And here we are again–Me not apologizing for the lack of updates in over a year. You likely wondering how you found this strangely stripped down blog, seemingly devoid of content you know was here somewhere (that turkey leg recipe got some traction). I promise that it’s still there, and I invite you to use the search function or the Internet Archive. Shenanigans were afoot with some of my older content following some WordPress changes, so I pared down the menu and links until I have time to get it all back in order. Nothing has been deleted (including that con review that got way too many views), so just send a message through the Contact page if you really can’t find what you’re looking for.
I recently (two months ago) returned from what I thought was going to be a relaxing week in a fancy location far, far from home. It turns out that the most relaxing part of the adventure was going out to eat–normally very stressful for me because menus are overwhelming. Apparently, I do better when I can just order everything while fueled by espresso. In summary though, Venice was great! Like, “I can’t wait to do this again” levels of greatness. Dressing up, walking around town, sipping on spicy juice boxes, watching pigeons watch me, being obsessed that there are no screens in the windows because I’m an East Coaster plagued by bugs. On a personal level, I didn’t need to use allergy meds or motion sickness pills at any point, and I’m still confused as to how that’s possible. While I wouldn’t wish navigating that city on even a mid-level villain, the Venice portion of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One makes way more sense now.
Let’s go ahead and get the not great parts out of the way. Getting to Venice and back home was a nightmare. I flew British Airways with a connecting flight at Heathrow to start and a planned overnight layover at the end. Unfortunately, my first flight was delayed, so I didn’t get to Marco Polo airport until that evening. That was the first time I’d been bumped from a flight, and it was not fun. Since I was sick of people and sick of waiting, I sprang for a private water taxi to get to the palazzo and had to do the same again on the way back. My credit card cried a bit, but that’s why we over budget, Team! Heathrow, already an overpopulated hellscape on a good day, had some schedule snags the day I went back, so that flight was delayed as well, ruining my chances of getting in a little afternoon tourism. My London hotel was…fine, but I’ll need to do a bit more searching the next time I plan to visit. Shoutout to all of the Londoners who checked in on Instagram with suggestions–I saved every single one and plan to use them when I come back.
During the actual adventure, we didn’t do nearly as much walking as I expected. I work from a standing desk and treadmill, so my body is used to a level of constant motion. I didn’t clear 10K steps at any point in the journey, which may actually count as the relaxation that a vacation is supposed to entail. I did expect the crowds and paparazzi-like photography while we were dressed up, but having cameras within a handspan of my face was new. I hope those strangers enjoy candids of me randomly sticking my tongue out and fussing over my neckline. Speaking of mouths, I didn’t love the pizza. Let me be very clear: I did NOT travel a quarter of the way around the world to eat American cuisine. There was a hole-in-the-wall shop near our palazzo, and it was enough to remind me of my college days–functional, but not enjoyable. On an unrelated note, trespassing on a private bridge because my new besties told me to was not a highlight and I panicked the whole time. However, the resulting photo was fire so I’ll try not to dwell.
Onto the fantastic…creamed cod cicchetti. Like, why was it so good at every place we went? I also didn’t expect to have to wean myself off of sparkling water. There were some concerns for my hydration level, but I lived. If anyone wants to pony up for a fizzerator or whatever they’re called, feel free to $$$ me. I attended two operas during our week–The Barber of Seville at Teatro de Venice and La Triviata at a Palazzo Opera. Did my eyes close a few times? Yes, but the environments were cozy and I’m more of a dance show girlie, if we’re being honest. I got to be a part of the somewhat interactive palazzo performance for which I was wide-eyed through the first act. I’ll also say that getting ready for outings with our crew was a delight! I enjoyed my roomie’s music and yelling for more pins (hair, safety, and straight), group votes on accessories, and of course sitting around in our underpinnings while stitching. Camaraderie really makes the experience. Since my costuming prep through the years has largely been solo or me being responsible for literal children, I’ve rarely had help getting laced or seeing how other people fight their hair into submission. It was refreshing.
On a broad travel scale, the last time I was in Europe, I was a teenager, so the entire experience was just different. I spent a lot of time staring at the architecture as we walked around and the barnacles that we saw on our gondola ride. Our intrepid group leader, Gigi (@costumersofcolor) put together a great itinerary, but here I am still obsessed with drinking white wine out of glass yogurt jars like a weirdo. I took enough photos to know that I’ll never post them all, and I don’t even know what platform we use for that anymore (Facebook?).
Getting back to attire, I didn’t get amazing photos of everything I wore, I didn’t wear everything I took, and due to a logistics issue, I didn’t take everything I planned. First was my Venetian gown, which was a wish list make (not necessarily in the green faille that I yoinked from the Georgian Princess Tiana project) and very important to me for this trip. I used the Margo Anderson Italian Ladies Wardrobe for her, and the construction process only had a couple of surprises, like the ladder lacing. She definitely needs trim, but I did get a few proof of life snaps from our first full day. For the official documentation, I plan to dress my hair differently and lose the white gloves–functional for the chill, but not cute.
Our 1790s day was my favorite and was the one with the most accessories. Everything except the muff came from my personal top shops–Burnley & Trowbridge, Redthreaded, Dames a la Mode, and American Duchess. I even styled a new wig for this look, so you know it was serious.
One of the eras that wasn’t on the initial schedule was the 1910s–definitely not on my personal timeline, but it turned out well. I was able to shimmy back into my dress reform project from 2020 with a couple of updates. Despite my “I’m not making anything new for this day” gripes, those photos ended up being some of my favorites, and we fit right in with the opera that evening.
In the bag, but not on my body was the stripe-y Anglaise from The Depths. Pleating the back involved tears, phoning a friend, and then completely giving up and just getting it done. I’d taken this one specifically for the fancy opera, but after a day of handling strangers badly, I didn’t want to manage my hoops into a tiny box with more randos. I only had seven yards of taffeta for the gown and petticoat, and I pieced the ruffles together from scraps. Upon returning home, I promptly put the gown into a storage bag and left her there until spring vacation. After taking the time to do my hair and makeup for some overlit cellphone photos, I realized that the pocket slits are wonky and the sleeve fit is not great. I couldn’t even be mad though because I didn’t rush construction, and I checked everything twice. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
Finally, my Fusion gown never made it on the plane. She’s a 1530s Florentine in wax print, reminiscent of playing card art. This was a Margo/Period Patterns combination, and I absolutely love the fit. I used more bits of Medieval Tiana’s bronze lutestring for the sleeves, so I really need to stop pretending that any of the Princess Tiana gowns I’ve started are actually going to happen. She’s worn over my corded petticoat and I lined the puffy bit of the sleeves with silk organza. I took a day before snapping pics to experiment with balzo construction. I was going to stick with a more diasporic headwrap, but balzos are weird and so am I.
I’m very pleased with what I was able to knock out for Venice, and it really was a lovely time. I plan to go again when resources allow, armed with the knowledge that palazzo walls are thin and not all neighbors stay up until 2am.
Green Linen Shirt 