The Renn Faire

[velvetpage]

Hamilton now has a very nice little Rennaissance Faire located in the Royal Botanical Gardens. Ourselves, nottheterritory, anidada, their daughter who is Elizabeth's age, and danaeris went this afternoon.

I'm not up to a full write-up - it's almost eleven o'clock, and it's been a full day, and Piet still wants to fiddle with pictures. But for me, the most interesting part of the afternoon was the donning of some period garb. I am now seriously considering buying a bodice instead of a corset, primarily because they cost less than half as much and are more comfortable to wear. Also, since they are designed to be worn with a peasant blouse shift underneath, they are easier on my modesty than a corset designed to be worn as the only garment above the waist.

I took a close look at the construction of the peasant blouse and skirt, and concluded that, with a few lessons from Aunt Jeanne and possibly a pattern for the blouse, I could sew my own with little trouble and considerably less expense than the ones they were selling. I might even crochet the lace for my sleeves myself, since that would be a logical use of my favourite handicraft, and would be very period appropriate. The bodice, however, I would have to buy. Dana found the ones there quite expensive at $85, but they had more boning than hers and good workmanship; I think I would be happy to pay $70, if I could then make the rest of the costume for somewhat less than that. (The peasant blouse could be made from cotton sheeting, and the skirt, while more fabric, was still just a cotton batiste - $8 a metre if I'm careful about colour and pattern. They had no underskirts with them, but I think I'd want one, maybe with a bit of flounce at the bottom. Again, though, cotton sheeting is cheap.)



So, what do you all think?

Comments

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I would never want to wear a bra again, that's for sure. As Dana pointed out, that style of dress suits full-figured women better than anything modern. It was great for mix-and-match style, too - a few chemises, two bodices, and three skirts, all in interchangeable colours, and it would be a lot easier than my wardrobe is currently.

And you're welcome! The girls always have fun playing off each other, and they're so much fun to watch. :)