Tag Archives: hat

Edwardian Bomb

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I’m tentatively putting together an Edwardian costume.

Because there’s the EDWARDIAN BALL in San Francisco, duh.

And I’m thinking I MIGHT go this year.

The Edwardian period started in 1901 and ended in 1910 and as far as I can tell, these were the fashionable silhouettes of the era:

Emphasis on small waists, an enlarged posterior, multiple layers of fabric, intricate beading and flamboyant hats.

It’s really a shame the Edwardian period didn’t extend a little further into the 1900s because I SERIOUSLY LOVE all the fashion of Downton Abbey.

Think Titanic (1912) meets Art Deco (1908+).

The thing about it is I love the fashion of the WWI era, which followed the Edwardian Period and I’m SO tempted to just go with that look.

Check out a few of the dresses I’ve been scoping out:

I think I’m going to get the last dress for no other reason than it’s the least expensive one (even though the middle one is my favorite ($325)).

Softening the blow is that fact that I found a STUPENDOUS hat to go with the dress:

What does it mean when the dress you’re wearing costs one tenth the cost of the accessories, because THAT’S THE DIRECTION I’M GOING IN.

Dress – $40

Hat – $400

Showing up at a former lover’s house looking like THE BOMB – PRICELESS!

My Fair Lady inspo

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I wrote not one, but TWO posts about Eliza Doolittle (HERE and HERE).

This is because I am a HUGE fan of My Fair Lady.

My parents loved it and made me watch it over and over again when I was growing up.

So when a friend announced she is throwing a party in January with a Black/White theme, I knew EXACTLY what I was going to pull together to wear to the party.

THE ROYAL ASCOT COSTUME from My Fair Lady!

A custom made Royal Ascot dress is too steep for my blood, costing around $1,000 on etsy:

So I’m just going to go for a dramatic white dress instead of something custom made.

This dress from Amazon will work just fine (high neck, long sleeve, mermaid-ish silhouette):

There are three hats to choose from and honestly, I’m going to go with the last hat because it’s the least expensive:

Of course I will need to accessorize the dress with a black and white striped belt and matching bow for the shoulder.

These should do nicely:

And there you have it, my ensemble for a Black and White Themed Party!

Interactive Party

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I went to a birthday party this weekend and it was OUTRAGEOUSLY FUN!

Yes, the birthday boy is a burner so it was bound to be spectacular, but really it was EXTRAORDINARY!

First of all, street clothes were discouraged (although it did not take precedence over having friends attend).

Instead, we were asked to dress in themes that represented our true self.

Burner wear, costumes, lingerie, etc were all present and accounted for.

I wore my Ashley Graham outfit.

The theme for the party was participation, so everyone was encouraged to share their talents with the crowd.

I wore a silver and black hat I made and I talked to people about how I made it and gave out little cards with the names of suppliers, for ribbons, rhinestones, base hat, etc.

It was a fantastic evening and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I had the MOST AMAZING TIME!

When it came to entertainment, the party guests really knocked it out of the park:

  • Naked fire dancing
  • Belly dancing
  • Ropes and suspensions
  • Jazz singing
  • Dancing
  • DJ music
  • Guitar playing
  • Flogging

By the time I was ready to leave, I was fully saturated with entertainment and fun!

What an excellent idea for a party!

Go ahead and rip off the idea for your next party. . . I guarantee it’ll be the most fun you’ve ever had at a party!

Good enough for British aristocracy

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I AM GOING TO A WEDDING!

In case you didn’t know, weddings are my favorite weekend activity.

And this one is great because IT’S MY COUSIN getting married!

And I’m staying in a nice hotel!

And I’m bringing one of my sons!

You’d think, as a chronically single woman I would HATE weddings.

But you’d be wrong.

I love them!

I love seeing couples share their wedding vows with family and friends.

I love seeing the guests all dolled up in their finest.

I love the focus on love conquering all and emerging triumphant over loneliness.

It gives me hope for my own personal life.

Perhaps someday soon, I too will meet a man who captures my heart.

But until that time, I will have to be satisfied attending other people’s weddings.

I have a BEAUTIFUL red and purple maxi dress that I plan to wear to the wedding.

It’s got a plunging neckline, it’s wedding-appropriate, and I happen to love the bright vivid colors.

But what to wear with it?

And this is where I turn into crazy cousin Michelle with her unusual clothing selection and accessories.

I bought a fascinator to go with it:

If it’s good enough for the British aristocracy, then it’s good enough for me.

Of course, their hats are subdued and monochromatic while mine is colorful and wild.

But you know what?

I LOVE IT!

And I’m going to wear it.

She’s crafty!

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What is better than a repurposed military hat made by me?

A repurposed military hat made by me THAT GLOWS IN THE DARK!

Yes, my next hat is going to be a colorful hat with a rainbow of ribbons that are blacklight reactive!

Sadly, it’s impossible to find 3/8” ribbon that is blacklight reactive so I have to MAKE IT!

I’m getting some blacklight reactive paint which I will use to paint the various ribbons and then attach them to the hat after they have dried.

blacklightCould it get more beautiful?

Mind you, I just finished my Pink Power hat, which I’m surprisingly not in love with.

Why, you ask?

pinkhatI’m just not one of those girls who likes pink.

I find it a very troubling color – overly feminized and girly.

But I know a lot of women out there who do like the color. So hopefully one of them will stumble across my hat and fall in love with it.

I also have another Purple Galaxy hat underway.

I love it to pieces!

This time I’m going to attach the naked lady with the pet pussy to the top of the hat.

cool catBecause if it doesn’t sell like that, I don’t mind keeping it for myself.

I love my Galactic Pussy hat!!!

I made a THING!

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I made a THING!

And I LOVE it!

My hat started out looking like this:

hatI added some ribbon:

IMG_8869And some holographic vinyl:

IMG_8908And then I threw on some beads, mirror tiles, plastic studded ribbon, and individual studs and voila:

IMG_8923

And just in case you missed it, the top of the hat has an “I LOVE THE WORLD” sewn sequin patch on it.  Just because. . .

IMG_8938

Things you don’t realize until it’s ALMOST too late

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I started working on my Burning Man hat this weekend.

I started with a plain, olive green Chinese military hat which I bought cheap off of eBay and stripped of all it’s accessories.

hatI started adding 3/8” ribbon in rainbow colors all around the crown of the hat, being careful not to singe my fingers and using high temp glue so that it won’t melt on the playa. I also added a strip of tie dye ribbon to the hat to cover the drab olive green.

hatI added silver holographic vinyl to the visor of the hat. This was probably the trickiest part of the whole process and didn’t come out quite as smooth as I envisioned.

But since I plan to add more bling to the visor, I decided I could live with it.

IMG_8908Then I added the holographic vinyl to the top of the hat.

When I tried to glue the vinyl down, I discovered that the hot glue melted the vinyl.

Thankfully, I hadn’t really used any hot glue and I was able to glue the edges down anyway since they’d be covered by Mardi Gras beads, a gift from my friend Marina.  The things you don’t know until it’s ALMOST too late…

IMG_8909I still need to add the stud ribbon, glue on individual studs, and add the irridencent sequin applique (sewn, not glued so it’s playa safe) as well as add some sort of decoration to the top of the hat.

What do you think, a heart, lips, “POP!” or “I Love the World” applique for the top?

 

hat1 < hat2
hat3 Screen Shot 2016-02-22 at 9.50.43 AM

 

Another day, another costume

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I’m doing research for another costume.

That’s right…. This one requires research, and a lot of creativity and patience.

I’m working on a Steampunk costume.

Nearest I can tell, Steampunk is a little bit 18th and 19th century Victorian with a little bit of the Wild West thrown in.

So this is what I’ve assembled so far…

An ivory Victorian style blouse.

FullSizeRender(3)A black bustle skirt (like the one shown in red, here).

IMG_8266A brown/black under-the-bust corset.

FullSizeRender(2)Victorian style pointy toe shoes.

Screen Shot 2015-11-09 at 9.42.56 AM

I went looking for a hat but all the hats I likes were upwards of $300 to buy. This is the one I fell in lust with.

Screen Shot 2015-11-06 at 1.23.09 PM

So I decided my next project will be to build a hat for my outfit and I started by getting THIS coachman’s topper hat.

vhatI’ve heard it can be very challenging to build a steampunk hat and judging from the cost of millinary supplies, I might wind up spending more than $300 just producing the hat.

So wish me luck! I’m going to need it!