~ tightly laced ~

I've never been able to call myself a talented seamstress.  I usually stray from the pattern (or don't read the pattern and assume I can just figure it out on my own), don't take measurements, and then get frustrated when (BIG SURPRISE) it doesn't fit.  So let's just call this my justification for the heap of bragging you're about to encounter.

To no surprise at all, my fascination with corsets began right along side my fascination with period dramas and was perpetuated by ballet and theatre costumes .  I can clearly remember watching Gone With the Wind for the first time and being totally enraptured by the corsets.  Then came the BBC's Daniel Deronda and that pushed me totally over the edge.

So here I am, many years later, and I've finally gotten around to making a corset for myself.  Like a real, honest to goodness corset that's better than any push up bra I've ever owned!

The long wait was due in part to the fact that I've been under the impression that corsets were nearly impossible to sew and it would take me years and years of duds before I made a good one.  Well maybe it was beginners luck, or maybe it was the inspiration I found from scrolling though every single post from Before The Automobile and Rococo Atelier , but I finally finished an historically accurate Elizabethan corset and I couldn't be prouder of myself! (I warned you about the bragging)

The pattern came from elizabethancostume.net (definitely check it out).  

 I couldn't wait to finish one hundred percent before photographing it - so just kindly ignore the pins on the bottom.

All together it called for about a yard of fabric, 10 yards of boning, and a hell of a lot of thread.

I know people complain all the time about inserting boning, but I found it to be very easy, once I got the hang of it.  And as for the grommets (or lack thereof), they are ridiculously expensive so I did without - instead I hand stitched 9 buttonholes on each side, which only added to my deteriorating eyesight.

But I suppose in several years when my prescription has doubled in strength and my back is permanently sore from awkward sewing positions, I'll be comforted by the knowledge that my ability to replicate the most famous waistlines through the decades has been made infinitely easier.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ blood and gorey ~

Despite the cold temps, my rapidly declining lung capacity, and the dismally poor number of trick-or-treaters, it was a fantastic Halloween!

My mom did her usual "blood" punch (cranberry juice + grape juice + pomegranate juice), I handed out candy and creeped the kids out before I stopped by a neighbor's house for a bonfire.  Then we finished the night with heaps of popcorn and watching David Letterman.  A great night!

Next year I'll keep in mind that a 2-foot tall headpiece + spider webs + doorways = lots of awkward back bends accompanied by some freaky sound effects.

I hope you all had a fantastic night!  Tomorrow I'll post photos from today's birthday celebration - so far, 19 has been pretty great!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ lovely rita ~

If you haven't seen the 1944 musical "Cover Girl" with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly, do yourself a favor and watch it ASAP.

Colorful, upbeat, wonderfully predictable, and wonderfully costumed.  

Seriously though.  THE COSTUMES.  

{major hair inspiration}

Seriously, go watch it now!  I'm gonna go dig some vintage silk flowers out of my closet and set my hair.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ roman holiday ~

I've always been fascinated with ancient Rome and Greece.

Maybe it stems from my childhood obsession with My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Or maybe from my childhood obsession with Mamma Mia.

Or maybe from my childhood obsession with Roman Holiday.

Whatever the reason, my obsession still holds strong.

Now...onto the point of this post.  Let's talk about Diana the Huntress, the biggest badass mother f*cker in Roman history (if you ask me).  Daughter of Latona and Jupiter, twin sister of Apollo, Roman equivalent of Greece's Artemis.  A virgin goddess of childbirth, women, the hunt, and the moon, who swore to never marry.  Could talk to and control animals.  Carried a bow and a quiver.  Made several appearances in Shakespeare's work, and is still a popular subject in the art world.

So when I recently found myself with some free time, and some inspiration, I figured it was time to fully accept my complete obsession with every aspect of her life.

Unfortunately, inspiration struck before I had time to a) make a toga, b) find a bow and/or quiver, and c) construct a head piece.  But later that day, my neighbor's cat (who up until then had run in the opposite direction of me every time I got within ten feet of it) licked my hand and started purring.  I like to think Diana had a part in that.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ girl power ~

Today I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to a wonderful group of girls about women's rights and the changes in fashion.  I had a blast!

Each girl was interested, engaged in the topic, and had a million great questions that I (luckily) had the answers to.

The details:

{vintage dress from Etsy, vintage hat from my sweet friend Katherine, earrings from my grandmother}

For my makeup I did my favorite 50s eyeshadow/cateye mix.

I had such a great time educating these girls and showing them bits from my collection.  I hope they had as much fun as I did!

And to round off this great day, I get to see one of my best friends on stage in Godspell tonight!!

Happy Thursday!

xoxo,
Eliza

~ once upon a time ~

This weekend was filled with more than its fare share of fairy tales.

Beginning with Saturday's magical photoshoot...

I was planning on doing a 50s version of Alice in Wonderland but when I walked outside, Mother Nature was getting ready to have a major storm.  In between the lightning and before it started pouring, I changed the mood of the photoshoot into a creepy Alice/Dorothy/Wizard of Oz/tornado - I don't know why I didn't think of it before!

Continuing with the magic theme, last night I went to see Maleficent, which was amazing!  There were definitely some bits that could have been cut out, but overall it was a great film for kids and adults.  After paying more attention to the makeup and costumes than to the plot, I came home and did a rough version of Angelina Jolie's makeup and awesome cheekbones.  I'll have to try again when I'm using something other than brown eye shadow and concealer.

Whew.  What a weekend!  On the agenda for this week?  Making Maleficent's horns out of masking tape and cardboard and writing an essay on urbanization, immigration, and the politics of the Gilded Age.  I'd say back to normal, but I'm not so sure that counts as normal!  As close as I can get for now...

xoxo,

Eliza

~ Mad (wo)Men ~

If you are obsessed with Mad Men, but don't have Cable (or any other system that would allow you to watch the episodes as they air), then you will be just as exited as I am to find out that season 6 is now up on Netflix!  After burning through all 5 seasons last summer, I found myself more interested in the evolution of the clothing than I was in the evolution of the characters - maybe this is because one can only handle so many affairs, cigarettes, and 1950s/60s sexism in an episode before they zone out completely and just focus on Betty Draper's shoes.  Despite cringing whenever there's a scene with Don and wanting to fling sharp silverware at Pete Campbell, I'm completely hooked on this show. 

 It must be the fashion.  Let me show you what I mean...

01. Betty Draper.  The epitome of housewife glamour with heaps of badassery thrown in.

02. Joan Holloway.  My fashion role model

03. Peggy Olson.  Now Peggy may not be the most fashionable character on Mad Med, but she's certainly had her moments.

04. Megan Draper.  Young, fiery, and one of the main reasons why I want to cut my hair.

See what I mean?  There's enough style inspiration to last a lifetime!  Better start planning outfits now.

xoxo,

Eliza