Gillette Castle State Park

Gillette Castle Fall Picnic & Castle Tour

H, Danielle, Maxie, Mina, Jax, Rosie, Sarah, and Barbara outside the back of the Castle
Photo Credit to Pixie

At the end of September, coincidentally on the first day of Autumn, I hosted a fashion club meeting at Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT. Gillette's Castle was the former home of actor, director, and playwright William Hooker Gillette, who is most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. This mansion was built in 1914, is over 14,000 square feet, sits 200 feet over the Connecticut River atop the most southerly hill in an area surround by 184 acres of Connecticut woodlands.  William Gillette gave specific instructions in his will that the property did not fall into the hands of "some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what he is surrounded", so thankfully the state of Connecticut eventually purchased it for a small sum and turned it into a state park for everyone to visit at their leisure. Semi-self guided tours of the interior of the castle are available daily from spring until fall, and cost just $6.00. 

Sarah, Barbara, Danielle, Erik Photo credit to Pixie

I started the meeting by a semi-secluded pond area that is located closer to the entrance of the park. I asked attendees to bring something to share. Everyone brought something they made or purchased. I made gluten free pumpkin spice mocha blondies. They were very popular. Sarah, Erik, and Barbara brought half the food. They went all out with veggies, artisanal meat and cheese, every condiment you could think of, pickles, just a little bit of everything. We filled an entire picnic table with just food for the picnic. Some of the attendees  just stayed in the pond picnic area the whole time. They had been inside the castle before and had picnic blankets and games to play. I think next time I go I will follow their lead, but I had never been inside the castle before and really wanted to see it!

Sarah, Erik, Jax, Danielle, Barbara waiting for the tour to start Photo credit to Pixie

I didn't realize this, but the tour is actually a one way only that starts on the ground level of the castle. You meet your tour guide at this archway at the ground level and tickets have a timed entrance. Weekends are very popular, so if you know you are going with a group, you should buy your tickets in advance. From the ground level you go up a staircase, peer into the basement workshop, spy a secret door, look very carefully at all the specially designed by Gillette himself intricate door locks, and enter into a grand room. Every detail of the house is meant to appear medieval but in a modern way. Lots of wood, stone, and straw like details throughout. There is even a greenhouse at this end!

Danielle in the greenhouse Photo credit to Pixie

One of the things that Gillette had a fond love for was cats. At one point, he had at least 20 cats, whom he named after distinguished people of his time. His housekeeper would ring a bell in the evening so that all of the cats would come home for dinner. On his dining room table, several wooden hanging pieces were meant to be toys for the cats, and nearly every wall is covered in decorative woven rattan. To me, the rattan seems very similar to the type of material that most modern day cat scratching posts are made out of. This makes me think Gillette carefully designed the home not only for his aesthetic, but also the needs of his feline companions. 

Jax and Barbara on the 2nd floor railing

There were parts of the castle, especially the hallways, which were kind of dimly lit. This second floor is relatively narrow and includes a couple of small bedrooms and another staircase that leads to a giant art gallery, library, and display area. 

Pixie, Barbara, Jax, Sarah, Erik, Rosie, Danielle, Maxie and Mina Photo credit to Dyzer

This group photo was taken on the third floor in the library. Fun fact! On the wall to the left of this photo are paintings done by Pamela Coleman Smith (the illustrator of the Rider-Waite Smith tarot deck!) In the glass case are copies of letters that Gillette sent to his contemporaries, family, and friends. The library books are very intriguing and we weren't quite sure why the shelves were built so that you couldn't really take them off the shelves, but it lent itself to a good group shot area. 

So let's talk about the fashion choices for this meeting. I originally had an idea that we should try to match the exterior or interior of the castle with rustic colors. If you do a web search for rustic colors, it pulls up a little more than your stereotypical orange, red, yellow, and brown that we would associate with autumn specifically. However, Jax thought we should also open up the fashion choices to "prints with cats" on them because of Gillette's love for cats. Since we ended up with more rustic choices than folks wearing prints with cats, I will highlight some of my favorite rustic outfits from the meeting. 

Rosie, by the pond. Photo credit to Pixie

Rosie is a self-styled sweet choco-lita. Her entire wardrobe consists of different prints and designs of brown with cream and white accents. I like how she carefully coordinated the brown and white dress with a warm brown blouse and a white cardigan. She repeats the white again in her rectangle headdress and shoes. The darker brown in her socks reflects her hair a little, pulling in both the dark and warm brown elements throughout the coordinate. 

Pixie in the Greenhouse

Pixie not only takes most of the photos that I use in my blog posts, but also makes all of her own dresses. She absolutely did not disappoint with this dinosaur themed dress that utilizes an array of rustic colors including three different types of green, warm brown, cool gray, and white. She has a triceratops skull belt buckle and green dinosaur earrings. She repeats the warm brown again in her bolero, hat, wrist cuffs, and boots. She's also wearing green lipstick that matches the dinosaurs in her dress, and the interior of the greenhouse. 

Maxie by the pond Photo credit to PIxie

This was Maxie's first Connecticut fashion club meeting. She really brought it with the rustic color and theme skirt. I love how it seems to depict both night and day in the autumn, depending on which part of the skirt you are looking at. I just love how this photo that Pixie took really showcase how much it stands out against the greens in the pond. 

Danielle by the Pond; Photo credit to Pixie

Here is my regency inspired one piece dress from the Chinese indie brand Miss Point. The Sally Gardens~ Elegant Lolita Lotus Sleeves OP Dress features a square collar, lotus root sleeves, an empire waist, ribbons and flower decorations at the chest/cuffs, and a long length. The fabric is embroidered chiffon with cotton and linen lace. This is the "light coffee" variation of this dress, and even though it is essentially light brown and beige, it also has small green ribbons and green and light blue embroidery of flowers all along the front and side panels of the dress. It's not only stunning, flowy, and breathable, but pretty easy to put on (it's a dress that you can step into a zip up the back). Other accessories I added that are also from Miss Point include the straw bonnet, lace choker, and pearl waist belt. My purse of the day is my beige and brown violin that looks like it was made for this dress. 

Candid shot Pixie took of Danielle, Barbara, and Mina learning about the unique lock on the door

Rosie and Mina in front of the scenic outlook, Photo credit to Pixie

Barbara, Jax, and Rosie, Photo taken by Pixie

Danielle overlooking the riverview from the library

The view through a similar window in a different part of the house Photo credit to Pixie

I had such a fun time and we were blessed with the most gorgeous weather! I really enjoyed touring the castle interior and taking photos with friends, but I think next time I go I will focus more on picnicking, taking photos outside, and wearing some sturdier shoes to explore some of the trails around the castle. Thank goodness the State of Connecticut purchased and renovated this park and mansion so that many people can enjoy it with little or no cost!