In which she tries to coordinate.
A public post for folks in the Chevalier D'Eon group!
Okay, ladies. From watching the anime, it has become painfully clear to me that the costumes are not Historically Accurate. Now, it's an anime, so I'm flexible, but I wanted to try and get a consensus among the big-skirted cosplayers so we look like a group, not a gathering. Yeah? Yeah.
IMO, there's two ways to go: closer to the anime, or closer to what they should have been. The anime skirts are rounder, whereas skirts in period exaggerated the hips and were almost flat in profile.
Take Madame du Pompadour as an example. It's pretty obvious where her outfit came from:
However, Pompadour's dress in profile, despite the skirt drapings that are designed to go over a flat wide hoop, is decidedly round, as are many others in the anime:
There are a couple dresses in the background that are less round, but they seem to be in the minority.
However, in episode 16 we get a peek at Queen Marie getting dressed, and her hoop looks decidedly flat in back, and has a boning structure very similar to period hoops:
(Don't even get me started on the horrid fake saque-backs..)
So, what does all this mean in practical terms??? There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles of skirt. Rounder skirts need a hoop, which are time-consuming to make (but can be quite economical) or commonly bought. More period skirts can be large hoop constructs or small pocket hoops (the latter of which are quick and relatively painless to make). It's easier to fit skirts over round hoops, though it can be harder to hide the ridges of the hoops. Period skirts require interesting draping, but allow for pockets (and big ones at that!!) for hauling goodies around the con without worrying about bags to keep track of or see in pictures. ;)
Here's some examples of both that I've made in the past:
A round hoop (from Simplicity 7216, now out of print, but there are lots of civil war hoop patterns [I'm in the middle of making Simplicity 9764 right now, which is more evenly round.. 7216 is more bustle-y]), both alone and with a skirt over it:
And a big-ass period hoop (from Hunnisett's "Period Costumes for the Stage and Screen 1500-1800", found at many libraries), again alone and with a skirt [note: this is the larger option, pocket hoops are smaller]:
While I'll admit that, as an historical costumer, I've a preference for the flat, wide skirts, I think it's worth trying to coordinate so that everyone looks similar, and is comfortable and confident with tackling these monstrosities. And thus I'd like to discuss this. Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Opinions?
*waits anxiously*
(Also, out of curiousity, if you've started acquiring fabrics, what are you using? I got casa satin for Queen Mary cause I had a 50% off coupon and it was the right color, but I'm still looking for a nice, textured, interesting contrast color. Yous?)
Okay, ladies. From watching the anime, it has become painfully clear to me that the costumes are not Historically Accurate. Now, it's an anime, so I'm flexible, but I wanted to try and get a consensus among the big-skirted cosplayers so we look like a group, not a gathering. Yeah? Yeah.
IMO, there's two ways to go: closer to the anime, or closer to what they should have been. The anime skirts are rounder, whereas skirts in period exaggerated the hips and were almost flat in profile.
Take Madame du Pompadour as an example. It's pretty obvious where her outfit came from:
However, Pompadour's dress in profile, despite the skirt drapings that are designed to go over a flat wide hoop, is decidedly round, as are many others in the anime:
There are a couple dresses in the background that are less round, but they seem to be in the minority.
However, in episode 16 we get a peek at Queen Marie getting dressed, and her hoop looks decidedly flat in back, and has a boning structure very similar to period hoops:
(Don't even get me started on the horrid fake saque-backs..)
So, what does all this mean in practical terms??? There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles of skirt. Rounder skirts need a hoop, which are time-consuming to make (but can be quite economical) or commonly bought. More period skirts can be large hoop constructs or small pocket hoops (the latter of which are quick and relatively painless to make). It's easier to fit skirts over round hoops, though it can be harder to hide the ridges of the hoops. Period skirts require interesting draping, but allow for pockets (and big ones at that!!) for hauling goodies around the con without worrying about bags to keep track of or see in pictures. ;)
Here's some examples of both that I've made in the past:
A round hoop (from Simplicity 7216, now out of print, but there are lots of civil war hoop patterns [I'm in the middle of making Simplicity 9764 right now, which is more evenly round.. 7216 is more bustle-y]), both alone and with a skirt over it:
And a big-ass period hoop (from Hunnisett's "Period Costumes for the Stage and Screen 1500-1800", found at many libraries), again alone and with a skirt [note: this is the larger option, pocket hoops are smaller]:
While I'll admit that, as an historical costumer, I've a preference for the flat, wide skirts, I think it's worth trying to coordinate so that everyone looks similar, and is comfortable and confident with tackling these monstrosities. And thus I'd like to discuss this. Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Opinions?
*waits anxiously*
(Also, out of curiousity, if you've started acquiring fabrics, what are you using? I got casa satin for Queen Mary cause I had a 50% off coupon and it was the right color, but I'm still looking for a nice, textured, interesting contrast color. Yous?)