Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Jane Austen Evening 2012


This past Saturday Chris and I attended the 14th Annual Jane Austen Evening in Pasadena, CA. This is our 3rd time attending, and I think we have a better time every year! It's such a fun event - we see a few people regularly at other events, but lot of attendees we only see at the dance practices and the event, and then we all disappear for 11 months until the following January.

I got a fancy-pants camera for Christmas, and I'm still just learning how to use it (where's the zoom again?), and this was it's first official outing. Hopefully this means I'll have lots of fab pictures for you in the future!

This year we were greeted by the rabble protesting us 1% who are high-falutin' enough to attend a sumputous tea and ball...

Chris and I shared tea with Post-Captain Paul and his lovely partner, Kendra. 
(hope I got the rank correct! I'm hopeless about military things.)

Chris wore the same ensemble I made for him last year - I was hoping to make a pair of trousers for him this year, but didn't have enough time. That's why the photo is from the waist up. ;)

My dress was inspired by a gown from the exhibit Napoleon: The Empire of Fashion. I fell in love with this gown when I bought the exhibit catalog, and when I found the sheer striped fabric I knew I had to give it a try. It's not intended as an exact copy, but I guess it turned out pretty darn close - several people recognized it from the original, which was a pleasant and unexpected surprise!

I did take some process shots of creating my dress - I guess I should post those soon, right?

The hall filled with dancing.

Lauren looked amazing as always, and had a new turban and accessories to go with a dress from last year. I'm so glad she wore this dress for another outing, it's just stunning!

Beautiful lineup of costumers and their creations, including Katherine of The Fashionable Past, Loren of The Costumer's Closet, and Lauren of Wearing History. Chris saw our group of ladies lined up for a photo op and spied all the cameras sitting on a table, quickly grabbed all of them and started shooting. And who says that chivalry is dead? ;)

All in all, the Jane Austen Evening was a huge success, like always. It's growing more and more popular every year, and tickets sold out this year in less than a week! The date for next year is already set for January 26, 2013, and if you are interested in attending I recommend joining the email list and buying tickets as soon as they go on sale!

9 comments:

  1. Your gown is gorgeous. I have the Napoleon book as well but sadly don't have the sewing skills to replicate any of the gowns!

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    1. Thank you! Even if you don't make an exact copy of a gown, looking at the originals will help inform color and fabric choices at least! :)

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  2. WOW! How wonderful, Beth! You and Chris looked splendid (as did Lauren and the other lovely attendees). All in all, looks like a marvelous event!!

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    1. It was very fun. :) Thanks! (And truth be told, I'm a little glad it's over, I'm ready to get back to the 20th Century I think.)

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  3. For what it's worth, I actually noticed Chris' pants at the JAE and thought they were quite dapper.

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    1. :) Honestly, I don't think Chris would leave the house without looking dapper.

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  4. Wow. It is such a great pleasure to see one of the gowns in the collection reproduced. Well done, it looks fantastic!

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    1. yay, thanks for the compliment! That means a lot. :D

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  5. Amazing. All the gowns look fabulous and each one an individual.
    I don't think the dress I'm making will look half as good....but then regency *really* doesn't suit me.

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