Time Travel: A Weekend of Ridiculous Costume Fun!

Ah, the fruits of our labors. Do we not agree that after working so hard on our historic dresses and hats and whatnots, it is the best reward to be able to wear them and be admired? I will admit how vain I am – I like to have my picture taken, although it is more a picture of the costume and the character it creates.

Maggie (left) and Jenny (right)

Saturday, Glorious Magglar of Serendipitous Stitchery, and I skipped over to Old Sacramento for Gold Rush Days. What an amazing place! I had been to Old Sac one other time, but it was nothing like this visit – they had brought in tons of dirt to cover the roads, and had horse-drawn carriages, stagecoaches, Pony Express riders, and cavalry soldiers cruisin’ around all day on horseback. The cavalry were always doing something, maneouvers, or hauling about canon with eight-in-hand. There was even an antique water-wagon rollin’ around keeping the dust down.

“One of these things is not like the other ones…”

The sidewalks in Old Sac are all boardwalks, and they front a myriad of awesome little stores, from the Dry Goods shop, selling all kinds of Victorian costume accoutrements, to the six or seven ccandy shoppes, to a store that sells just socks, and a surprising number of tattoo parlours. There were some people in costume, there with the show, but mostly it was packed with families and on-lookers, absolutely PACKED. Maggie, myself, and our awesome new friend Jenny (Buttons & Bows) walked around attempting to shop, but were stopped every 10 feet or so for photos. I didn’t mind, although sometimes we were stuck somewhere for several minutes while many MORE people snapped pictures of us. It was like papparazzi!!!! eeek!

I was not all that happy with the whole costume put together, but better luck next time!

Eventually we hope some of those photos end up somewhere in the webiverse, but for now, here are a couple I snapped of the day.

My new clothes rack, which fell apart three times trying to get from the car to the park.

Sunday was another day in front of the camera. I was invited to model some costumes for the awesome photographer David Yu, a regular at Golden Gate Renaissance Fair, and other San Francisco street events. We shot at History Park in San Jose, and I wore a couple Victorian things, and some very NON-period hair and makeup. It got rather hot later in the day, so I only did three costume changes, although now I would love to go back and take pictures of some of the others. At any rate, here, in all my vanity, are a selection of those photos:

A bustle gown from Truly Victorian patterns, made from burnt orange and black striped taffetta.

Another version of what I wore to Gold Rush Days, with less historical accuracy, but more pizzaz! And a really big feather!