Sunday at the fair

[jay]

After the last entry... patgreene got up from a nap and felt better, and I decided to go ahead and dress up for the Dickens Christmas Fair. It was rather overwhelming at first... the kids loved it.



The sounds and crowd affected patgreene a bit, but I liked the bustle. And bustles, on some costumes ;-). On Thanksgiving, dawnd had given me a red patterned waistcoat... I already had a formal shirt, shoes and trousers, but my tuxedo jacket was just too modern. On Saturday, I got an ascot and found a long jacket at a thrift store in Palo Alto. Pat pinned the sleeves, and we were off... nursing our wounded minivan through the rain to the Cow Palace.

Initially, I regretted dressing-up... I felt I was under/wrong-dressed for the 1/3 of the people there in period costuming, while too overdressed to be mundane. Encountering akienm and dawnd by chance in a shop, they had beautifully-detailed period costumes. Akien had his walking stick and a new cape and a gorgeous green silk waistcoat (that he'd made himself!). Dawn in a full hoopskirt and bonnet and gloves... beautiful. I actually felt rather intimidated around them because my own costuming fell well short of their standards... I wonder if that kind of thing happens at renfaires? I felt sheepish and quickly departed.

With Pat and the boys, we wandered... saw several shows (street theater, music hall, magic show, book reading, Scottish dancing troupe), played arcade-like games with the boys, admired penny-farthing bicycles, and were lucky to meet bdot while she was on a break from working in the teahouse. Keeping the kids together (and little hands off of breakables or first-edition books in shops) required constant attention. But worth it... David resumed talking in the faux-British accent that he'd adopted after seeing "Oliver!", and walked up to gentlemen and wished them a Happy Christmas :-). All of the males acquired new hats, too... We stayed until nearly closing... it was much fun, and even teenage-blase James got into the spirit after awhile. Hey, I'd go back.

And Pat took a photo of me after we babyed the car home:

Comments

[who-is-she.livejournal.com]

wow. a whole side of you guys I have just learned more about.
I never knew anything about Dickens Fair before.
and I never knew you were knighted in costuming, or that Akien "worked" the fair (although I remember him mentioning some kind of fair.. but I thought it was a renaissance faire sort of thing)

Dawn, I can only imagine you would have looked scrumptious in one of those hoop skirt numbers... with a corseted waist, eh? That sort of outfit would feature your figure quite nicely. wish I could have seen you guys. Did you take pictures?

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

We didn't take many pictures yesterday, in part due to the rain. But here's a picture of me with Victoria several years ago. I'm pretty much wearing the same thing I wore yesterday, though I've improved the hat since then:



I do need to take some pics of me in my fancy new corset, though, to show off dreamervictoria's excellent sewing skills.

Akien mostly worked RenFair (in Scots camp, hence his penchant for kilts), but he also worked Dickens Fair. At Dickens Fair in the late 1980's he played Benjamin Disraeli, the most famous English Prime Minister during Victoria's reign.

And I wasn't "knighted" for costuming alone--as with much of my life, I am a generalist. It was a bit for costuming, a bit for cooking, a bit for dancing, and a a bit for singing.

clarification

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

And I wasn't "knighted" for costuming alone--as with much of my life, I am a generalist. It was a bit for costuming, a bit for cooking, a bit for dancing, and a a bit for singing.

I realized that came off sounding rather conceited. What I MEANT to say is that there are others in each of these areas who do their thing to a much higher degree of skill than I. I just dabble reasonably well in a number of areas.

Re: clarification

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Actually, I hadn't thought you sounded conceited... ;)

Re: clarification

[who-is-she.livejournal.com]

I didn't think you sounded conceited either!
just realistic.
:)
and... that 's the way I am too. I think it's a much more well rounded way to enjoy life, frankly.
:)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Akien as Disraeli? I can imagine...

It was a bit for costuming, a bit for cooking, a bit for dancing, and a a bit for singing.

And I've been privledged to experience both the costuming and cooking over this past weekend... and singing in the past. But I haven't yet seen you dance... hmm.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

This part of their history and avocations was new to me also... apart from what I'd gleaned from photos around their house. And the corset featured dawnd very prettily... initially, it threw me into one of those speechless, admiring moments :-).

[who-is-she.livejournal.com]

Admiring moments.. ... I'll bet.
;)
yum.

Judith is going to make ME a corset.... in trade for some art.
I need to decide what color and type of fabric I want.
I am excited! I never had a real wearable corset before.
just the old antique ones I collect to inspire me in my studio.......

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Yum, in turn... ;^).