Seize the Stars

Just one pic of the flapper outfit I wore to the Friday Night Social:


I bought this dress at a rummage sale years ago at a cost of about 50 cents, and I just altered it to make it look 1920s. I adore it, and it reminds me of one Lady Mary wore on Downton Abbey, so I wore it with a black wig and a jeweled headband in an attempt to look like her. I don't think I was successful in that, but it was a cute outfit and I had fun wearing it, and people liked it, so that's what's important. :)

(Apologies for the crappy mirror selfie- the lights were turned down at the social so you couldn't really get pics. Please ignore the room full of fabric in the background!)

In the midst of the usual heinous cold weather, it's been nice to stay in the house more and watch some period dramas again. The Downton Abbey premier was good fun entertainment, and hopefully this season will continue to be just that. I haven't cared about it as passionately since they killed off Sybil, as she was my fave, but I still don't care for characters getting killed off left and right, or too serious of things happening, since it is escapist soap-opera, after all. Everyone else seems to have seen it already, even other American friends, so I do know several spoilers for this season, but it's not really ruining the fun. I've been trying to avoid spoilers for Mr. Selfridge like the plague, however, since it's currently my fave new show. I have actually heard a few that don't bode well, but knowing a little bit of the real history behind the show makes it unavoidable that there will be sad things in it this season and next. I just don't think I can stand seeing my favorite characters killed off or my ship sunk again so soon after Sybil on Downton!

Have been slacking off on my Classic Who watch lately. Must get back into the habit! I've got another Pertwee story on hold at the library, and I've been thinking I ought to go back and listen to the audio of the missing Hartnell and Troughton serials too. Maybe it'll inspire me to write some fic again, I hope!

Also been watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries which if course continue to be fabulous. Even though the historian in me wants to scream every time Phryne goes out of the house wearing pants, the Jazz Age glamor and Phryne's badassery are enough to make up for it. Also Phryne and Jack. I just watched the episode where he thought she was dead, and if there's one trope I can never hold out against, it's the 'they told me you were dead and I realized how much I loved you when I thought you were gone forever' trope. It's not as if everyone didn't ship them already, but lordy lord! The drinks and the looks and just gah! And I know they don't get together this season, but they're apparently filming a third season in Australia already, so at least we know there's more!

I was hoping to re-watch ReBoot soon, since I finally did get the DVD box set, but I think that'll have to wait a while until all my costume dramas go on hiatus again!

Gah, haven't had time to update LJ in FOREVER. I've been writing a play, and am still writing it, and should be writing it now instead of doing this, but sometimes you gotta take a break! I've also been working on several dresses for a convention this August, which has sorta become my epic cosplay fantasy weekend: I'm making Jane's yellow bustle dress from Disney's Tarzan, Christine's Hannibal costume & dressing gown from The Phantom of the Opera, AND Christine's wedding dress from The Phantom of the Opera! The other two I've had planned for a while, but the wedding dress got added at the last minute because everything kinda came together: I acquired a roll of white silk taffeta, I'm going to be making an 1880's bustle for the Jane dress anyway, & it's an indoor venue, so I can wear a silk dress with a train and not worry too much about it getting destroyed. Add to that the fact that the wedding dress in the Broadway production of Phantom is possibly the most beautiful, perfect Victorian bustle dress this girl has ever seen, and I want one so much I could die, and there was simply no way I couldn't do it. So I've got four months, approximately, to make it all happen. While also writing a play. Heck yeah! Let's do this!!!

All this work to do, and still, I find time to watch TV. (Probably why I haven't gotten much done yet!)

Downton Abbey is getting nuts, they'll have to stop randomly killing off everyone's favortie characters if they expect us to keep caring about the show, but hey, as long as there's pretty clothes, I'll probably still watch.

Mr. Selfridge has proven to be surprisingly good thus far. We're only one episode in, but I actually CAN accept Jeremy Piven in a period piece. Wonder of wonders. I'm pretty interested to see where it all goes, even if we already know the store will be a success!

The Borgias was actually, dare I say it, not awful in season 2! (I only just got cable again, so I just got caught up.) There was actual like, PLOT and DIALOGUE, man! WOW! I actually watched most of it, rather than just pushing the fast-forward button on the OnDemand until there was a scene with pretty clothes, which is how I got thru season 1. Though I fear the show is making me a worse person, because seriously, I'm rooting FOR the Borgias! I mean, I actually care about them! Granted, there was a helluva lot fewer murders, rapes, tortures & whatnot this year than last, but still, the very first show began with the drowning of an altar boy! Not good! Of course, that's pretty tame compared to most network shows these days, and this IS a totally first-rate piece as far as production values are concerned. Unbelieveable quality in costuming and sets. I'm definitely excited for season 3 starting next week, but have a feeling it'll probably be a return to more gross stuff again. Thank goodness for OnDemand viewing and that lovely fast forward button!

Doctor Who continues to be adorable and fun, and I hope it stays that way for at least this season. TV needs more nerdy heroes and zany adventure, if you ask me.

Miss Fisher Mysteries was a total chance discovery on the PBS cable station late last night, and I'm happy to have found it. Sophistocated heiress becomes private investigator in 1920's Australia sounds as good a premise as I can think of, and Phryne Fisher is a wild, independant, badass sort of character, which makes it even more fun! I'm totally excited to see where her next case will take her.

So that's my bit of chatter for today; now I shall go forth and sew! And write! And listen to cast albums! You can listen to A LOT of cast albums while you're cutting out fabric... that'll have to be a whole other post some other day...;D

So last night I watched the season finale of two of my favorite TV shows (I think the ONLY current TV shows I watch, come to that!) and I have a few thoughts.

Firstly: Garrow's Law! Sadly, it's no longer current, since the third season finale was also the series finale, it having been unaccountably and prematurely axed by the BBC earlier this year. I, for one, miss it already. I just can't say enough good things about how well done this show is.( But here I'll certainly try to! How do I love Garrow's Law? Let me count the ways! )

Secondly: Upstairs, Downstairs. This, as far as I know, has not been cancelled, even though it's nowhere near as original or clever as Garrow's Law. Go figure. I definitely don't love this show even half as much as I love Garrow, but it is fun, even if I don't really care about the characters in any personal way.( Fluffy soap-opera viewing at it's most stylish. )

So, all told, a satisfying evening of television viewing. And now, the long wait until Downton Abbey season 3 commences! Gah! So excited! And so jealous that it's aired in the UK already, but I'm trying to avoid picking up spoilers anywhere. Maybe I'll just rewatch S2 till it gets here, I think they're re-airing it on Thanksgiving... (heehee. The madness begins again!)