The Great Dickens Christmas Fair!

((Originally published in December of 2011))

Another holiday season, which means Dickens Fair!
For those who are not yet aware, "The Great Dickens Christmas Fair" is essentially a reenactment of mid-century Victorian London at Christmastime, and filled with the characters from Dickens' novels, as well as other historical figures. There are a myriad of shops, food stalls, stage shows, and games. There are numerous sets made to look like the interiors of Victorian houses and parlors. Everything is made to be as authentic and period as possible (this is not a Renaissance faire...), and all the actors and vendors go through an extensive workshop process to act, think, and speak like people of the era. It's an amazing production.
I spent four lovely days at the fair this year!

The 10th of December was Le Legion Fantastique's annual "Steam Explorers Consortium" and contest, which I had the pleasure of competing in and winning last year. It is the only day in which I will wear steampunk to the fair. My character is an adventurer and collector of specimens for the Royal British Museum.
I added a faux-leather vest bodice that my beau gave to me as a gift. It looks better in person than it does in the photos!
Taken inside the parlor of Le Legion Fantastque, here's a shot of myself and my beloved beau, Duke. He actually works the fair portraying the adult David Copperfield. The waistcoat he's sporting is from 1841!

We also met up with Duke's very good friend, Mr. T. This was T's very first Dickens Fair, and he did quite well in putting together an outfit for himself. He portrayed a scientist studying the possibilities of electricity.

On the 11th (my birthday!) I wore my La Sylphide costume. The ballet was created in 1832 or so, so it's very much in period! I wore my dead Russian Pointes and had a wonderful time silently flitting about and being a total ballerina. LOVE! Sadly, no pictures.

Next weekend I wore my pink gown, but the top had been completely redone as an evening bodice. I had originally bought this gown off The Bay of E, but it came with a rather hot and stuffy jacket. My mother was able to take it apart and create a sort of bodice to make it look a little more period and more comfortable for balls and dancing. It's not perfect, and at the time of these photos it was not entirely finished. Mum still plans to embellish the neckline and add a ribbon inside the sleeves to hold them up a bit more. I slept over at a friends, so I did not have the supplies (or the time!) to do my hair as nicely as I would have wanted.

With my friend, James...


Notice the cute purse that I just happened to find at TJ Maxx - it matches perfectly!


That Saturday we from Dickens in the day to The Gaskell Ball in the evening, which is like Fezziwig's warehouse on steroids. Held in the gorgeous Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland, a live band plays waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, scottisches, galops, and set dances. Most people come in historical attire.

A True Victorian Lifestyler!

I came across this link to a British news article on Facebook, and upon reading it, my jaw dropped in sheer happiness. Here's a woman who has done what I have always dreamed of doing...

How to live the Downton dream in a one-bed flat!

Julia Wood has created a plush and luxurious Victorian wonderland for herself. Her small flat in inner-city Leicester is the result of years of careful collecting and furnishing. From breakfast to bedtime, she is decked out in Victorian and Edwardian era-inspried clothing. This isn't just a visual preference, but her manners, morals, and beliefs accompany her tangible tastes. Her speaks of her wardrobe:

"Jeans? Never. To me they represent everything that is wrong with modern society. Everything is too casual these days. There is casual sex, casual talk. Everything is disposable — from microwave meals to morals. It’s all gone to pot really."

This true lady puts me to shame! I deeply agree with her, and her disillusion with the 21st century world  mirrors my own thoughts and feelings. However, she has had the drive and determination that many of us lack - she has gone and DONE IT by God! She has surrounded herself with what truly makes her happy, and created her own Victorian sanctuary.

I wouldn't be surprised if I end up in a similar situation when I grow older. In her interview she said that her fascination with the past began in her late teens, and her first piece of historical clothing was a pair of silk breeches that she would wear to school. I too used to wear knee-breeches and stockings to highschool as well! 

She speaks about how she bought her first velvet chaise when she got her first home, and the transformation began from there. This proves to be an important detail - if you want something so complete as a Victorian bedroom, one should consider resisting the urge to fill one's current bedroom with contemporary cheap crap. Just wait and save. If you know where to look, antique and recreation furniture is not hard to find or procure, and if you are diligent about not spending funds on the cheap stuff, you should have the money for it too. My own family owns quite a few nice pieces, and my Beau can attest to this principle as well - nearly his entire closet contains vintage and antique clothing. His modern wardrobe is miniscule yet hardworking.

This lady as set the bar, and I am willing to aim for it. Perhaps not right now, but certainly in the future. This seems like a relaxing and pampered way to age and live one's life - away from the endless crunch and clatter, whine and grind of this sloppy and angry century.