Saucy Swimwear for Solstice

O beloved readers, I have been utterly remiss in my long absence... rest assured I have a good reason, which will soon be revealed. In the meantime, my band, Baby Seal Club, has been in full gigging and recording mode. We have two shows coming up with watery themes: a giant warehouse party called Sand by the Ton and the Rivertown Revival.

All this nautical goodness has caused us to decide we need a full suite of turn-of-the-century-beach-wear to don for these gigs, and so our research for inspiration has commenced. We unearthed so many great images I had to share, especially on this, the first day of summer.

I just adore the theatricality of these suits. The Victorians wore wool suits that covered them almost completely ~ knickers, puff-sleeved dresses, stockings, and all. You can find more delightful pictures and history here. Things lightened up considerably in the 1920's.

Having no desire to squeeze into a modern bikini bottom myself, I rather like the idea of swimming-bloomers. And ah, the utilitarian silliness of the "bathing machine" ~ those stripey booths for changing from your long woolen petticoats into your long woolen swimsuit and bathing-cape.

And then there's the circus mood of these "Fancy Bather" cigarette trading cards. It appears that stripes and bathing suits go together... And it would seem parasols, oversized bows, and leg-ribbons are a must.

Stripes are de rigueur for the gents as well... this rather serious beefcake of a chap looks like his wool may be chafing his tender bits.

We are fortunate to have the help of our incredibly talented artist friend Else Olava to put together these outfits ~ she spent all weekend sketching madly as the band began recording our very first album. So we shall certainly see what comes of it all. Happy longest day of the year!

Tarts Love Dollymops

Among the many lovely new things to be discovered at the Nova Albion Steampunk Convention where I was vending a few weekends ago, there was one towering standout, in my estimation: the new steamily-themed collection, from corsetier nonpareil Dark Garden ~ Dollymop Designs.

This glorious new line was unleashed upon a reverent crowd in a fashion show leaning more to performance art than catwalk. A parade of proud and ravishing creatures ~ gorgeous women, dashing men, and one capering child ~ made their way through the crowd in a sort of serpentine formal promenade.

And then, to various snippets of delightful sepia-chord style music, they arranged themselves into playful tableaux, in pairs, triplets, and quartets, as if they were allowing us a glimpse of an elaborate pageant. The effect was nothing short of breathtaking.

The vision of Dark Garden seamstress Kalico Delafey, the Dollymop collection was simply stunning on every facet. The muted tones of browns, khakis, blacks and grays made one feel one was looking upon antique portraits.

The whisper of military stylings, along with the structure of the corsets, lent a regal air to the models, tempered by elegant touches like feathered hats, ruffles, and furs. And there were skirts with big pockets!

The designer describes the line thus ~ "Inspired by the natural world, Dollymop designs are reminiscent of a bygone era with a whimsical nod to the subversively romantic." Dollymop also happens to be Victorian slang for an amateur lady of the night... not terribly far off from a tart, I'd say... which might have accounted for my instant and unfaltering adoration of the line.

See more images of Dollymop Designs here, including some from the very fashion show I attended... All lovely images on this post used with kind permission from photographer jules cisek, taken at various shows and events.

Frolicking in the Evil Garden

It already feels far away now, but the Edwardian Ball was, of course, absolutely splendid. This year's theme, The Evil Garden, invited escapades involving indoor croquet and all manner of strange foliage.

It's always a pleasure to see the usual bands of miscreants - the Golden Mean Snail Car crew, the merry pranksters of the Neverwas Haul, Fou Fou Ha, and Kinetic Steam Works...

The Adornments for Tarts booth was much~visited, and copious quantities of both good bourbon and dark chocolate were consumed, as is only appropriate. I had a lovely time sharing my space with Industrial Fairytale, and some plans for collaboration were concocted...

And I was so pleased to be assisted by my dear Stache, who took his handlebars to a new level for the occasion.

(Picture by Mr. Nightshade)
Perhaps my favorite part of the weekend, besides the incredible costume~watching, was connecting with all the other artisans with an eye for opulence and detail. The vendor rooms were a glory to behold. I was mesmerized by the work of Rachel of Rubyblackbird ~ her meticulous processes, the intricate embroidery, and the marriage of soft textile arts with metallurgy won my heart.

(Picture by Mr. Nightshade, actually from 2009, shhh!)
She was booth-sharing with lovely Rachael of Nouveau Motley, who had a display of incredibly gorgeous assemblage jewelry. I was also thrilled to meet Tricia of House of Nines Design and see her most delightful hand-crafted hats in person... one could find her hats perching jauntily on the heads of many an attendee and performer, and Tricia herself looked impeccably fabulous.

(Picture by Lbc42)
Having the vendors downstairs from the stages caused me to miss much of the entertainment, but I did manage to sneak away for a few songs from my beloved Vagabond Opera. I hear that Blaze and David of Flynn Creek Circus put on an incredible double-trapeze act... and I was pleased I was able to see Justin, the event's incomparable producer, perform with Vau de Vire Society and his band Rosin Coven for a few mad and wonderful songs.

(Picture by Mr. Nightshade)
The whole weekend was a blurry bliss, if a wee bit exhausting. In the few precious moments of quiet, I kept myself entertained with handwork... and I have a never~ending supply of that.

(Picture by Heather Wakefield)
If you're intrigued and want more imagery, the best place is Mr. Nightshade's gallery on The Blight. And now, to finish a few custom orders and prepare for the next event... the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition in March!

A Blisteringly Brilliant Day

Still, I find myself struggling for words to describe the Great Handcar Regatta. It's been over a week, and I carry on basking in the glow. Sweltering heat, yes ~ 102 degrees. Intense crowds, yes ~ possibly more than 9,000 people. But all in all, an incredible, joyful, luminous day.

(Picture by Gwen Harlow)
Hats off to the organizing team, who I am so proud and grateful to have in my community. The Regatta is a most astonishing confluence of determination and talents and passion, and it came to life with a roar once again, in the very back-yard of my own sleepy suburban town.

(Picture by Mr. Nightshade)
The heart of the event is surely the races on the railroad tracks, where no less than twenty-three teams of industrious racers entered, with amazing person-powered vehicles of every stripe. The Screaming Vortex, pictured above, the Rail Skins by Nordic Track, a bobsled which slid along the tracks on blocks of ice, and Todd Barricklow's giant Two-Penny were crowd favorites.

(Picture by Mr. Nightshade)
To bring a little absurdity to the races, my beloveds Krank-Boom-Clank built a vehicle out of pink children's bikes for the delightful clowns of Fou Fou Ha to ride...

(Picture by Rick Washburn)
A wonderful variety of people in costume were seen traipsing about, and many a beautifully-attired patron thanked me for my costume guide from the Regatta Web site. I was so pleased it had proven useful.

(Picture by Gwen Harlow)
The art installations were incredible, especially Bryan Tedrick's Portal of Evolution and the always-delightful work of Tony Speirs. The various and sundry curiosities in the Wunder Closet were fantastic, from antlered babies to disturbing machinery to hybrid musical instruments ~ complete with sideshow freaks hanging about outside...

(Picture by Daniel Silveira)
And Baby Seal Club put on a medicine show of our own on the Snake Oil Stage, where I tried to keep from fainting in the heat whilst peddling our much-lauded Baby Seal Club's Miracle Elixir and Tits-Up Tonic, which very nearly sold out.

(Picture by Sassy Monkey Media)
We were thrilled to hear that our most-beloved publication Coilhouse was sending photographer-about-town Mr. Nightshade to take photos of the event, and his images are gorgeous, as ever.

(Picture by Audrey Penven)
Some of my favorite artists, builders, crafters, and performers were on hand. The Golden Mean Snail Car pulled up next to the Front Porch where the Hobo Gobbelins were playing... Cyclecide set up their bike rodeo, the Neverwas Haul crew showed up, and the Department of Spontaneous Combustion brought contraptions... there was a steampunk stilter, and a tiny marionette robot...

(Picture by Mike Estee)
Like a miniature Maker Faire with a steampunk edge, it was a celebration of ingenuity, beauty, and the simplest of technologies. All in all, a rip-roaring success for all involved. My deepest love and gratitude to everyone who made it so fantastic!

(Picture by Charlotte Hampton Trombley)
See more Regatta photos on Flickr. Watch Regatta videos on YouTube.

Splendid Accomplishments!

As I swoon in the wake of this most fabulous outpouring of creativity, passion, and dedication from my friends and family that culminated in the Great Handcar Regatta yesterday (and while I wait for more pictures to come in so I can post them!), I have an exciting announcement. My love Stache, truly a giant among men, somehow managed to publish a brand new Web site for Adornments for Tarts last week... Take a gander at his amazing work!

The new site has a beautiful gallery of all my designs, easy links to my shop and this very blog, a captivating biography, a list of my favorite resources of all kinds for inspiration and edification, and more decaying yet elegant curly-cue embellishments than you can shake a stick at.

And Stache did all this while building a new racing contraption and re-furbishing the Hennepin Crawler with Krank Boom Clank, and being on the organizing team for the Regatta... he has been working tirelessly. He also fabricated the splendid Mini-Penny, a hi-wheel bicycle inspired by the penny farthings of the late 1800's.

(Picture by Swaziloo)
There will be so much more on the glory of the Regatta soon, but in the meantime, a moment of deep appreciation for this brilliant, talented, ever-so-dashing man I am lucky enough to have for my husband. See more of his work at his company site, Sassy Monkey Media.

Handcar Regatta Costume Guide!

I've been a bit slow on the blogging front lately ~ and simply put, it's because of the approach of the Great Handcar Regatta, merely days away.

So alas, no time for blogging! But I did write an article on costuming for the Regatta Aetherweb site, so I'll reprint it here for my fair readers (sans local shop references, which can be seen in the original here, along with many more images).

As our most-favoured local faire the Handcar Regatta approaches, your Choklit has been besieged by faire-goers wishing for advice on proper Regatta attire. So I've compiled a brief guide to how to outfit oneself for this most auspicious occasion.

Steampunk has a thousand definitions and a spectrum of devotees from purists to novices ~ but in my humble opinion, the very joy of the steampunk genre is the fantasy and flexibility of it. So I present this guide only as a playful suggestion, ideas for the curious, and not as any sort of definitive tome. Onwards!


Inspiration and Character

When starting from the ground on a costume, I would advise choosing a character ~ not that one need play that role all the day, but it can help keep one focused. Are you a mad tinkerer? A street urchin? A vaudevillian vamp? A dandy aristocrat? An intrepid explorer? A soiled dove? Last year's Regatta played host to a fine cast of characters.

The basics for any steamy costume are historically inspired, from the Victorian or Edwardian period. Look up costuming resources online for images ~ the Costumer's Manifesto, the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild, and Truly Victorian are good starting points. The good news is that the basics are rather simple - long full skirts and blouses for the ladies, dress shirts, vests and high-waisted pants for men. Natural fibres like cotton, wool, linen, and leather are ideal, and many steampunks tend towards earthy, natural colors - browns, khakis, creams - but bright colors can also be used to great effect.

Where to Find the Basics

If you're going for an authentic look, there are a number of online shops for re-enactors that provide reproductions - try Gentleman's Emporium or River Junction Trade Company. But if you're on a tight budget, or short on time, some creativity at the mall or in thrift shops should yield plenty of ruffly tops, long skirts, vintage vests, and simple dress shirts.

Accessories for Gents & Dandy Cross-Dressing Ladies

But it's really all about the accessories for a steamy look. Let's begin at the top: hats of all kinds are key to the steampunk aesthetic. Top hats and bowler hats are common, and aviation caps and newsboy caps are also a lovely direction. Online, look at the Village Hat Shop.

Small touches like suspenders, fingerless gloves, ascots, jabots, and spats can go a long way, and can be found at vintage stores or quite easily online at places like Gentleman's Emporium. One may also find fine sleeve garters in the same spots, or in my own Etsy shop, ahem.

Accoutrements of a Fairer Nature

Corsets and bloomers are key to the steampunk wardrobe for ladies. Well-made corsets can cost a pretty penny and the custom kind take some time to make, but you can find less expensive versions in thrift shops and off-the-rack. Meschantes Corsetry and Timeless Trends are two makers who offer off-the-rack spiral-steel-boned corsets, but one could certainly start gently with the spandex kind found in your standard mall lingerie shop.

Stripey socks are great for anyone, Sock Dreams has a dizzying array. And don't be caught in the sun without your parasol! Bella Umbrella has gorgeous pagoda styled umbrellas, or paper parasols are inexpensive and sweet.

Putting the 'Punk' in Steampunk

And lastly, don't forget to punk it up! Add a modern twist to make it anachronistic - fishnets, torn edges, spikes, gears, feathers, rayguns, asymmetry, combat boots. Goggles are so common among the steampunk set that they are approaching caricature, but it's an easy way to say, "Tally ho, I'm about to go adventuring!" Your basic cup-style brazing goggles from a hardware store will do the trick, but if you'd like to find more elaborate fancy ones, I'd recommend BoilerGoth, the Neverwas Store, or searching eBay for vintage ones.

A true Victorian lady would never wear her corset on the outside, or reveal her bloomers (much less the striped stockings underneath) ~ which is exactly why we do it.

For your further edification: Aether Emporium has a jaw-droppingly long list of online resources. Steampunk Costuming, Deconstructing Steampunk, and How to Dress Steampunk are articles worth perusing. And Threadbanger offers a fun library of DIY costuming videos, including episodes on making your own steampunk outfits, spats, and gloves. And finally, here's the Flickr group for Steampunk Costume, and away you go!

The Hen Also Rises

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The Sinners' Circus

Sometimes you just have to run away with the circus, you know? Along with co-conspirators klown-fi band GOOFERMAN, the Sisters of Honk, Circus Metropolus, and a whole slew of other moderators of mayhem, my band Baby Seal Club hosted a 3-ring sinfest called the Sinners' Circus at a local brewery last weekend.

Glorious moments were plentiful, but here are a few top ones: seeing my beloved Stache go-go-cage dancing in a vintage band jacket and a Lucha Libre clown mask... joined shortly thereafter by my brother in a bear suit.

The stunning 10-cent Absolution Booth confessional hand-built by one of our dear friends and local mad genius Muir... you confessed your sins into an antique telephone inside, and they were broadcast out to the surrounding crowd.

My beloved band-mates getting theatrical for the Seven Deadly Sins theme... Wizzbang as a gorgeous and aloof Pride, 19 as the avaricious banker Greed, Doc as a terrifyingly wicked Lucifer, Fudo as a powerful preacher named Wrath, and your own Choklit, of course, as the harlot of harmonies ~ Lust.

The brilliance of the wanted posters Stache made for us to put up around town and in the venue... See the full set here.

Amazing performers on both stages, outside and in, including a mesmerizing show by fire-eater Monique, who absolutely embodied an enchanting swamp priestess.

Once again, we pulled off a spectacle of epic proportions - complete with tent revival faith healing, fire-dancers, carnival games, stiltwalkers, jugglers, and an oversized bear. And plenty of klowns, of course.

We worked all day Saturday to transform the venue into a red velvet big-top, performed, stayed up being debaucherous with the clowns until dawn, and tore it all down the next day. More pictures are coming from the fabulous Miss M - check back here.

Ah, sweet ephemeral events... so fleeting. And now we start the planning for the next one!