A few years ago in October 2024, I attended a much shorter meeting with my fashion community at the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, CT. We wore Halloween inspired fits and rode the historical Pullman cars to the Pumpkin Patch, where we had several lovely group photos taken by an on board photographer. However, Pahl didn't make it to that meeting, and I wanted him to experience the joy that is the Railroad Museum of New England for himself. 

Now since I bought a ticket to the Pumpkin Patch ride, I am forever on the Railroad Museum of New England's email subscriber list. They have a lot of amazing programs throughout the year for young and old alike.  Several of their programs make a stop at our favorite western CT chocolate factory, Fascia's Chocolates in Waterbury. Also a few years ago at this point, I hosted a "Sweeten Your Spirits" tasting and tour program for my fashion community at the factory itself. You can check out our sweet group photo in the Google review, or check out my blog post about it here. Fascia's Chocolate's tasting tour made me into a chocolate snob, and I'm not mad about it. 

When the Railroad Museum of New England offered their Autumn Colors Limited excursion in mid October 2025, which includes a two hour leisurely train ride during the day to view the autumn foliage on the historical Naugatuck railroad line that also included a stop at Fascia's Chocolate factory, I jumped on it. Autumn Colors Limited is one of those unique excursions that could technically be for any age, but they did have a bar car, so your experience may vary. They had several different ticket prices to choose from, and it determined what kind of seats you would be sitting in. I paid for the $25.00 Premium Coach tickets (they were the same price as the regular Coach tickets, just to see what the difference would be), and we were in a slightly newer car (probably 1970's vs 1920's) with updated lighting and seats and two cars away from the bar car (which we did not indulge in). The Lounge Tickets, only $5.00 more provided lounge chairs that faced inwards on the car for ease of talking and communicating with others. I only know this because we had to walk through one of the Lounge cars to exit the train to go to Fascia's factory. 

I booked our ride on the first day of the Autumn Colors Limited program, which was a Friday afternoon. It was actually completely sold out and there were tons of people of all ages. We had planned to dress up in our historically inspired fits using Autumn colors as our palette. 

I had my heart set on wearing this dress from Japanese brand Metamorphose. I had purchased this dress at the tail end of 2024 on Wunderwelt, which is a Japanese website that sells used as well as new clothing. Technically I was initially looking for the brown color way of this dress, but when the red popped up in new with tags condition on the second hand part of the website, I went for it. This dress is the Ladder Lace Ribbon Medium Length JSK with Cape (Floral Print) in Bordeaux. I love florals, and I love the simplicity of creating the design of the dress with lace and ribbon placement. This might even be considered "old-school" style at this point. The material is very high quality with the flower printed fabric at 100% cotton, lined with satin, ribbon torchon lace and satin ribbon. This is one of those dresses that doesn't have a zipper, so you have to make sure that you can get the maximum measurement listed over your bust and hips into order to wear it. I had debated on getting the Plus Size or the Regular Size, and this is the Regular Size at the Medium length.  The cape comes with it and is very nice as well, although the satin lining does tend to make it slip around on the shoulders when it comes down to any kind of movement. The dress did fit a little tightly around my bust at first, but it does stretch and there is a lot of stretch. I have long legs, so with a pair of blocky oxford heels I was able to make the medium length work quite nicely, but there are others who have not been so successful (hence why I believe it was on the used site in pristine condition to begin with). 

For my blouse, I paired a Miss Point mesh champagne high neck blouse with sleeves under the dress. I also wore white wristcuffs with wine colored bows attached to them (even though the blouse itself has a flared sleeve cuff, I figured I really wanted to bring the wine red throughout the coordinate at all angles). I wore brown shoes because I was initially going to wear a brown floral half bonnet as my headpiece that would ABSOLUTELY NOT stay on my head. Besides, the ribbon was a much darker wine and there was brown lace...it was just all wrong anyway. Scrambling for another head piece, I grabbed the white and wine red rectangle headdress that exactly matched the choker that I wore with this outfit, but now the red was too bright. It just looked wrong on my head too. Lastly, I tried this inexpensive head bow that is a dark red with decorative white trim. The trim echos the edges of the torchon lace enough to look more cohesive despite being a darker wine red than the dress. I kept it on for my posed photos, but chickened out when I got to the museum after having to park super far away from civilization (my car really could have been its own stop on the train). You might be wondering why I didn't just buy the matching headdress when I got the dress. It's because it was not available to purchase. That's the one thing that can be frustrating with buying used items, you often get one or the other, and it is a rarity to get both at the same time!

Pahl had a much easier time matching all his pieces together, because they are part of a three-piece suit that he pre-ordered around the same time as when I purchased my dress. This is a green slightly tartan wool coat with matching trousers and bow tie. The waistcoat is a perfect contrast of dark wine as is the pocket square on the left chest pocket. This dark wine color is in the pants very subtly. Pahl matched his round black glasses to his black oxford shoes and slicked his hair back to look like a business man of the 1920's, to match the historical cars of course!

Sometimes we wear the same colors to match our outfits, but I daresay we were quite complementary on this excursion. And we perfectly matched the colors in the autumn leaves!  It was a little hard being the only two people in the entire excursion dapperly dressed up. Even the staff at the railroad museum were confused and asked us what the occasion was. Sometimes I feel like we are performance artists when we dress up in 20th-century clothes to go to a historical place while everyone else wears comfy modern sweats and cargo shorts with boots or sneakers. 

But when we arrived at Fascia's Chocolate Factory, the people who worked at the factory all remembered us and treated us like old friends! They wanted to know when we would be bringing a group back. They really appreciate when people dress up to go to the factory. I was able to get my favorite item from the factory, which is the 72% Semi Sweet Break-Up Bar. They only sell this at the factory itself, but it is a two pound solid chocolate bar with scores on it to help you break it. It's so thick it's hard to just break with your hands, so I recommend a knife and cutting board. One of these bars last me about 4-5 months, so I can keep my chocolate hoard adequately stashed. It's January as I write this, and I still have a little less than 1/3 of the bar left, so I am going to need to go back, probably in March for another. 

It was definitely the perfect date to celebrate autumn and I appreciated the group of older women who fought over taking our couples photo in front of the older train cars. The photo came out so well, we were able to use that photo in the 2026 Danielle and Pahl Calendar too!  After the train ride, we met at Clevelands' Country Store in Plymouth, CT, just a little ways up the street really. This added to our performance art experience as the store and eatery is housed in a completely restored 221 year old barn and has a sundae shop filled with all sorts of vintage candy to purchase. The portions on the sandwiches were extremely generous to the point that I did not have room for dessert and was still able to feed myself for two more meals. So if you find yourself in Middle/North Western, CT, don't pass up the opportunity to go to any of these places!

I've been studying and wearing EGL fashion for about four and a half years now. I know what I like and I know what I want, but sometimes what I like doesn't come in my size, or what I want doesn't exist yet. Enter Vietnamese brand Glittertale. Glittertale is a brand that specializes in making custom size garments to all of your specifications. You have to tell them all your measurements, preferably in cm rather than inches, and you can customize the fabric, lace, ribbon, and placement of an existing design from their Etsy shop. You can also send them a custom design of your own, or if you're already pretty savvy with a sewing skills, you can just buy the fabrics direct from them to make your own dress and accessories using the fabric.

Over the years, I started yearning for a tartan style dress. I have seen Japanese brands release tartan prints, but they're always more subtle than I want them to be. Summer Tales Boutique (a small and independent sewing studio for elegant and outspoken souls) out in the Netherlands  also offers custom sizing on their designs (including their Tartan styles), however I do not recall seeing a pink or lavender colored tartan available in their collection. In fact, only recently, have I seen the colors of tartan I really wanted in a dress or skirt from Russian indie brand Miss Danger, but I don't think they offer custom sizing, even though they do offer an exceptionally large size range of 14 different sizes!

So I went with Glittertale. Now I had actually designed this dress back in January/February of this year, so it is fitting that I write about my experience using them as we reach the conclusion of 2025. Earlier this year I had zero sewing experience, I could not identify the different kinds of lace or ribbon materials used in the construction of this dress, but I could tell you what I wanted it to look like in the end goal. 

The dress on the left, pictured above is the basic dress you can buy in this style. Glittertale has many more tartans to choose from, but I was set on this dark pink weave. I didn't like the thick black raschel lace used on the sides of the bodice or the tiers of the skirt in the mock up, so I chose a different rachel lace that comes to a pointed edge with rose cluster details inside of the pointed edges. I also changed the placement and type of lace on the bodice. Instead of two rows of ladder lace with pink flat ribbons tied over it, I made a pattern of the black with pink ribbon ladder lace and black rose lace without any ribbon bows. I actually hate the ribbons in the mockup (because they look cheap to me), so I asked them to not include them at all on the bodice and instead to make me black grosgrain bows that aren't actually sewn to the skirt (just safety pinned), so I can remove or rearrange them at my leisure. 

Now I wasn't going to just be satisfied with the dress itself in my custom measurements. I also needed matching accessories! I asked them to make a waist bow out of the tartan and add a completely different lace trim to it, that was not used in the JSK. I also drew a picture of the rectangle headdress I wanted them to make using a strip of the ladder lace with pink ribbon down through the middle of the tartan and surrounded by the same pointed black with rose clusters lace. Someone on their design team also found a smaller diameter of the black rose lace and sewed that on as well between the tartan weave and the original lace in my design. I appreciated that they did that. They understood what I was going for in my "Rebel Rose" dress and applied the same lace that was on the bodice, just smaller!

So they did everything I asked---and more! I would say that the only thing that is super frustrating is the wait time and the lack of communication. Mentally prepare yourself for a few months of radio silence after they get all your measurements and another couple of months to ship it to you. They claimed that my dress and accessories were done back in April, but first they were having their sewing equipment repaired, then they were changing their shipping operations (to prepare for international shipping changes), and there was still more delays, so the dress and accessories didn't actually get to my door until mid June. 

Another thing I did (and I'm glad I did it), was to actually send them my measurements about 2-3 cm larger than I actually am. The tartan is a heavy material, and when you add shirring to parts of it you could lose a few cm just because of how much tension is put on the elastic thread for that material.  Of course I didn't know any of this when I designed and ordered the dress, but when it finally arrived and I saw what I could design, it inspired me to begin to learn how to actually make things.  I'm currently learning how to make a ruffled heart tote bag and a matching bow. I now know how they made the waist bow and how they sewed on the trims for it. But knowing how to do it, does not mean that I can make it as well or as polished as they did, even in the 2.5 months it took to ship to my house, unless I practice making bows over and over and over again for just as long.

Now you might be wondering why I waited until December to finally wear this beautiful dress I designed, and let me remind you once again it is a true woven tartan. It's heavy and it's warm. I left the house wearing the 40 cm Super Puffy White Petticoat from the Chinese indie brand Sugar Girl. This is a beautiful and soft petticoat with many layers of tulle. Even though it is fine for my height, it is a little tight in the waist as I weigh a little bit more than the recommended weight. This petticoat is usually my go to for cotton or lightweight polyester dresses, especially in the summer, but as you can see it is doing almost nothing with the weight of tartan fabric. 

When I came home from the event that I went to in my tartan dress, I noticed my petticoat package from 42 Lolita had arrived. Basically they messed up on my last order and sent me the wrong jewelry item, and since their customer service is so great, they sent me two of their newly designed house brand petticoats to review on my blog. So here we are. 

The Nolaria 17.17" (45 cm) Organza Hoopless Puffy Petticoat is a 4 layered skirt of strong organza with a cotton lining. They also refer to this one as their "bounded" petticoat, as it has a little hem at the bottom of the skirt. This petticoat is their upgraded design which includes a longer lining as well as a wider waistband. I could immediately feel the difference in comfort compared to the Sugar Girl petticoat. It's also holding up the skirt of my dress in a modest way, so much that I can do something with my hands other than hold up one side of my skirt!  (Oh and I remembered to put the waist bow on---now you can see how much bigger it is than the little black bows!) This one is definitely going to become my new "daily wear" 45 cm petticoat. 

The upgraded Nolaria White Puffy Lolita Petticoat 17.7" 45 cm with Cotton Lining is what dreams are made of. Of all the petticoats I tried on that day (this was probably the fifth one), this is the first petticoat that really gave me the desired silhouette. It also has the same amazing organza layers, cotton lining, and very stretchy waistband as the other Nolaria petticoat. I loved also how soft and almost weightless this one was and I liked the "Unbounded" hem on this as well. I probably wouldn't wear this one everyday, especially if I was using public transport or in a tight area, but I do appreciate how it works so much better with my custom dress than anything else I currently own. 

I look forward to wearing my new petticoats and my customized dress as often as I am able together!!

Now I can tell you we've attended Old Sturbridge Villages Christmas By Candlelight program, but it was news to me up until last year that they also had a spooky October program called Phantoms By Firelight. Phantoms By Firelight is a special nighttime evening program held for three weekends in October after the daily hours of the museum had passed. I had wanted to go last year, but I had too many other events already planned, so I patiently waited an entire year for tickets to become available again. When they did, I reached out to Barbara and Jake to check their schedule and see if they could also go. They've been Members of the Museum for something like 10 + years, so all the staff gets excited to see them and they bought our tickets together so we could all just pay the member price (which saves $6 per ticket mind you)!  

The event description gripped me, "Wander fire-lit paths and step inside historic buildings, gather by the crackling bonfire for eerie-tales, and revel in the dazzling spectacle of fire dancers, soaring acrobats, and haunting melodies." Each building also had something death related--the cabinet maker was assembling coffins, the blacksmith was forging tools for a burial, and over near the farm, there was a staged 1830's wake. Also any Victorian era event of this nature would me remiss without human hair intricately woven into flowers as memories of the dearly departed or a jar of teeth, with a contest to guess how many teeth were in the jar. There were also unusual remedies for curing the body's humors and diseases, information about the origins of jack-o-lanterns, and other Halloween traditions. 

Despite all the entertainment included with Circus Vampyre performances and interactions with the staff in the buildings, there was also a Scavenger Hunt that involved clues and candy! We had to unravel riddles and collect stamps at multiple locations to piece together a mystery of a resident's untimely death to receive a delightful bag of treats as a reward. 

Now it's impossible for us to just not dress up for any occasion, but of course we wanted to dress up for Phantoms by Firelight. If you were a historical costumer like the people that work at Old Sturbridge Village, you would know that neither of our outfits were actually period or accurately historically based, but to the average attendee wearing sweats and sneakers, we looked like the staff. Now to be fair to them, the paths of the museum were truly fire-lit and once it was dark it was very hard to see anyone, except by their shadow outline. 

Pahl's outfit is brought to you mostly by the Historical Emporium. He is wearing an ivory blouse under a double breasted Regency waist coat (my Christmas gift to him in 2023), pinstripe high waisted wool pants stuffed inside black leather riding boots, a black wool tail coat, a primarily green with pops of coral and light blue paisley ascot, and a costume top hat with a large burgundy  hat band. 

I am wearing a black bat winged collar polyester blouse and a high-waisted green and navy blue pinstripe Victorian inspired skirt from Miss Point. (This skirt and its matching accessories were my 2023 Christmas gift from Pahl). Over the blouse I am wearing a black velvet caplet and a wool hat with a big pinstripe bow on it that matches the material on my skirt. I brought my "Book of Charms and Spells" handbag for the occasion and to match all the black in my coordinate. Lastly, I am wearing knee high black boots, mostly for comfort. Old Sturbridge Village is a lot of walking, and I wanted to be especially sturdy on those fire-lit paths. 

As we were walking around and collecting stamps and solving riddles (this took half the time mind you and it would have taken all the time if Barbara and Jake were not with us as they know all the names of the buildings and alternative ways to get to them), I noticed this red light on the side of the barn. I asked Pahl to orient himself so that it looked kind of like where his heart might be to compose in image of his love for me, even in shadow, or something like that. I like how you can see the outlines of our outfits quite distinctly such as our hats, his tailcoat, and the many layers of ruffles in my skirt. 

Did I mention it was dark? On the bridge over the water they had a fog machine going to add to the atmosphere. There were 6 portraits of actual people who had lived at one time but had met untimely deaths. One of these poor souls was the answer to the riddle, but we had to solve other riddles to make sure we had selected the correct one. You could read the information once you were on the bridge, but to approach it was intimidating for sure. 

How could you tell it was Barbara's silhouette above if I didn't even show you what she was wearing during the day??? She had a lovely purple and orange tartan dress accented with a long brown cardigan, brown leather Renaissance Faire boots, a bright orange infinity scarf, and a suede brown hat.  Barbara and I separated from the gents at one point to check out a fire show happening beyond the bridge while they saved us seats for the finale performance of the acrobat and fire troupe. 

The fire shows were interesting, but short. They also used modern music that I recognized to perform with, but I was kind surprised they didn't have a live person hauntingly playing a fiddle or something like that. The finale started late, and was a brief beautiful spectacle of a fire breathing performance, slight of hand from the magician, and a beautiful acrobat spinning on a hoop in the air. I am not entirely sure the Cyrkus Vampyr added to the already amazing programing that the museum had to honor death and what those traditions were like during the 1830's. I kinda wish I wasn't so treat motivated for the scavenger hunt and instead had spent a little time sitting around a bonfire and listening to some of the eerie stories.  

I think Old Sturbridge Village will be doing something like Phantoms by Firelight again, but I do know that this particular year was the final year for Cyrkus Vampyr, so who knows what kind of additional programming they will have next year!  On the way out, we stopped at the gift shop near the entrance of the museum so I could grab a second hot tea and use the restroom, and while everyone else was waiting for me, several people complimented Pahl on his "performance" assuming that he was one of the staff. 

Now I have been to the museum three times in recent years, once in December and twice in October. I have recently received a pair of tickets for regular day admission, so I will make a plan to attend in the spring of next year to see what that is like!  And who knows what I'll wear, but I probably won't look like the staff. Pahl on the other hand...now that's a different story!

The Connecticut Renaissance Faire is the longest running Renaissance Faire in the state of Connecticut. The faire lasts seven weekends in a row stretching from Labor Day to Columbus Day weekend and is located at fair grounds in Lebanon, CT. This event has really grown over the years and has been located in "Lebonshire" for at least the last 6 years, maybe even more. I remember when you used to be able to show up after noon and you could still get parking in the main lot, but those days are long over. The event is so popular, many people have to park in the shuttle lot, and the shuttle lot down the street easily holds about 200 vehicles. Having to take the shuttle is not a terribly long wait, so don't let a full main lot discourage you. Parking is always free where ever you end up. We attended two separate weekends this year, once on opening day weekend and again during Pirates & Vikings weekend. 

The theme for Opening Weekend was pretty much a free for all. On the Saturday, residents of the town of Lebanon could get in for free and they could bring their dogs too. There were a lot of cute friendly dogs about and a lot more people than I expected for opening weekend. Somehow we got lucky with parking in the main lot, and our friends we were meeting ended up taking the shuttle. 

One of the reasons Pahl and I like to attend Renaissance Faires in general is so that we can upgrade our costume/outfit accessories. Pahl is almost always a Knight at these events, but I can shape-shift in theme quite effectively. For this weekend, Pahl started his outfit as an adventurer, like Boromir. He has a linen blouse under a dark brown and black leather armor, black and brown leather arm bracers, black lightweight linen trousers, his brown leather riding boots, and a magnificent cape. Oh and a real sword, of course. 

I was an incarnation of the Roman God Mercury. If you remember my outfit from Pirate Day 2025, it's basically the same base corset and bolero with different accessories. Instead of wearing a tricorn hat, I have a white and off white winged headdress and I am wearing beige, red, and black harlequin diamond under the knee socks which I associated with being a sort of trickster and black combat boots (partially for stability and the fact that they are easy to clean as the faire can get pretty dusty or alternatively muddy when wet). I was also carrying a coffin shaped purse, and if you remember, Mercury had powers to travel between the worlds as the Messenger of the Gods. 

At Opening weekend I mostly tried delicious food and got a lay of the land, caught a couple of shows, including the joust and a magic show, and bought fantasy themed jerky from the Mystical Meats vendor. However, Pahl got the ultimate leather armor upgrade. 

For $400.00, he got this beautiful real green and brown long leather armor complete with metal clasps and leather finishing details on the epaulets. This was the one that was on the mannequin in front of the store, and I daresay it did not stay there very long. His look goes from Boromir to Jamie Lannister in the blink of an eye! 

The second weekend that we attended the CT Renaissance Faire happened to be Pirates and Vikings weekend. We were also trying to meet up with friends from the local Steampunk group, but we could not make it earlier when they said to meet up. I now know why they said to meet at 10 am. It took what seemed like an eternity to get to the shuttle lot as there were also lots of people walking on both sides of a narrow windy road that led to the shuttle lot and it was slowing everything way way down. By the time we got parked and on the shuttle, a good 30 minutes had gone by.  While we were waiting for the shuttle, we talked to some of the people near us in line, and they said that it was their first time attending the faire ever, and they believed that it was very popular as it was the only big fair happening as the Big E had just ended the weekend prior. They also took this lovely photo of Pahl and I in our outfits. Thanks random stranger! 

Pahl's Knight look was upgraded once again. Instead of wearing just a linen shirt under his long green leather armor, he is also wearing real chain mail. He is wearing longer dragon embossed arm guards and for his boots this time he has leather boot top covers, to make them look more adventurer and less Regency. The sword and its scabbard are the same as the first weekend, although this time he has added a black leather hip pouch. 

Even though I can interpret and have an illustrated guide to Norse Runes available to purchase, I do not have any costume that is remotely Viking coded, so I defaulted to Pirate. This is probably my fourth time dressing up as a Pirate, and it's getting better and better each time. 

I crafted a Pirate Persona from my spider brooch, and when the Queen asked me my name, I was able to respond Lady Orb Weaver. The base of my outfit is a polyester wine colored dress with a rounded sweetheart neckline, a short black velvet corset lacing in the waist area, and a long voluminous skirt with pockets!  To make the skirt more visually interesting, I added skirt hikes to the front of it. I am wearing red and glow in the dark chain mail earrings, a raven skull necklace, my black and gray tricorn hat, long cloth gloves with three belts and a zipper on each glove, textured black tights, and black leather cowboy boots. The makeup is also a little intense to give off an air of ferocity. 

It was getting slightly colder, at least in the evenings by Pirates and Vikings weekend, so I also wore my ouji coat from Arca and Ovis. I took out the front vest piece and wore it open. It was the perfect accessory to match my boots, tights, and hat. 

Honestly, I was so impressed with the craftsmanship of Pahl's leather armor, I made it my mission to go back to Crimson Chain Leatherworks and obtain a bralette for myself. The piece I am wearing is actually like a mini vest that is black and eggplant leather that goes over the shoulders a little bit and ties just above the waist. In the photo above, it just looks like an extension of the corset lacing already part of the dress. Near this giant wooden cut out of butterfly wings, there also happened to be a very talented vendor making flowers out of wood. I was also able to get a blue flower corsage style pin for my black/white/blue gothic capsule wardrobe.  

We didn't see as many shows this time, just one in fact, the last of the day from the Harlot Queens (they also perform at the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Festival), which was filled with many adult jokes that went right over my head. We decided to call it quits a little before the joust was over and managed to get grilled cheese sandwiches and shared a cup of rabbit stew before the faire officially shut down for the day. Four hours is just barely enough time to get some fresh food, shop (they had a lot more vendors that weekend than the opening weekend), and catch one or two shows. I think next time I go back to this one, I will definitely make sure we get there before noon. Maybe we'll get lucky with parking too!

Earlier this year, someone else in my fashion community planned a Teddy Bear Picnic in the spring time, which I couldn't attend because I was at the Jane Austen Tea instead. However, they suggested that I make another Teddy Bear picnic in the fall, so that others who couldn't make the spring one could try attending as well. Apparently National Teddy Bear Day falls on September 9 every year, so I made my picnic date as close as possible to that day while falling on a weekend.

The first Sunday in September 2025, we found ourselves in New Britain, CT, on a bleak late summer day. The weather had been warm, but raining in the morning, so I told folks to start at the New Britain Museum of American Art around 11:00 am, and then we would proceed to the Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden (just a few blocks behind the museum) for the picnic part by about 1:30 pm. It was honestly optional to attend both parts of the meeting, so you'll see some folks did one or the other. Originally I was going to make the meeting just about the picnic, and then maybe the art museum afterwards, but the weather extended our meeting and the museum was just as much of a treat as the picnic at the park!

The fashion prompt for the Teddy Bear Picnic was to bring a stuffy and match your stuffy in style/ color. Some people assume that a Teddy Bear picnic would automatically be a Sweet style meeting, but it could have been interpreted in any EGL style. The majority of those pictured at the museum are in fact, Sweet style, but there are a few outliers. 

I used to go to the New Britain Museum of American Art quite frequently between 2004-2010, as I had been attending CCSU and still visiting the area every week as I held onto my college radio show a few years after graduation. I absolutely knew that they had this bronze bear bench somewhere in the permanent galleries, so it was my intention to get everyone's stuffies on it wherever it ended up being. It turns out that it is very close to the main entrance on the first floor!

Pahl used this late summer weather opportunity to pull out his new three piece linen suit. His pants and jacket are a beautiful chartreuse green with a burgundy pocket square. To enhance the burgundy contrast, he is wearing a deep red and navy paisley waist coat over a white blouse. He is wearing his garden themed bow tie, which he had to self-tie. He is also wearing a straw boater hat with a red and navy striped hat band and black oxfords as his shoes. Timmy, his childhood teddy bear that is light brown in color wears a black bow tie to match Pahl's look.  Pahl's look is undeniably coded as Classic/ Historically inspired. 

In preparation for the spring teddy bear picnic, I had purchased this posable limb stuffed bear bag from Chinese Indie brand Mademoiselle Pearl. Honestly I was inspired after the Doll Shop meeting to acquire a doll or a stuffy to bring to meetings, and this bear bag was the perfect solution. It is big enough to wear doll clothes, and I even purchased a few EGL sets for it to wear in the future! 

Then to match my stuffy, I went with ivory and brown in my coordinate. Sometimes ivory and brown are often used in Classic styles, but when it comes to almost anything chocolate themed, it's going to lean more Sweet, especially with a shorter skirt length like the one in my dress. I started with my Angelic Pretty Musee Du Chocolat Low Waist JSK in Ivory. Under it I am wearing a lightweight white cotton high neck blouse. Over it I am wearing the iconic Little Dipper Cotton Bolero Cardigan in Chocolate. If you think you've seen me wear this cardigan before, you have...just in 5 other colors. It's the only thing in my wardrobe that I have been that passionate about thus far, but the price and quality cannot be beat!

I am wearing a soft chocolate brown bear ear head piece and attached to it I have the waist bow that came with the dress. Then I am wearing the Yukine's Box Retro Chocolate Socks, which seem to have been designed around the Angelic Pretty Chocolate line and match extremely well with the crown as well as dripping chocolate motif. To further exemplify chocolate theme, I am wearing a more functional purse in the shape of a chocolate bar, with a little keychain of Rillakuma eating a snack hanging from it. I also have a ring with chocolate on it! Lastly I am wearing a pair of brown Modo Platforms. I actually took the soft bow clips and put them in the back of my hair, as I had two quasi pigtail braids in the back and I wanted to cover up my messy braiding. I also added white lace wristcuffs with brown bows attached to them. You never really see the bows, but its nice to have that little bit of white to echo my blouse. 

Jax is wearing the Dollbe Milk Carton JSK with a lovely white and pink sweet style short sleeve blouse. They have also mixed the coordinate with both food theme and bears like I did with mine. On top they are wearing a white beret with subtle ears poking out, white textured tights, and brown oxfords. I remember when they acquired their polar bear bag at the last swap meet. They could have just kept it white, but they cleverly went to their local Build A Bear, and selected this white and blue waistcoat for their polar bear that even better matches their dress. 

Cole went for a similar sax blue, pink, and white look to what Jax was wearing. She is wearing a celestial carousel themed JSK from Alice Girl, paired with textured white bolero and tights. She also has white nail polish and white sneakers. Her white rabbit stuffy matches her by wearing a light blue ribbon tie. This was her very first meeting and coordinate and I think she did a great job putting it together! 

Here Colleen is pictured on a bench inside the museum wearing a coordinate comprised of white, pink, and brown elements. The theme on her Baby the Stars Shine Bright Chocolate Fascinate Fairytale JSK also incorporates food and chocolate with fantastical architectural details. She is wearing a long sleeve white blouse, brown bear eared headband (similar to mine) with a white bow pinned to it, and elegant lace up white platform rocking horse shoes. 

Pixie went 100% bear themed with hers, but continued the white and pink theme like Colleen. She apparently had these care bear themed tights for awhile in her wardrobe, and recently her local Michael's started stocking fabric. She bought most of the available yardage for this Care Bear fabric, and made her own dress, hair bows, and matching holster for her stuffy Buddy, who accompanies her at every meeting. 

After a few hours of perusing the galleries at the museum, most of us headed to the Rose Garden at Walnut Hill Park for our picnic portion. Luckily, Erik, Sarah, and Nomi got to the Rose Garden first to look at the options. I had never been to this particular rose garden before, as it had been erected in the years after my peak New Britain visits. It's located on the top of a hill with a central fountain and obelisk surrounded by two concentric rows of roses of various varieties. On either side, there are concrete pavilions with a few picnic benches and trash cans. We selected one of these small pavilions to have our picnic under, as the ground was still too wet to sit on from the rain earlier that day.  It is a much smaller scale than Elizabeth Park Rose Garden in West Hartford, but it's still perfect for a picnic or a little walk among the roses. 

I didn't tell anyone what to bring and we had an amazing potluck! I brought a salad, Colleen brought Teddy bear head shaped sandwiches, Pahl brought homemade hummus and chips, Sarah and Erik brought a variety of foods they found at a local Polish market 5 minutes down the road, and Nomi made cookies. I know Barbara brought a variety of chips and dips, Pixie and Rex brought fruit as well as beverages and cups, and Jax made an amazing cake. We had about an hour to dig in before the local yellow jacket population discovered us and I lost my appetite. We proceeded to take photos around the roses, at the fountain, and behind the obelisk. 

Overall it was a wonderful day even if the weather wasn't the most cooperative. The overcast weather certainly made it easier to edit all the photos for this post, and it allowed us to do two activities in one day as opposed to one! The Rose Garden at Walnut Hill Park is so beautiful, and I highly recommend visiting it next time you are in the area!! I hope to go back next year during the peak season, which is probably early to mid June. But it won't have to be for a Teddy Bear picnic, it could just be for a regular one!

Back in August 2025, another member of my fashion community planned a meeting at Witch B*tch Thrift which is a size and gender inclusive thrift store in downtown New Haven. Witch B*tch Thrift not only sells used clothing, but also has lots of accessories from local vendors as well as books and housewares. Besides being a thrift store, they are also a welcoming community space and have a Black Box Theater at the back of the store, where local groups can host craft nights, open mics, as well as movie showings. 

The film of the day was Kamikaze Girls which is based on a novel written in 2002 about an unlikely friendship between two teenage girls, Momoko, who is a "Rococo-phile" into EGL fashion, and Ichigo, who is in an all girls street gang. The film was made in 2004, and its that early aught's film style where something is explained, and then it goes back in time, shows a vignette, fast forwards to the character talking about themselves in the third person, and back to the main plot, kind of on repeat. Also, in the early 2000's, EGL fashion was just starting to become more popular, and some folks internationally started collecting pieces. I was in Japan in 2005 and I did visit many EGL shops, but I didn't buy anything. Part of it was that I believed my body was "too big" for Japanese clothing, and the other was that it was extremely expensive for a full-time student.  In the film, Momoko buys exclusively from her favorite store, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, which is still known today for making beautiful but high end EGL dresses and accessories. 

A lot of people showed up to the meeting! I think it was because it was easy to get to because you didn't necessarily need a car to get there. Some people drove. Some people took the bus, or the train. Others used ride shares and/or Uber. Some of us went to the ice cream shop first, and more went after the film. It was kinda good that we went in waves, because it was pretty small on the inside and our clothes tend to take up a lot of space!

Now you might be wondering, what exactly was the fashion prompt for the meeting? Since the meeting was held at Witch B*tch Thrift, we were told to wear anything Gothic, Witchy, Summery, and/or early Halloween, to match the theme of the shop. However, EGL fashion from the early 2000's (like what is seen in the film), is now commonly referred to as Old-School style. Old-School EGL is focused more on construction details like ruffles and lace and has simple solid colors of usually black, white, pink, sax (which is a light blue), red, and beige with either black or white lace. 

I wanted to pay homage to the early Old School style while also incorporating witchy accessories into my coordinate. I started with a sweet style tiered cotton JSK from Chinese Indie brand Infanta. I really like the black lace over the black cotton detail. I paired this with a white short sleeve cotton blouse, white under the knee socks that have black ribbon lacing at the sock tops, a black and white rectangle headdress, white wrist cuffs with black bows, black and silver earrings, a black and gold steampunk skeleton necklace, a large black magical book purse with silver design on it, and black tea parties (mary janes). I also used a black lace parasol to keep the sun at bay--because it was still pretty hot at the end of August!

This year my birthday was particularly special because I turned another decade older. Believe it or not, I am now forty years old. It may be hard to discern this in the fashions that I wear sometimes, because many of the pieces are inspired by children's clothing of the Victorian era. I sometimes wonder why I am drawn to wear these pieces with such fervor. Perhaps it is a reconnection to my inner child as I have spent significant time and energy working on healing that part of myself through the usual methods like cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. The planning of a coordinate, actually getting dressed up, and going out to various places just to have fun and be whimsical are in essence another type of healing modality. 

For my birthday this year, I really wanted to focus on more adventuring and dressing up, but I still wanted to get together with friends. I offered a Sunday at the Wadsworth Atheneum complete with snacks at the cafe, 2-3 hours in the galleries, and a conclusion at Parkville Market (an international food court about 8 minutes away from downtown Hartford).  I invited friends that I've met throughout the last 12 years or so, so there were new faces for everyone (some more than others). It was a wonderful way to get everyone together and to enjoy spending time with each other and not having to worry about things like cleaning my house or what food to prepare or order.  

For my coordinate this time, I am wearing the Sailor Tiered OP in black and gray with silver buttons by Japanese brand Metamorphose with the matching hat as well. I had found the set on the Japanese used website Wunderwelt, and my partner purchased them way before my birthday this summer (because we wanted to purchase before the end of the de minimus exemption and before the custom duties went into effect). The OP is made of lightweight cotton, has a pocket on one side, detachable sailor collar, and removable front bow as well as a waist belt. For an OP, it is pretty customizable to swap out or add other accessories for the look. I am also wearing short white socks, white lace wrist cuffs with black bows, and shiny black tea party style mary janes. In fact, the brand's comment, "The cool feeling lining has a light and soft texture, and has breathable-moisture-absorbing and quick-drying. You can dress it comfortably even on hot days", was imperative to me as we were going on this outing the first weekend in July 2025, and it was starting to get hot and humid in my region.

My friends know that I like to dress up and encouraged me to give them a dressing prompt for my birthday. I pretty much told them to dress whatever felt comfortable for them on a hot July day. Some asked me what I was wearing, to better match me. Pahl went ahead and also dressed like a sailor, but like one of the crew to my more tailored officer looking role. Since my outfit is black and gray, some interpreted that as goth, and about half the folks that came were wearing a mostly black outfit. However, most of the outliers are pictured above, with the exception of my friend Kirk who had a lovely outfit that echoed the complementary colors of orange and blue that I also enjoyed. 

I was delighted to find a number of paintings about the ocean, sea-faring, or boating that Pahl and I were able to pose with throughout the museum. In this photo, we are aghast with horror as we look on at the shipwrecked boat and survivors. 

In an idyllic off shore moment, the officer obliges the crew member and feels how strong and muscular he is. 

It was Kirk's idea for us to be kissing in front of this painting. Pahl's striped shirt and the degree of tailoring in my outfit, echoed different elements of the scene behind us in the painting. 

Of course we worked hard to match other folks outfits with the art inside the museum. The Wadsworth Atheneum has an extensive European porcelain collection. We were in it for over an hour and I still don't think we saw all of it. I loved looking at all the porcelain characters and their garments of the era. It was inspiring to see what people wore preserved in the porcelain perhaps better than actual garments of that era. 

Colleen's flower crown and light pastel bodice echo the colors and flowers in this Monet water lily painting. 

Overall it was a very fun day juxtaposing fashion with art, introducing my friends to one another, and living my best sailor life. I look forward to more adventures as always and more ways to coordinate this new piece.  

The end of June/beginning of July is always a favorite time of year for me, not just because it's around my birthday, but also because that means the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire in Ansonia, CT is happening. I love this faire so much. I believe it's a combination of the stage acts along with the fact that I always run into so many people I actually know, so it feels a little like an annual homecoming to catch up with folks I haven't seen for a year or more!

This year the faire decided to offer themed costume weekends with a costume contest as well as the Very Inspired Shopper raffle each day. We attended the Summerween weekend as well as the Heroes and Villains weekend. I had purchased both of my dresses in spring 2024, and by the time they had come, it was already too cold to wear them. So I really wanted to wear them in 2025, and these themed weekends provided the perfect opportunity for me to do so. 

I have been very inspired by cirque and harlequin designs and patterns as of late. I had seen this OP (yes that's right this whole dress is one piece...not separate skirt, corset, etc.) when I first got into EGL fashion some 4.5 years ago, but I didn't realize it was a pre-order and I missed the deadline. Around 2 years later, the brand decided to re-release it with some new color ways. I still had my heart set on the pink and teal color way, which was one of the original choices. I saw it was available again in early March 2024 and I messaged a shopping service in China to acquire it for me.

The shopping service was able to order it just in time before the pre-order closed, but I did not get my item until October 2024...it apparently was the 8th patch of the pre-order...the item was so incredibly popular!!!  The dress is quite a complex piece. It has a real corset style bodice with an embroidered tulle-like halter neck attached to the bodice, as well as a flared skirt with alternating colored down pointing triangles and heart shaped appliques of flowers and tigers. There are so many details including various pink and gold bows, pink and teal bows, a pink and teal plaid ruffle detail where the bodice meets the skirt, a printed design of an animal carousel inside of a heart shaped section on the bodice, printed metallic stars on all the teal and pink material, printed tiger faces with what looks like whipped cream clouds printed under the main skirt fabric, along with rows of alternating pink and teal ribbon along the hem of the skirt. I love that the various design elements were rendered with as much attention and detail in the final product. It would take me far longer than 6 months to create something like this from start to finish!

If I remember correctly, I think I the pink arm ruffles came with the dress as well, but I had to purchase the head bow, and waist bow separately. I could not believe how big or how well engineered the head bow is. They placed wig clips at the exact perfect spot to get it to attach and not move from one's head despite a lot of walking on uneven surfaces. I  was not able to wear the waist bow this time. The backpack I was wearing interfered with the location of the bow and its hidden straps on the bodice of the dress. The designer of this dress really thought of everything!

Additional accessories I added were a pair of cheap accordion style wrist cuffs, one mint and one pink and white striped over the knee socks, and a pair of pastel pink ruffled combat boots. I also did very light makeup and drew triangles over and under my eyes to look like a french style harlequin. I tried my go at entering the costume contest, thinking surely this gorgeously designed outfit would win, but then a serious cosplayer dressed as a rat warrior showed up and I knew my chances of winning lost all hope!

Pahl had the idea that he wanted to look like he was really from the Renaissance period as his costume for Summerween weekend. He started off his outfit with the lightweight black pirate pants, a cotton blouse, his brown vest with the metal details over it, his newer baldric carrying a dull sword, a pair of black and brown wrist guards, his black leather waist bag, and knee high black leather riding boots. As we walked along the various vendor booths at the faire, we were able to outfit Pahl's outfit even better. First we found a leather maker who specializes in historical fashion. He found these shorter pointier black boots there (a welcome relief in the summer heat), and later we found a brown linen cap that just happened to perfectly match his vest. Also, due to these purchases, Pahl and I were able to almost completely fill out two Very Inspired Shopper Cards to submit in the big end of day raffle.  I bought Jessica's Lucci's latest novel to round out my card and we were all set to enter the raffle!

I may not have won the costume contest, but I won the big end of day raffle thanks to Pahl's shopping and a little bit of luck!!! It was so exciting for me to win, as my big milestone birthday was to occur in just days from when we attended the faire. It seemed like it was a gift from the goddess Freya herself, as there were two Freya themed items in the bag. It was filled with all kinds of snacks, stickers, bookmarks, jewelry, tea, perfume, soap, wooden stout, special embroidered objects, a gorgeous walking stick with a moon and tigers eye theme, as well as a $50 visa gift card and 4 comped tickets to next year's faire!! 

We had already planned on going back to the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire the following weekend, and I had already been planning to attend as Princess Serenity, the penultimate Heroine from the first season of the Sailor Moon anime series. Princess Serenity and Sailor Moon are the same person, except that they can't manifest as both at the same time in one body. So there are scenes in the anime where Sailor Moon transforms into Princess Serenity because technically Princess Serenity has more power in overcoming the hearts and minds of those with evil intentions. You only see Princess Serenity in flashbacks or final episodes of a series, and Princess Serenity is only the first incarnation of the Moon Kingdom's royalty. Later seasons of the series have her pegged as a Queen or Neo-Queen, depending on the time line. Princess Serenity's outfit is the simplest of all the various incarnations, and that's why I thought this particular dress would work well for it. 

The dress that Princess Serenity actually wears is inspired by a Dior design. It is all white and has an empire waist with gold circle/scalloped designs at the bodice. It has capped sleeves on the shoulders and is a full length gown. There is a large white (sometimes pink) back bow that is pinned to the back of the dress that has very long tails that almost look like wings. She wears her hair in two buns with long hair trailing under each. She also wears moon shaped earrings and a single pearl bracelet on one arm. Princess Serenity also has blonde hair and blue eyes.

Now, when I try to cosplay something, I try to find a character with features I already possess and a simple outfit I can imitate with other things. I already have relatively long blonde hair and blue eyes, and I possessed this Grecian style all white empire waist dress that has ethereal tulle attached in various points at the front of the bodice, cascading down the sides of the skirt, as well as extra pieces that come off the shoulders held together by two white bows. The gold alternating sun and moon waist belt also came with the dress. There were more chains that came with it as well, but they had more of a Greek Goddess of the Harvest feel and I removed them. I put my hair up in "space buns" to the best of my ability, and put on very light makeup. I also drew a crescent moon on my forehead with eye makeup. It doesn't show up super well  in photos, unfortunately. However, many other attendees at the faire knew who I was trying to cosplay as, so that's good enough for me!!

Pahl wasn't specifically trying to go as anything in particular, except to wear a much more comfortable costume in the heat than he did the previous weekend. I showed him this photo I took of him in the throne chair, and he said, "I suppose I look like the Sheriff of Nottingham", which we all know is a Villain.  The outfit is very similar to the previous weekend with the same pants, the short leather boots, a linen shirt under a vest (but this time a lightweight vest), the arm bracers, the baldric with a sword ( a different sword of course!), and a lightweight hat with a feather in it. The expression on his face in this photo says, I am about to collect your taxes and you can't stop me. 

I had a wonderful time at the faire on both weekends this year and since I have my comp tickets for next year, maybe I will be able to bring some friends as well that don't normally attend to have them join in on the fun!!

The second Sunday of June every year is Downtown Milford Business Association's Annual Pirate Day. It's a clever way to get hundreds of people and their families to visit downtown Milford at once for a fun and educational event. And did I mention it was FREE to attend?! There's also free parking! 

We went last year for the first time, so this year we had a much better plan of where to park, where the historical society was, as well as in relation to the Milford green. I drove us this time, and I lucked out getting parking at Lisman's Landing, which is where the pirates come in with the Mayor at around 1:00 pm. The actual event starts at 9:00 am. I have never made it there before noon. Maybe next year.

The pirates announced their incoming arrival as they fired off unloaded canons and pistols while sailing into the harbor. The pirates give the Mayor the keys to the city back, while he thanks them and declares an annual celebration of pirates in gratitude. This year a fife and drum group also performed afterwards, while other pirates handed out candy and coins to children.  

After the official ceremonies, we made our way to the Milford Historical Society. There were Free Men of the Sea with a booth in front of the Eells-Stow house showing instruments, weapons, and spices that would have been used during their actual historical time period. We also were able to get a free tour of the Eells-Stow House, which is believed to be the oldest house in Milford, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Last year we didn't get to see it because we missed the last tour of the day). 

After we got a tour of the house, we headed to the Milford Green to check out the vendors for shopping and a late lunch. We got rice and marinated pork with plantains from one vendor and a giant cup of lemonade from another. We sat on the ground on the green eating until a lone yellow jacket discovered me, and I was no longer hungry. On our way back to the car, we discovered that there was an upper green where a steel drum band was performing as well. The band seemed to be made of community members of all ages. It was neat to see so many people come together at this event. We still haven't done the scavenger hunt at area businesses. Maybe next year!

Now I've been working on my pirate outfit. The last couple of years, I was more of a pirate wench with a long skirt with a bustle, fishnets, and a handkerchief tied around my head. Last year I wore a real corset for the first time as well. How was I going to update my look this year?

Pahl said I really needed to get a tricorn hat to look more like a pirate. I spent a lot of time thinking about the tricorn hat I would need to acquire. Now this isn't just any old costume tricorn hat. This is actually a custom made wool hat, with grey gross grain ribbon, black cotton lace, a silver rose, and a large black peacock feather. I designed it to match an ouji coordinate that I haven't worn yet, but also to be neutral enough in color to be worn with a variety of other outfits.  I daresay it is more of a Rococo style tricorn, rather than a pirate or a patriot. 

For my full look, I donned the Alice Girl Hunter set which includes an all in one corset and mini skirt with shoulder straps, a matching hooded bolero, and short frilly bloomers. I wore this set once before, while giving a presentation on Cautionary Tales in Oral Tradition.  I am also wearing a short pannier, which is basically a short wide petticoat to flare out the skirt a bit more. To look more like an official crew member, I added arm bracers from Miss Point, off-brand under the knee black socks, and my trusty coven boots from Strangcvlt. Neutral eye makeup and a bold red lip complete the look. 

Pahl's pirate outfit was updated as well this year. He has had his heart set on all things Rococo, so the waist coat is actually from a Rococo set that he purchased earlier in the year. (Does it look familiar? He also wore it at the Tudor dinner!) Another thing Pahl did differently was to grow out his beard for two weeks. He really wanted to make sure he looked scruffy to really lean into the pirate lifestyle. His tricorn hat is bigger, yet lighter in weight than mine. It has a big red peacock feather and he put a pin of a skull and cross bones on it. In one way it is slightly more versatile than mine depending on what he pins to it. But mine won't blow off my head in a brisk sea breeze, so it really depends on the level of function over fashion you are committed to.   

Pahl's updated look is quite superb. He's got all the elements he had last year like the pistol, skullcap, waist sash, lightweight linen shirt and trousers, and leather boots, but also he has an over the shoulder belt that is holding a dull full size sword as well as a dagger. He is truly  outfitted for any serious pirate action!

Who rightly knows what I'll wear next year, but it was certainly fun to wear this outfit again with the updated accessories!  Maybe I'll get extra bold and even choose a color scheme that isn't red and black.  But I'll likely still wear my tricorn hat!

Our last event in May 2025 was the Tudor Dinner at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT. This was a special event that the museum created in honor of receiving Hans Holbein's 1540 portrait of Henry the VIII on loan from the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. The description of the event was "to experience a Tudor-style banquet and meet Henry the VIII!  The castle comes to life through music, culinary delights, and speciality drinks. Period costumes are encouraged."

The event cost $75 per person (or $65 if you were a Hartford resident or museum member), and it was worth every penny. We were seated in the main gallery right next to famous paintings, like the one that Pahl and I are standing in front of. I had never been so close to the art! Across the room from us, a lute player performed while we ate. A large banquet table was laid out with turkey legs, bone-in hams, stewed beef with mushrooms, bread, fruit, roasted vegetables and fruit pies. We could go back for as many servings as we liked. 

To start the feast, Henry the VIII arrived in the flesh along with some of his wives and local dignitaries of the age dressed in period costume. These folks were not just mere actors, but actual museum scholars presenting lectures at various art works in the museum during the feast. 

​The Tudor period occurred between 1485-1603 and included the Elizabethian era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603). The Tudor period is characterized by the rule of the Tudor family following Henry Tudor's victory over Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth. This era marked the conclusion of the Wars of the Roses (a series of civil conflicts between the Lancaster and York houses). The period began with King Henry VII and continued through his son King Henry VIII and his grandchildren Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Tudor Period remains significant for its profound influence on English history, culture, governance, as well as reflecting the complexities of monarchy, religion, and societal change during that time. 

Fashion was actually extremely important during the Tudor period, because rich people used their clothing as a sign of how wealthy they were. Their clothes were made from fine wool, linen, and silk and often decorated with gold thread and jewels. Men wore white silk shirts with frills at the neck and cuffs and loose fitting trousers. Women wore corsets under bodices to make their waists look small and padded underskirts to give more structure to the floor-length gowns they wore over them. There were even special rules called Sumptuary Laws to dictate what the different social classes could and could not wear. Only members of the royal family could wear purple silk, only those above the title of Viscount or Baron could wear cloth of gold or silver, and only those who earned over 100 pounds a year could wear satin, damask, silk, or taffeta. 

Based on the Sumptuary Laws of the Tudor era, Pahl and I are posing as a wealthy couple where he has a title above that of Viscount. 

Pahl's outfit consists of a blouse (not sure what color to be honest) under a dark brown gambeson that has additional metal details sewn into the sleeves. Over that he is wearing a red and gold embroidered long waist coat with a damask pattern. This is perfectly layered over a pair of dark red loose fitting trousers. Other accessories that repeat the red trousers include a soft red hat that is a little bigger than a modern beret but fits like one (they called them bonnets back then) with embroidered designs at the base of the cap as well as white and brown feathers coming off one side, and a paisley cravat at the neck. Also at the neck is a ruff, worn backwards so that the tie is facing forward. He is also wearing an elaborate green silk sash over all of these elements which appears to have a three-dimensional cross and other embroidered symbols as well as metallic fringe at the bottom. He completes the functional parts of the look with leather riding boots and a black leather waist belt with pouches. 

I am wearing a long floor length dress that also has a damask pattern in dark green, brown, and gold. The dress has long sleeves that wrap around my arms so that only my hands are visible. Around my neck is also a ruff, the same one in fact as Pahl's, but I am wearing it with the tie in the back and lower along my neckline. On my head I am wearing an elaborate crown complete with beige felted elements, off-white roses and metal chains with pearls hanging off them. An off white veil with gold stars covers the back of my neck and wraps around to the front as well a little. The look is complete with white short heels with gold stamping on them.

I cheated a little bit as I was entirely reliant on the corset lacing at the front of the dress to achieve the waist cinching look and I am not wearing a padded underskirt to give the bottom of the dress more shape. I did this mainly because true corsets and padded skirts are highly uncomfortable elements while driving a vehicle, and I didn't have any time to even attempt to put them on in the parking garage or restroom once I got there. 

We only caught a tiny bit of the lecture about this painting because I am a painfully slow eater.  But what we did learn was that the outfit that Henry the VIII was wearing in this portrait was physically very heavy. All of the layers and jewels would weigh quite a bit, and he must have had to pose for the portrait for awhile while wearing it. Talk about heavy metal!

The museum staff was pretty jazzed about our costume efforts. I think not only do both our outfits work well on their own, but together it is a wonderful complementary contrast of green and red with similar elements of brown and gold. If there was a prize for best costume, we would have won it. But the best prize is knowing we were the best! I hope the museum continues to come up with fun events like this one!