside-NOW picture. :)

I'm Still Here! & The Concert

Believe it or not, I really am still here...life has been kind of crazy, but I hope to start posting again on a regular basis soon...

On April 15 we went to the River Center for the Celtic Woman concert...but let me back up a bit. We (which includes Gabbi, my sisters, and myself) have been longing for "Jane Austen" dresses...and someone (I don't know who) came up with the brilliant idea of making them for the concert...

Next thing I know, we're buying patterns and fabric and chattering excitedly about ribbons and lace and hairstyles...

Unfortunately, the project kind of got put off--excuse me, postponed until the Tuesday before the concert...which meant we had five day to make four dresses. Need I say that we were rather late getting to bed all week?

Anyway, here are some pictures from the event

Our grand entrance to the River Center

(we were five minutes late and in a hurry)

Waiting outside impatiently as the music starts...

Gabbi's hair...isn't it pretty?

My hair...

Jess

Lainey

Gabbi

At Jason's Deli afterwards..

Mom managed to get a snippet of Lisa Lambe singing "Dulaman," one of my favorite songs...

:)