In anticipation of the upcoming historical Poppy Ball, I thought I'd share with you a few photos of the previous period ball by the same Masters of Ceremonies, the Spring Ball at Normansfield Theatre, Langdon House.
Built in 1877-79, it retains its Victorian side flaps, in full working order, and is still used for performances to this date.
Langdon House itself is home to the UK's Down Syndrome Association, to whom the Ball's profits were donated.
Waltzes were danced, quadrilles, reels and country dances, including my beloved Pride of Erin Waltz and all-time favourite Waltz Cotillion - all to live music by the wonderful Green Ginger.
This morning I found a forgotten gem at the back of my closet, a little silk blouse inherited from my great-aunt. I have no idea what period it's from - possibly 40s? any ideas, do leave a comment! - but I have been watching much too much Mr Selfridge lately and thought I would incorporate it into a Belle Epoque-inspired outfit.
Now, I don't want to spoil it for any latecomers, but as much as I always disliked this Downton Abbey character, I have to admit she always had awesome hair. I just HAD to try and replicate it. So, here goes, Lavinia's curly updo from Downton season 2:
So lately the boyfriend and I have been taking 19th century folk & ballroom dancing classes at the Quadrille Club. It's ridiculously fun, and the healthy kind of exhausting, so what started off as a 'just for fun' trial ended up developing into a full blown hobby.
The Quadrille Club, ran by 19th century social dances specialist Ellis Rogers and his wife, meets once a month to run a day-long dancing workshop, and these lovely people throw an period ball in early winter.
This year's Victorian Ball (themed 1850-1900) happened last weekend, and words can't even begin to describe how much fun it was. I wish this was better advertised to people of my generation, because I know so many who would enjoy it if they took the initiative to try something different.
Anyway, back to the ball. Although a light dinner was included, the focus was placed entirely on the dancing, which happens to be a lot more tiring than it sounds. Especially when one is wearing a corset under their heavy period gown, crinoline and petticoats, and may or may not have had one too many glasses of wine between dances. I am assured that 'the men's clothing are just as restrictive', but somehow I remain doubtful.
A Victorian profile
I was going to make my dress, but I couldn't finish it in time for the ball and ended up hiring this one instead. I don't want to give it back (T_T)
On the night, I styled it with a black 1870s-style ribbon tied around my neck, white and blue net gloves (thrifted), and a hairstyle copied straight from an 1877 fashion plate.
In a beautiful turn-of-the-century gown
An Early Victorian gentleman in white tie, and an Edwardian lady
Or how to be extremely anachronistic in your retro look, and still somehow make it work.
I recently went on a crazy vintage shopping spree (more on this later), and decided to buy half the planet's worth of vintage and retro items. Last night was cinema night (Star Trek, anyone?), the perfect opportunity to show off my new finds. Problem: I wanted to showcase them all at the same time, but they're from different decades. So, I set myself 3 rules:
#1: Match the colours.
#2: Build your outfit around a theme.
#3: Just smile and nod.
I was dying to try my new kimono-print 70s does 50s dress. Luckily I also bought 50s-style flower earrings in a matching pink colour. So far so good. But then I went with a 40s-style cardigan and some 70s-style black wedges. You know, to add to the whole post-war-geisha look.
Finally, to add insult to injury, I decided to top it all off with an Edwardian updo. What could possibly go wrong?
The Belle Epoque updo was a lot of fun to style. I tried to follow this tutorial, but my hair turned out to be slightly too short, so I went proper Edwardian and padded it with hair from my hairbrush. Nobody knew!
Meet Janet Stephens. By day, she's a hairdresser. By night? She's a badass hair archaeologist. Trying to recreate Roman hairstyles from bust statues of the time, she realised that these sculptures made a conscious effort to depict hair as accurately as possible, from the direction of curls to the annoying-hair-that-won't-grow just above the ears. Being all Sherlock Holmes-y, she deducted that
a) Unlike previously believed, they weren't wigs. Scholars in stuffy offices know nothing about hair. But she does. (dun dun dunnn)
b) When trying to recreate those elaborate braided buns, she found that hairpins were completely useless and couldn't hold the style together (dun dun dunnnn)
... and then she realised that hairstyles were actually sewn together, and that we've been mistranslating instructions for the past few centuries.
Realising that this was an original idea, she wrote a paper about it. But more importantly, she has a youtube channel and makes tutorials for us to enjoy!
Roman Hairstyles
Unfortunately, my hair isn't long enough for most of these (long-haired friends beware, I will be coming at you with a bone needle soon). BUT there are a couple I would love to try:
The Cleopatra
The Sabina
Other ancient wonders
Janet Stephens also recreates historically accurate hairstyles from other periods. For example:
The wonderfully decadent Papillote Curls
^ I absolutely adore this one. In fact I might try it tonight...
Elaborate Renaissance style
So, there you have it. Awesome antique hairstyles. So excited about trying them out! In fact, I'm making a bone needle as we speak. I'm carving it with flint.
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