Last fall I went up to Reno. I took the Green Blob with me, hoping to get some photos of my 1790s round gown in the autumn color. High summer in Malta had required a fairly minimalist approach to 1790s chic, but the cool crisp weather of October was very suitable for a more decked-out formal approach!
I arrived just as the leaves were beginning to turn. Every day while I was there, I would say “today?” and my Mother-in-law would say “Wait, wait -“
And then – two days before I flew home, she said “NOW.”
And I dressed, and we went – and there just aren’t words. It was magnificent.
The Green Blob was glorious! Reno in the fall was glorious! 1790s gowns in the Autumn were completely glorious! In fact – everything was glorious! I wasn’t limited to traveling light and I had brought along some of my carefully collected accessories – antique lace, vintage leather gloves, antique portrait brooch and a celluloid brisé fan. Instead of a large sash, this time I wore a simple tassel cord, tacked into place at the peak of the raised back waist.
Honestly, I swanked.
I also wore a new wig – the classic “80s Boogie Babe,” available on amazon and quite a lot of party store websites, and REMARKABLY good value for an over the top 1790s look. My mother in law and I did want over the top – in fact, we were so enthusiastic that we layered two Boogie Babes on top of the other!
The result was possibly excessive. I mean, it wasn’t excessive if the year was 1985 and the the genre was hair metal, but for a genteel jaunt through a golden fall in in the year 1797 when they hadn’t yet invented hairspray or the ozone layer – possibly it was a little too much. Possibly.
Regretfully, perhaps, we came down on the side of restraint and I only wore one. I did wind a purple lamé scarf from the actual 80s around my head, so I wasn’t entirely bereft of a little rock chic. My jewelry was glorious as well – my necklace and my HONKING pearl earrings (honestly, I reckon I could indeed have worn the double-layered hair just to balance out these divine things) are both by Taylor of Dames a la Mode. She is doing some wonderful 1790s stuff right now – and it is sized to work for both the late Georgian period AND 1980s hair metal music.
So there I was – decked, dressed, and deeply elegant – and the Autumn sun was pouring down and drenching the world in liquid gold –
Guess who stomped around like a pretty pretty princess?
