Yarrrrrr, part 1

 (apologies for the dreadful formatting, I'm still figuring Blogger out)

Occasion:
Halloween Party of the Damned

Competition description:

Best costume, best pirate

Project:

The Gothiest pirate that ever did Goth

Selection:
We're in a new place, with new friends and co-workers, which means we get to recycle all of the old jokes, stories, and kickass accessories one more time.  When I found out that the pirate-themed part we'd been invited to had a competition, and that nobody who would be there had seen my metal corset yet, the core of my costume was suddenly obvious.

Priorities:

1.  Pirate
2.  Corset
3. Using existing fabric stash as much as possible

Plan:This is where a design sketch would be, if I'd ever transferred it from brain to paper, which I seldom do.


But it seemed like a ladies' 18th Century redingote would suit my purposes; properly piratey, but would sit under the corset.  For reference, I checked out Le Pacte des Loups, particularly the costumes for Marianne:

The jacket from the Snowshill Manor gown seemed like a pretty good example to base my draft on; the side-back seams with deep set-in pleats, and an open front.  I used the drawings in Patterns of Fashion for lengths and proportions, though I didn't include the lapels, and I used a very different sleeve.

 I wanted a fabric that would show off the steel corset well, so I used some leftover black-on-black
damask for good contrast.  A cranberry burnout velvet would do well for contrasting cuffs, and I wound up cutting strips of it along the near-bias of the pattern to bind the whole jacket.





Because the whole thing was going under the corset, I didn't include buttons or pockets, and I wound up leaving the front loose, where the Snowshill jacket had a tuck that turned into a pleat at the waist.

 At this point, by the way, I realized I had a twofer: Pirate costume this year, Vampire in the style of Anne Rice next!  Aah, fabric selection.

Oh, those pleats!

The hat is a basic tricorn, with a maribou boa whip-stitched onto the edge.

The feathers are from a floral component (seriously, when trimming hats, hit the floral section first.  The scimitar pin was a gift from my mom.










 








Also, just not pictured, I wore a simple chemise with a scoop neck for modesty between jacket and corset, the leather pants from the Hawkeye adventure, my fancy lace stockings from Florence, and these from American Duchess, with big black satin bows instead of the shoelace.

Please excuse the terrible makeup, it’s drugstore halloween crap, because the good stuff got purged when I moved…last time. But the party theme turned out to be not just pirates, but undead pirates, so ghastly makeup was the only option.

Speaking of ghastly, all the lighting at the party was green, with a little bit of blue, so all the effort I went to matching the reds was utterly wasted.  Except, of course, that *I* knew it matched.

At any rate, it went over well:

Up next, Piracy part Two: what he wore