Victorian circus

Fraulein Frauke Presents took place Saturday and being in good form I stitched on my costume to the last minute. The theme, if you remember, was Victorian circus and I went as a line dancer, complete with a small parasol.




You may notice that the bodice is not green as planned, but purple. That is because I found that I had too little of the green silk- one of the dangers when you buy fabric first and make the pattern after. Luckily I have a lot of cotton sateen that I inherited from my grandmother, so I could make a last minute change. I also managed to go down with a temperature for two days so my sewing got behind schedule. So I’m sort off pleased with my costume. I like the colours and I do think that I have managed to evoke a Victorian feel to it. I’m pleased with the yellow fringe that very nicely took up the colour of the parasol.

However, the fit could have been a lot better. I fitted it on myself with no help, apart from J placing a few pins after my direction. The back was a bit too loose and the bodice was a bit too snug around the hips. It would also have benefitted from a crisper lining and a few well-placed bones. The plan is to evolve the bodice into an 1880’s ball gown, but it will need some re-work for that! As usual I had great fun. The guests had really outdone themselves; I really think that more and more people dress up after the current theme for every new event. It is also such a nice club. Everyone is so friendly and I have never been to a place where you get spontaneous compliment by strangers. And I have always loved masquerades and now I have reason to think up new costumes several times a year.



Klara the Lion, who won price for best costume and Pimpinett. The other winner was a wonderful bearded lady in a striped bustle dress.

The best costumes won a bottle of champagne, but other good ones got a free drink. And I got one! And so did Betty who looked really great as a snake charmer with a truly Victorian Cleopatra-flair.

The rather limpid latex snake. There were other snakes around, but no one as big as Betty’s!

A rather bad picture of the smallest animal on the party. My friend Ragnar had captured a ferocious rhino and caged it. Unfortunately it drunk too much beer and fell of its peg.

A few pictures of the fitting process. I drafted the pattern myself, using a bodice template in Patterns of Fashion as a guide. It evolved a bit as you can see.

Planning a Victorian circus outfit

Fräulein Frauke Presents is less than a month away and I have at least decided on my costume and bought the fabric. Now I just have to sew it together. I have decided to go as a line dancer, happily noticing that they look rather sturdily built in the 19th century. I plan to make a version of this costume- a boned bodice with a pair of short and puffed bloomers.




Emily Schadel



Leona Dare

Poster for Leona Dare

Miss Farrinton

Nice colours, yes? Dupion silk from Cheap Fabrics, the green for the bodice, the rose is for the bloomers.

The bloomers ought to be pretty easy to make, but I do worry a bit over the bodice. I must make a pattern myself; there is no getting around it. I strongly suspect that I would need to alter a bought pattern so much that it will probably be easier to make it from scratch anyway. I hope I can get it to fit properly, though.

The Trapeze Artist Standing on Her Trapeze by Jules Garnier

I also need to get a small parasol. Can’t be a proper ballerina without a parasol, can I?

Speaking of line dancers, if you want to know a little about a real Victorian ballerina, read the tragic story about Elvira Madigan and her lover Count Sparre at Rags of Time.

Victorian circus inspiration

I always enjoy going to Fraulein Frauke Presents and I was a bit annoyed that I couldn’t go last Saturday. However, on November 24 I will get a new chance and this time the theme is Victorian circus.

Fraulein Frauke presents La Belle Paris

It's time again on March 10 and this time Fraulein Frauke is themed La Belle Paris, giving us the choice if we want the "La Belle Epoque" or the roaring twenties. For some odd reason Fraulein Frauke always seem to take place the weekends I work, but I will take a tired Sunday again and go- it's worth it. I have always had a lot of fun, the atmosphere is great and the entertainment splendid.


I'm so, so tempted to make a new dress for it. I think I will have a go at it, but have a back-up plan as I know that deadlines isn't good for me. I could, of course, make a 20's frock quite easily, but my figure isn't really suited for that silhouette and I will probably just feel frumpy. La Belle Epoque on the other hand... I have been looking as pictures of Anna Held, Ziegfield's common-in-law wife and star and would love to make something along those lines.

I want to be frivolous too!

I’m rather busy stitching the boning channels on my stays, but though time-consuming it isn’t especially hard, so it leaves me time to dream and plan. I totally blame Fru Aleydis and Lithia Black and the burlesque costumes they’ve made, that I find myself wanting one myself. I’m not altogether sure if I have the guts to actually wear one, but I think it would be tons of fun to make it. And I do need to practice my skills in making other kinds of corsets than 18th century stays.

I recently watched The River of No Return with Marilyn Monroe and thought it could be fun to make something similar to what she is wearing. Fru Aleydis mentioned being inspired by the salon girls in Lucky Luke, and I think Monroe’s costume has that feeling as well. They’re not historically accurate, but they give an air of it, and they are certainly frivolous!

I did a google on Marilyn Monroe to try to find pictures, which I did. I also found this one, and I was suddenly five years old again.

It’s Marilyn posing as Lillian Russell. My parents had a book about Marilyn and I loved to look at the pictures. And this was my favourite of them all! I thought she was so pretty and her clothes as well. I wanted it then, and now I realize I can make it. Well, perhaps not exactly, but something that makes me feel that way. I have tons of violet cotton-sateen that I think would work very well. I want a skirt; even if it’s a short one, and I’m thinking it could be fun to make it as a mini-bustle. I also need something to contrast the violet colour with. Black seems the obvious (and easy) choice, but it would be fun with a colour. Any suggestion? And I want a large hat to go with it.!



And here are the other pictures I found.












I was a bit surprised that the Lillian Russell-portrait was part of a series where Marilyn poses as Clara Bow, Theda Bara, Marilyn Dietrich and Jean Harlow.

Food and burlesque clubs

I’m lazy; so here is the post I had imagined I would post last Sunday. Oh well. I had a very nice last Saturday, beginning the evening with eating Christmas food at Kristinehovs malmgård. And not any Christmas food, but an 18th century one. I think you will agree that that it looks very nice. Those pictures are from the day after when Gustafs Skål had their own little party, but I went with my family and didn’t dress up in 18th century clothes. I was still wearing a corset though, so before the dessert I had to sneak into the toilet and unlace me a little bit…

When we had eaten ourselves almost comatose my family departed home and we continues to Hootchy Kootchy Club, which is a burlesque club. I’ve wanted to go there for ages, but have had little difficulties finding the time. I’ve heard that it’s good, but I had no idea what to expect. I enjoyed myself immensely though. It was a very nice atmosphere and people really dressed up, ranging from vintage to burlesque. Evidently there is also a theme to every occasion and this time it was the Adams family, so there was a lot of Morticia’s and Gomez’ around. There were also a small group of young men in very ordinary clothes and a rather dazed look that was overheard to say out aloud in the men’s room; “What kind of place is this?”, so they probably got there by mistake.

There was a show, which was mostly good. There was a stripper who is a little person, Selena Luna, also a very pregnant woman in very little clothes and two great singers. I must say that they all looked great and proved, if that really needs to be proved, that female beauty is so much more than what media tries to make us believe. There was also some numbers that was more ludicrous than anything else, too, though. If you don’t mind nudity, then there are some nice photos here.

And now I’m sure that you are all dying to know what I wore to this occasion. I think I can safely say that I was one of the more understated ladies there. Unfortunately I didn’t get around having any pictures taken until we got home, and then only with a cell phone, so the quality isn’t the best.



I’ve had the dress for ages, but it’s been a bit too tight. I was very pleased to discover that it’s almost a little loose now. I didn’t need to wear a corset underneath, but it do gives you a nicer shape. Besides, I like wearing corsets, albeit the next time I’m NOT going to stuff myself with Christmas food first. I had managed some very nice finger waves, but the damp weather and the late hour make them a little indistinct on the picture. To this I wore these shoes:

I wanted to make a little fascinator and almost got it done. However, the veil gave me trouble and I felt that I wanted to dress up at leisure rather than to sew myself into frenzy. I’m pretty pleased with it, though and I’m sure I will have an opportunity to wear it at a later occasion.

The base is a piece of felt carpet that works very well to make hat outs- I’ve made several. I padded it a little and covered with some stretch velvet. The decorations are all form my grandmother’s hat decoration stash. Spangles, a piece of fancy cord, the feather and the veil. The veil has some unsightly holes in it, which is why it gave me trouble, as I want to drape it nicely, but I’m sure I will get it right eventually. Instead I wore a spray of silver flowers with white stones in, so I think my hair was nicely decorated anyway.

And as I said, I had a great time and I look forward to go again!