Back Row: Juan, Danielle, Leo, Jax, Kaitlyn, Rosie; Front Row: Mina, Aerial, Pixie

Back around mid October, my friend Rosie set up a fashion club meeting at the Railroad Museum of New England located in Thomaston, CT. If you thought I already covered all the historical transportation museums in my blog over the last year, you were wrong. I hadn't been to this one yet!

Thomaston Station is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture that was used regularly for passenger rail between 1881-1958. The original line connected  the north west town of Winsted in Litchfield County all the way to the city of Bridgeport in Fairfield County following along the Naugatuck River.  Unfortunately, the Thomaston station (which is located about halfway between those two towns) fell into disrepair and later fell victim to a fire set by vandals in 1993. Operations on the NEW (as in it changed hands on a legal level) Naugatuck Railroad commenced in 1996, and volunteers have cleaned and stabilized the structure in preparation for a full restoration. This historical line currently operates between Torrington and Waterbury. 

Every weekend in October, the Railroad Museum of New England offered a pumpkin patch excursion 3x a day. This involved riding the train between Thomaston and Waterville (a neighborhood that is part of Waterbury, CT) and being let off at a small patch of grass with some trees and plenty of hay bales, decorations, and small pumpkins. Tickets weren't too expensive...something around $26 for the round trip. It also included fresh local apple cider (or bottled water), and access to a gallery of photos provided by a professional photographer who partnered with the museum for this purpose. I was expecting to take home a pumpkin (which apparently was just for children >_>;) but the beverage and the hi res professional photos were some nice surprises. 

Even if some people managed to get pumpkins while most of us didn't, we all brought it with our outfits that day. Rosie suggested that we wear Autumn Colors or Halloween themed coordinates and mentioned something about "overseas purple", which is a reference to Japanese brand Atelier Pierrot saying that their purple offerings are very enthusiastically purchased by customers living outside of Japan.  

I love how Juan and Rosie perfectly complement one another with cream, caramel, and warm brown colors for autumn. I also appreciate the little dashes of red that Juan included with their head bow, scarf, and shoes. It was my idea to have the two of them pose together near the tree, but Pixie is the one who captured all the details!

This was apparently Kaitlyn's first time dressing up in the fashion. She wore a completely kuro coordinate. Kuro in Japanese means "black" and is associated with elegance and solemnity. Black is also a great color for the Halloween theme. Aerial wore a royal blue celestial coordinate that she acquired during a visit to Japan this year. It was really neat to see the matching beret and dress details all together. This type of blue is generally good for autumn and winter styles.  It just naturally worked out that Rosie and Juan stood between them so that you could kind of see a visual pattern.  

In this grouping, we kind of took the idea of purple or gurple (grayish purple) to heart. Leo is wearing a black and lavender version of the dress "Magical Milk Cats" by Japanese brand Angelic Pretty. They even had the matching socks and other accessories for this dress. The witch hat and lavender shoes totally take the cake!  Mina made their outfit from scratch! I love how they designed the skirt pattern to alternate the coffin pattern with solid black. It is very striking! Jax is wearing the purple colorway of the dress "Magical Artefact" by Japanese brand Metamorphose. They also paired it with a black blouse and accessories. I am wearing the Witchville Halloween Gothic Set from Chinese indie brand YingLuoFu.  This time I decided to keep the black overskirt at home, as I wanted the purple and navy aspects of the skirt to be really obvious. 

In fact, if you take a closer look at the details in our coordinates, Leo, Jax, and I are not only wearing black and purple, but all of our dresses also have cats on them. The cats on Leo's skirt are gray and white and seem to be surrounded by books, potions, and a crystal ball. The imagery is similar in Jax's dress, but the cats are distinctively black and the illustration over all is more realistic looking. The cats on mine are wearing Victorian style clothing while walking around outside of a sleepy windmill town with a giant crescent moon. Also in the streets are what look like disrobed cartoon zombies and there are also faintly menacing eyes in the sky. Is it supposed to be the Witching Hour? I'd say so with these Halloween themed pieces!

Pixie made this black and silver Halloween spider web themed jsk and paired it with a victorian style black shirt and black and silver spider accessories. The way that she added the black panel in the front breaks up the design nicely and the bow at the bottom is visually interesting. I'm sure that bow could be used a lot of different ways--in the hair, up further towards the waist, etc. I love how ultra creative she is when designing her outfits to match the meeting theme!

Overall this was a really fun time. I kind of wish we had had more time to hang out in the pumpkin patch taking photos or what have you, but the weather had turned cold and rainy (the umbrella is not simply a conveniently matching prop) and we also didn't want to keep the children or the parents who also took this journey with us waiting too long either.

I am happy I got to wear this coordinate for the second time and enjoyed accessorizing it differently. I am also very glad that I had half a mind to bring that velvet capelet with me, because I truly needed it to stay warm when the rain came. (This meeting was just one week after the extremely hot meeting at the fairy exhibit). One thing that is always true living in New England is if you don't like the weather, wait a minute, because it can and will drastically change, especially in the transitional months in the spring and autumn. 

Sarah, Sarah, Jax, Danielle, Jeannette, and Ren

One of the exhibitions that I always wanted to see was the Wee Faery Village Exhibition at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. This is a special exhibition that happens every autumn and is comprised of over 30 fairy style homes that are created by local artists as well as families and classrooms throughout the region. They are placed all along the outside trails and paths of the Florence Griswold Museum. It is a special event and museum admission is twice as much as usual for the event.

I had it in my head that I wanted to go with a group of friends way back in August. So, naturally I hosted a fashion club meeting for it. Jax gave me the idea to do a double meeting--why don't we go to the Old Lyme Inn's Autumn Tea first and then catch the exhibit at the museum (literally 500 ft across the street) afterwards?  We both really enjoyed the Wizard of Oz Tea in the summer, so why not try their autumn offerings too?

This photograph was taken right outside the front of the Old Lyme Inn. This was essentially part one of our meeting, but for some attendees it was the only part. I made attending both parts of the meeting optional, as it could be a potentially all day affair, and I know not everyone has time for that.

As far as the fashion choices for the meeting, I asked attendees to really hone in on the autumn or fairy theme with colors, prints, or styles evocative of autumn. As usual, everyone brought it in their own way.

Jeannette wore a sweet style yellow dress from the brand The Angelic Forest (which is a Pacific Northwest Indie brand) with a pastel purple, blue, and pink print of mushrooms with a pink blouse and accessories.

Jax wore a black dress with flames on it that they got from The Black Ribbon, which is a US based Indie brand. Jax made themselves look more fae like with elf ears and colored contacts that looked more animal than human. 

Sarah R evoked the spirit of the Amanita/ fly agaric mushroom in her Angelic Pretty red dress with white polka dots. She even wore leg warmers that have a similar visual texture that echo part of the amanita mushroom's stem.

Sarah H was autumn personified while wearing their Metamorphose Gobelin tapestry style print dress, rich with wine red, sage green and other autumn colored flowers with its matching bonnet.

I was going for dark autumn fairy, so I incorporated autumn colors of ivory, black, and wine red with a print of dark roses and butterflies. The dress, blouse, and "apron" is a Classic style dress set you can purchase from the Chinese Indie Brand Sweet Date. 

Ally has an adorable orange Country style outfit from the Chinese Indie brand Strawberry Fantasy. It is the perfect color for autumn and I love how it ties in orange and white gingham accents in the apron, bows, shoulder straps and triangle head scarf in the set. 

Addy is wearing a medium pink and black outfit that has different textures incorporated in it. The whole coordinate is dedicated to a sweet yet slightly edgy look which can be seen in the pink chain of the heart bag, as well as the criss cross straps on the skirt and some of the metal details on her shoes. 

Ren is wearing a black dress with a perfectly dark chartreuse blouse and gold heeled booties. They are also wearing the Black Conjuror's Bow from American indie brand Dandy Puppeteer. 

The Autumn tea at the Old Lyme Inn was perfectly decorated and of course the menu changed significantly from our last visit in the summer. This time we were able to taste seasonal flavors like root vegetables, cranberry and apple, cinnamon and pumpkin in both savory and sweet delights. I was absolutely unprepared for the amount of horseradish in the ham and cheese sandwiches. It's almost a month later when I am writing this blog post, and I can still not forget how strong it was! Jax made a comment that this is the kind of sandwich their granddad would prefer!

We had a slightly larger party than last time, and the inn's staff was gracious enough to seat us in a room that was a little more private. I could actually have a conversation with everyone in my group (as the tables do tend to get a little loud in the larger room after awhile). We all took turns taking these photographs in front of the fire place before we left for part two of the meeting. This is my demure headdress--so I hope you're paying attention to an important outfit change!

One wonderful thing that I didn't know about the Wee Fairy Village Exhibit back in August when I planned the meeting, was about this immersive Enchanted Environment that Adrien Broom was tasked with creating inside the museum space as part of the exhibition this year. In Adrien Broom's "Mystical Murmurs: An Enchanted Environment", audiences were invited to "experience the mystical world of the forest and imagine themselves at faerie-scale. Drawing on medieval European folk beliefs and superstitions, faerie-friends are enticed to step inside the colossal mushroom ring, which triggers entrancing songs that infiltrate the circle and seduce guests to dance beyond time."

Honestly, when I saw the darker autumn colors of these larger than life size mushrooms, that's when I decided to wear this outfit as opposed to a mauve and ivory dress that I also own with a fairy print. And then I decided, you know what, I want to wear my duo-horned headdress too to evoke the kind of faery that is mentioned in those medieval European beliefs---trust me they are not all sunshine and roses and can be quite dangerous and deceptive if you don't adhere to certain "rituals of engagement" with them. 

After exiting the Mystical Murmers portion of the exhibition, we proceeded to the Wee Fairy Village. I will highlight some of my favorite houses from this years exhibit below. This is such a great exhibition for children as well, as every house comes with a little rhyme about something you should try to find in it. I enjoyed Sarah and Jax taking turns reading the guide and finding the items with them. 

Overall we had such a fun time! I did not expect the weather to be so warm, so my outfit was a little hot for me and I was very excited when Jax found a snack shack with cold beverages halfway through the fairy house exhibit!  I would definitely go back to this special exhibit again, especially knowing that it changes every year and that I can get lots of walking in around the museum! I will be sure to plan my outfit around the weather the day I decide to go next time too. 

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. 

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!

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!

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. 

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. 

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 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 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. 

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. 

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. 

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!

At the beginning of September, I attended my first fashion meeting since June 2024. This was a meeting that K hosted at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT.  The Maritime Aquarium has over 75 exhibits with over 7500 animals. The journey begins with a freshwater river into a salt marsh and then moves deeper and deeper into the open ocean. This aquarium is great for families as well as adults. They must have three of four different touch tanks where you can touch sting rays, jelly fish, and even sturgeons! The second floor also has a lot of little blocked off areas for kids to relax and play. 

This was a meeting of many firsts. This was the first time I have ever been to this aquarium. This was the first time I've attended a meeting in Fairfield County. And it was the first time my friend Sarah attended a meeting with me!

When K made the meeting, she said folks could wear anything they wanted, or could try for a sea/ ocean theme. Sarah and I decided to go all out for the theme. 

Sarah tucked a white with green and blue nautical symbol print blouse into a white vintage hand stitched cotton skirt. She is wearing a white waist belt with a silver whale tail belt buckle. For accessories she had this elaborately beaded white head piece (that came from G.Fox) that evokes the idea of a starfish resting on her head. She also has a white bag, white socks with pink ribbon design and is wearing white sandals because she can't wear heels. She also wore a silver lobster pin, a spiral shell bracelet, and a couple of mermaid clips that matched the colors in her outfit. 

I'm wearing my purr-maid dress. This was one of the first EGL pieces I ever purchased. The last time I wore it was more than two years ago at the first fashion club meeting I ever hosted!  I honestly don't even know the brand name and the tag doesn't give me any information as it's a white label. But it's adorable from the pink top and bows on the bodice to the skirt print of purr-maids, kitten jellyfish, and cat-shoe crabs resting in their shells. There's also a tulle detail with silver dots where the bodice meets the skirt that evokes the idea of sea foam as it also has pearls sewn into it at various points and is lined with white lace. I'm wearing a white short sleeve peter pan collar blouse with the dress. For accessories, I decided to focus on the sax (light blue) and pink tones in the dress. I wore a gray-blue head bow, abalone and spiral shell earrings, a peachy ammonite necklace, white and pink wrist cuffs, other pastel colored bracelets, a few rings, white, sax, and pink cotton ribbon socks, and Bubble Cat low heel bow shoes in sax that have an ultraviolet shift in sunny lighting. My purse is a large pink and white heart that echoes the pink and white in my coordinate. 

I would be remiss if I didn't talk about Pixie's outfit that she sewed for the Aquarium meeting. She is wearing a dark blue long sleeve stand collar blouse with a black pleated skirt. She sewed an overskirt made out of an old turtle batik skirt from her childhood and added deep blue ruffles to the edges and secured it with pin that looks like an old coin from a buried treasure chest. She is also wearing a patch that says "All Bodies Are Beautiful". Additional accessories include turtle earrings, a couple of rings, and a shark cross body bag. It's almost like the shark bag is looking up to its mother in the tank. She is also carrying a camera. She has both a passion for fashion and a good eye for unique and captivating photos. I must admit, I'm always extra excited when she can make a meeting for this reason. 

While our fashion tends to evoke lots of nice compliments from humans that happen to be in our general vicinity, I noticed that the more intelligent animals also seemed to be completely fascinated with it as well. Deep sea animals that normally hide or ignore humans came out for a look. This sea turtle was really into my outfit. I don't know what exactly about it that captured its attention, but it literally kept banging against the wall of the tank where I was standing. Maybe it thought I looked like a shiny snack...if anyone knows anything about sea turtles behavior, please share your knowledge in the comments. We also managed to get the elusive octopus to come out of its hiding place and do a little dance. So now I have a theory that EGL fashion is enrichment for both humans and animals. 

I loved the aquarium meeting! It was neat seeing so many different kinds of animals in one place. It was also fun to wear this dress again, especially after acquiring more accessories that match it better. And it's always fun to go out with friends!!

One of the first times I dressed up in EGL fashion all summer since the swap meeting was to attend a dinner date with Pahl on the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.  This train service is a very special four course dinner aboard a beautifully restored 1920's Pullman diner car pulled by a vintage diesel locomotive. The website suggests that you "relax and reconnect while our two and half hour scenic journey soothes away the stress of everyday life. The rhythm of the rails and our attentive staff transport you back to a day when rail-service was king and dinner and diner was a delicious special occasion."

It truly felt like we had gone back in time.  We got there early (as it said that the train service was very prompt), so we had a photo shoot at the buildings near the station and other objects of interest while hearing music from the 1920's amplified around the platform.  News Flash, getting there just on time is fine because they still have to move the dining cars to the main platform. I'm not sure if things were running late because there was also a wedding happening at the same time as our dinner train event. They even had a bit of a whoops when part of the wedding's dinner was stuck on the dinner train kitchen car while we were out on our excursion, so as a result, we had a bit of a layover at Deep River Landing (Shipyard) while another locomotive was sent out to pick up the chicken dinners for the wedding reception. 

While you're dining there's a conductor who basically narrates the whole journey. He told us all about the restoration of the cars, how this particular rail connected parts of the shoreline to Hartford area, and pointing out all the major sights of interest including the Deep River and Chester Creek Bridges, Gillette Castle, East Haddam Swing Bridge, and the Goodspeed Opera House. 

The cost of attending such a dinner is $119.95 per person, which you pay for in advance (we purchased our tickets a month in advance, but if it's only a party of two, you can probably wait the week before). Some people booked tables for a whole family and they were all seated together in the same area, which is really excellent planning and coordination on the Dinner Train's part. The service REALLY was impeccable. The rhythm of the rails, is somewhat squeaky and a fair amount of jostling, so I highly suggest ordering an adult beverage on the onset if you truly want to lean into the rhythm. 

Since we knew that the era we were stepping back in time for was roughly the 1920's, we tried our best to look like we were also from the era. I think the Dinner Train staff really appreciate when people dress up, because they gave us one of the best seats in the car and we were able to have a conversation easily as well due to less people overall seated in our area.  Some of the staff came who were assigned to other cars came over to "see what we were wearing", so I think we did a great job. 

I built my outfit around the French Style Elegant Lolita JSK dress from Chinese indie brand Miss Point. For some reason, to me, this dress reminds of some early to mid 1900's fashion, but I can't quite place it. The term JSK for this piece is misleading. I have never been able to find a blouse to wear with this dress, so I am going to refer to it as an OP or one piece until I do. It's a black silver laced and rose design with delicate white lace around the neckline and the bottom of the skirt. This one fits a little more snug than other Miss Point designs that I own. I checked the sizing and the 2XL (which is the size I am wearing) only has a bust of roughly 100 cm (give or take 2-3cm), so if you're normally buying their 2XL for the 102+cm bust, this will probably be too tight. 

Last time I wore this dress, I paired it with more black accessories than pearl, so of course I wanted to see how far I could reiterate the black and the pearl in new ways. I opted for the Miss Point Sally Garden Luxurious Pearl Belt this time as opposed to the black sash that came with the dress. The belt only comes in one size, and I pretty much have to wear it with things that are empire waist, or else my waist is technically too large of a circumference to wear it at all.

For other accessories I am wearing black fishnet style socks that I wore low as opposed to under the knee height paired with my Modo Vintage Elegant Mary Janes in Milky White. I am also wearing a low black bonnet that repeats the same black silver laced material on its bow and has a pearl ribbon around the top of the hat. Instead of wearing long black gloves like the suggestion in the dress listing, I am wearing white, pink and ivory floral beaded wrist cuffs with gold and pearl details hanging off of them. I decided to throw on my "regency choker", which is black velvet with a grey toned jewel surrounded by a gold encasing. Fancy "pearl" earrings back from my days as a retail worker at a store that no longer exists complete the jewelry. Lastly, I brought my all white heart shaped hand bag. This bag comes in many colors that often have a contrast white stitching look to it, but I got the all white because I thought it was the most versatile in my wardrobe. I think it is. I've already worn it for both sweet and classic looks, and I don't doubt it's versatility in an all white gothic look either. 

Pahl kind of looks like one of those adventurer's in the 1920's that explored uncharted jungles. He's got brown cargo aviator pants, paired with a white blouse and a cotton linen blend jacket (with more pockets and a waist sash) from Thomas Farthing that we found for him in London last year. He has his hair slicked back and is wearing small black rimmed glasses, which was a style that was popular of that era. He is also wearing tall laced leather boots and a very special steam punk style watch that lights up and tells the time three different ways. He is also wearing a red paisley cravat with his ensemble. 

The Essex Clipper Dinner Train is a wonderful experience that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to check it out or for a special occasion.  The food and service is great as are the sights to see. It runs all throughout the fall and winter too--so don't think you have to wait till next year!  And make sure if you go, do try your hand at historical fashion. They love when people do that!

The last thing I did on my birthday weekend was to attend a summer swap meet with my community. This was the first time that I had attended a swap meeting in the summer time, as the last time one was held when I was out of the country attending the Jane Austen Regency Festival in Bath, UK.

In general at a swap meeting, be prepared for the unexpected but always have your PayPal/Venmo/Cash prepared in advance.  You can wear an EGL outfit to attend, but it's not required.  If you plan on trying things on, make sure whatever you're wearing wasn't too hard to put on to begin with. And if you have any friends or family interested in the fashion, bring them too. The object of the swap is for the vendors to part with pieces or accessories that just don't fit in their current wardrobe and for other people to buy their stuff. If you don't have anything to trade or sell--that's perfectly fine. Swap meets are a great opportunity to learn about available designs and try things on, especially if you're new to EGL or alt fashion. 

At this particular meeting, there were just as many vendors as the January swap, but some of them were selling adjacent J-Fashion, other alt clothes as well as loads of plushies and other kawaii merchandise and accessories. Someone brought some gorgeous gothic style pieces, but unfortunately they were too small for me. (I'm getting pretty good at eye balling if something will look right on my body type). 

For my outfit, I wanted to primarily wear pieces made of cotton while also representing my love for gothic themes and design. I started with my Bodyline Skull JSK, which if you recall, I wore back in late November 2023 at Elizabeth Park.  Instead of going with a black blouse and accents, I went with a white short sleeve cotton blouse. To be honest, I don't think this stand collar works particularly well with the dress because it doesn't quite lay right between the arm straps of the jumper skirt.  It was basically the only short sleeve cotton shirt that I own that doesn't gap terribly at the bust.  

For accessories, I chose a mixture of light colors and black. First, I tied my hair back in a low ponytail and wore a black velvet bow barrette that has a plastic black skull in the middle. For a necklace, I am wearing the Miss Point Demon Hunter Necklace, which is mainly black with a white steampunk looking skeleton on the brooch. Both the barrette and the necklace are repeating the skulls shown on the skirt of the dress. I am wearing lightweight black wrist cuffs that button around the wrist. I added a jeweled black and white striped bow to the top middle of the dress and wore a black velvet bow ring with a white pom pom in the center. Believe it or not I didn't have simple white calf socks at the time, so I wore the Roji Roji Victoria Maid socks in pink. It is such a light pink it almost reads as white in the photographs, but it is not in vain. There is light pink and purple accents in the design on the skirt of the dress as well. I could not believe how comfortable these socks are even if you have wide calves! I wore black patent low heeled tea parties to complete my outfit. Could I have upped the accessory game? Probably, but I wanted to keep it light knowing I might want to try things on later. 

Pahl got me this corset dress at the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire. The bodice material reminds me of a really nice soft washcloth and I love the antique rose design on it. The necklace that seems to look like it was made for it I purchased at the swap meet. 

If you know Pahl, he's really into Regency fashion. The Sally Gardens elegant OP dress from Chinese indie designer Miss Point is somehow an EGL dress that looks like it should be from the Regency era. It is absolutely stunning. I don't know how I managed to get such a well matched head dress at the swap meet, but I did. It just keeps proving that someone else's pieces that they picked up that don't actually match anything in their wardrobe could very well be just the thing someone else needs to complete an outfit they already own (or were given for their birthday). 

We also went to Home, which is one of my favorite local restaurants because of their delicious seasonal menu and their "living room" that mimics the inside of someone's house with casual comfy couches and low tables. I sometimes have trouble eating in traditional dining room settings because I am sensitive to fast paced loud environments. But when I'm in the living room at Home, I feel like I can eat at my own pace and have my own little space in a quieter area. I had ordered hot tea because we were caught in a torrential downpour while trying to get into the restaurant. I only briefly regretted choosing all cotton in that moment, but it dried fairly quickly. 

All the gifts and little activities we did made me feel special and very loved. It was a wonderful birthday weekend and I am excited to wear these pieces soon at upcoming autumn and/or spring events in the coming year!

The last weekend in June was the first weekend of the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Festival. I decided that since my birthday was to fall on a Monday this year, I might as well start celebrating it the weekend before. So the first thing I did was to attend my favorite small local renaissance faire. This Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Festival is so small it will seem rather underwhelming to folks who have visited a town that is an all year round Renaissance Faire.  BUT, it's my favorite because I love to see my favorite acts like The Harlot Queens, Foxy and the Bard, and Shakespeare Approves!, which may not play at other local festivals. I also run into people I know approximately every 20 minutes on average. It's nice to catch up with local folks who I might just see this one time a year, that aren't specifically involved in EGL fashion or other fashion groups. 

We attended this faire two weekends in a row last year, and you can see what I wore for summer fashion in my "What do You Wear to a Renaissance Faire?" post. This year I knew going in that it would be hot, possibly muggy. I had certainly acquired a few more EGL pieces as well as a real renaissance faire dress that comes with detachable sleeves that I got at the fall faire last year. I even learned how to wear the corset Pahl got me last year for my birthday at our first weekend at the Midsummer Faire. What would I wear this time?

I decided that I was going to go as a gothic fairy. I already wore part of this outfit for the Cherry Blossom Festival this year, and now that it was warm enough to wear less layers, I could showcase another version of this outfit. This piece comes from the Chinese indie brand Alice Girl and is referred to as the Gothic Blood Rose Skirt and Corset. This time I am also wearing the matching bolero instead of a warm fluffy cardigan.

I kept my hair almost the same with the the rose and crystal headbands, but instead of leaving my hair down, I put it up in a high ponytail and braid. I stuck the fascinator that had been placed at the waist of the skirt before in the upper part of my ponytail for visual balance. I also incorporated additional colors of silver and black. The day was threatening rain and there was mud in some areas of the field, so I could not wear my precious EGL shoes for the occasion!  Instead I wore black boots that matched the black and silver waist pouch that I wore to hold money, ID, and keys. I repeated the silver in my bright silver tights paired with silver fairy wings and silver fairy ear cuffs.

I also kept the Ribbon Hem on the bottom of the skirt, which is another separate piece to this this outfit. I had to ditch the matching flowing trailing this time, as it was practically dragging on the ground because I received no additional height from these boots compared to my platform shoes I wore with it last time. I also didn't wear the matching choker this time either. Basically if you wear the bolero you can't wear the choker. I don't make the rules, but it felt like the neck bow brooch of the bolero and the rose and beaded detailing of the choker were competing too much with each other. 

​Believe it or not, there are still additional accessories for this outfit that I purchased at the same that I haven't worn with it yet. It's a very versatile outfit and you can buy all the pieces separately, so if you like the bolero and the flowing trail for something else in your wardrobe, but don't want the skirt and corset because it's too gothic, then you have that option. 

Up until now, you might have been wondering why it is referred to as a Gothic style when it is light pink. If you look closely, there are bat wings at the middle of the bodice after the intercrossing ribbons and the lace is actually pink crosses. The textural pattern on the bodice and skirt is a thick sort of rose brocade. All of these elements tend to land in the Gothic style category more frequently than not. This outfit also fits into the subcategory of Ero style because of its corset like bodice, slightly exposed shoulders, and shorter length skirt. 

You can see all of the details I mentioned much better in the professional photos that my friend Kit Catlett took at the faire. It just worked out that I was standing in front of a tapestry with branches that seemed to be sprouting out of my shoulders while matching the red details in my outfit. The wand prop is actually a wand that Pahl made for me. He said it was supposed to go with a fairy outfit. Sadly, it broke on the way home in my bag. Apparently the wood was "not that good" to begin with. 

All in all I had a wonderful time wearing this outfit again. It only took me 10 minutes to put on as opposed to the first time where it took about 40 minutes of figuring out how to assemble it  with all the layers and accessories. I also enjoyed meeting friends at the faire. It was an excellent start to my birthday weekend!!

Clockwise Starting in the back: Nemia-Rose, Jax, Pahl, Sarah, and Danielle

Back when Pahl and I attended the Alice in Wonderland Tea in April at the Old Lyme Inn, we learned that the theme for June 2024 was going to be The Wizard of Oz. I shared this with members of my fashion club, and we agreed to meet up there on the second Saturday of June. I encouraged folks to dress in the style of any character from the Wizard of Oz. 

Nemia-Rose styled herself like the lion. (She and I have an affinity for the less popular EGL color of brown, and I love to see what she puts together). She is wearing a chocolate themed Baby The Stars Shine Bright Dress, featuring their mascot Usakumya (which is a bunny-bear). Her accent colors are white and bright red, which she repeats in her beret, collar of her blouse, pinned ribbons on the cardigan, and tights and socks. I think she added the red to convey the idea of courage or bravery, because that is what the lion is trying to find in the film. 

Jax styled their self after Dorothy. The dress is a blue gingham design that they MADE themselves. They paired it with white lace accents that include a 3/4 sleeve blouse, wrist cuffs, choker, and tights. The head bow is a clever blue and white piece that can go with a lot of outfits. Their shoes aren't actually red, but in this lighting they do look a little more red than brown. Apparently the picnic basket was given to them by a family member when they were born, so it holds extra meaning for them. 

Pahl of course had to be the Wizard! He built his outfit off the green waistcoat and cameo pin I gave him for Christmas. He wore a white shirt under the waistcoat, but the rest of the pieces in his outfit are black or green. His black top hat and black oxfords are accented with green matching hat band and spats. He also repeats the black in his trousers. Other green accents include his bow tie, his long green velvet tail coat, and his fingerless leather gloves. He also crafted the wand himself from wood and natural stones that are green. 

If Sarah had to be a character from the Wizard of Oz, I guess she'd be the narrator. She is wearing a Wizard of Oz themed dress from the brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It is colorfully illustrated with different scenes from the story all around the skirt. A  yellow gingham print with rose and floral accents surrounds the scenes. She's wearing a white blouse that includes red ribbon accents. She cleverly repeats this bright red in her head bows as well as her shoes. The head bow I believe is the matching one to the dress, and the pink heart shaped bag brings out the pink in each scene on the dress. (Honestly, I'm sure she can represent any character with this one, or Dorothy, in yellow). 

Here I am, also representing the lion. This dress is from the Chinese indie brand Alice Girl. The name of it is "Vintage Doll Family" and it was released at the tail end of 2023. I think I ordered this in November, and after a four and half month wait, it finally arrived. It has one hidden side seam pocket and is the long version of the skirt. Due to the heat of summer, I swapped out the blouse that goes with this jumper skirt with this one that came with my YingLuoFu Classic Oil Painting JSK. I figured that since both jumper skirts are the under bust style, that the blouse would be fine and provide me some much needed relief in its shorter sleeve length. I'm wearing a very curly blonde wig, which I was trying to evoke the style of the hair seen in the lion in the Wizard of Oz movie. On top of the wig, I am wearing the matching brown wool hat to Vintage Doll Family, which to note, is too big for my head without the wig. White and gold wrist cuffs as well as off white lacy crew socks complete my lighter accents. I'm also wearing my favorite brown platform shoes from Modo with the clip on bows this time. I don't know if you can see it, but I'm also wearing a gold and red military medal on my blouse.

All day long every where I went random people kept asking me about the medal.  And then I had to explain my abstract Lion outfit to them. If you would like attention from strangers, just wear a medal with any outfit, not even an EGL one. 

The menu as well as the decor were just as carefully curated as the Alice tea was and it was so wonderful to enjoy the inn's handmade savory and sweet options. 

That shoe sugar cookie was really good, as well as the sandwiches, macarons, and truffles. The key lime pie was kind of overly sweet to me. I loved the care and attention that went into the rainbow cake. Afternoon teas are mainly a sweet affair, so you have to pace yourself. 

I know the angles of these photos make it hard to know exactly how big the space actually is because the lens on the cell phone camera distorts everything to a wide angle. I would say about 20-24 people can sit in comfortably is this area of the Inn, but there are a few other places they may seat folks for Afternoon Tea. That's why reservations are necessary for groups!

All in all it was so nice to bring a group to the Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea. The Inn staff went above and beyond to make sure we had what we needed and were very attentive. They also gave us an impromptu photo shoot which I am very grateful for, as many of the photos in this post were ones that their staff took for us.  

Believe it or not, every year, the Downtown Milford Business Association in Milford, CT hosts an annual free pirate day event during the first Sunday in June. This happened to be the 22nd Annual event and it was my first time attending. The event invites folks to dress like a pirate, rock out with Rockin' Ron the friendly pirate, and watch Captain Kidd and his mutinous crew invade Milford Harbor around noon. Then the event transitions to a scavenger hunt on the Milford Green and surrounding businesses, along with food trucks, vendors, and live music. There's no entrance fee and the event is very family friendly. The festivities are from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, (which I imagine is perfect if you have young ones that need something to do before a nap). For us...not so much. We had a long day in Hartford the day prior attending a production of Beetlejuice the musical, and honestly could not get there until around 1:00 pm after putting on our costumes and finding parking. Parking around downtown Milford and side streets and neighborhoods is free, but it is CHALLENGING to find a spot. We parked somewhere between Lisman's Landing and Downtown proper, and I'm not sure exactly where we were parked, except that we were rather close to the Milford Historical Society. 

At the Milford Historical Society, New London's Free Men of the Sea were offering a presentation on actual tools and pirate lore as well as donning historical dress. Apparently Captain Kidd really did visit Milford, CT on his final voyage as a stop on his way to Boston in 1699 (before his subsequent arrest, imprisonment, and being returned to England for trial and execution).

​It is known that Captain Kidd buried treasure off of Gardiner's Island just off of Long Island, but locals believe he also hid a portion on Charles Island, a 14 acre island connected to Silver Sands State Park by a rocky outcrop that is only accessible during low tide and winter months for those who want to explore it, as it currently remains a state protected bird sanctuary. You can read more about the island itself, why it's called the "Thrice Cursed Island" and actual local accounts of their experiences on the island at Damned, Connecticut. 

Now, if you recall, we dressed up like Pirates last summer for a pirate event in New London. For this event, I basically did a variation of my pirate costume from last year with a couple of new layering pieces. I kept the bandana as my headpiece with bold dramatic makeup. I'm wearing the crow skull necklace again,  but a different layering necklace I got a million years ago when I worked at The Limited. I'm wearing six stone bracelets on each wrist. And of course I can tell you which stone each one is along with their metaphysical properties, in case you were wondering.  The blouse and skirt is the same, but this time I am wearing a waist belt that has two large pockets that hang down over my skirt and a real corset!

I thought I had corsets in my 20's that I bought at Hot Topic that had button closures, but this one is the real deal. It has metal clasps in the front and is boned all around. The covering is a satin/silk and it is decorated with ornate black lace and black beading on the top and bottom. The lace up ties in the back lace up in the middle of it and any extra gets tucked into the top or bottom of the corset (whichever is easier). I gotta say, the first 45 minutes or so wearing it, especially while sitting, was pretty difficult. I felt a shortness of breath, even though I hadn't  pulled it as tight as it could go. (It's technically a bit big for me, but I considered that a sort of insurance as women's bodies tend to get bigger over time). But thankfully, after walking around in it for a few hours, it conformed to my body, and I had no problem sitting up very straight and comfortably sitting cross-legged on the ground eating tacos by 3:00 pm. 

I also wore my snake fishnets instead of regular fishnets. Honestly...I couldn't find my regular ones..and now that I think about it, I believe I tossed them because they were old and ripped...badly last time I wore them. The boots are the same choice as well. I feel like these are the perfect edgy pirate boots for the heat of the summer. 

Now the only thing that's the same about Pahl's outfit from last year, may just be his bandana, his pants, and his boots. He's wearing a different linen/cotton blend long sleeve shirt, with a definitely more pirate like tail coat that is a deep red velvet with black lace details and silver buttons. He's getting good use out of his baldric with a very nice metal cutlass and a pretty convincing revolver hanging from his waist belt. You can't see it in this picture, but he's wearing a silver octopus belt buckle. Another addition this year is a cheap tricorn pirate's hat that he added some feathers and a few other things to make it more snappy looking. Oh and of course, he doesn't have long hair either anymore. 

By the time this photo was taken, I had worn the corset for over 3 hours and even eaten a full meal in it. Pahl says that I need more props to look more like a pirate. He let me borrow his revolver so I could look like some of those fierce female pirates depicted in the tv program "Our Flag Means Death". 

I enjoyed myself at the festival and was very happy to have managed to break in my corset during the event. It has given me the confidence to invite other corset like garments into my life.  Pahl had a blast handing out coins to young children and being asked to take photos with random people and families at the event. My pirate costume wasn't as good and it's alright. I haven't put as much thought or money into my costume, but maybe next year I'll add a tricorn hat to help keep the sun off my face. 

L-R: Danielle, Jax, Becca, Emma, Amber, Caroline, Alice, Bianca (in front)

Around the end of May 2024, I attended a fashion meeting with my local community. We went to Emrey's Speciality Sweets & Sodas and it's night time business The 196 Club , along with visiting shops along the Pratt Street Historic District in Hartford, CT. Both businesses are located at the same address (196 Trumbull St), yet one of them has a secret entrance, requires reservations in advance, and only opens in the evening. 

Emrey's, located just across the street from the XL Center and near the Yard Goat Baseball Park, offer's a vintage soda bar with a variety of old-fashioned sodas, milkshakes, ice cream and select coffee creations. They also offer old fashioned candies and other gifts available for purchase as well as a digital photo booth. The inside is well lit, bright, and decorated in 1950's pastel pink with white and black tiles and accents. There is seating inside at the counter and other tables on the side. The counter fits a group of 8 comfortably, even while some of them are wearing hoop skirts. 

Now at this point, you might be wondering why six people are wearing all pastel colors and why the other people are essentially wearing gothic styles in the group photo. Was it because the goth people lacked closet options? No, on the contrary, they were dressed for the speakeasy portion of the meeting. 

The 196 Club, (also located at 196 Trumbull Ave) totes itself as "an intimate and casually glamorous space for inspired cocktails, decadent bits, and rumored debauchery". You have to go to their Instagram to inquire on how to find it, but you must make reservations in advance either on their website or calling in advance. The dress code is upscale casual...we nailed that part no problem. They offer a variety of cocktails as well as mock-tails and small plates and desserts. Where as the Sweet shop evoked the charm and whimsy of the 1950's, the Speakeasy went further back in time to express an intimate yet darkly lit space of the 1920's prohibition era. Red painted walls with framed advertisements from the era hung near our small tables. We each ordered a drink and two small plates to share with everyone in our group, so I must say that I've also tried most of the menu. It is very good, but don't expect to eat a full dinner. It's just not that kind of place. 

We had a bit of time before we could enter the speakeasy, so we all ordered speciality sodas in the meantime before settling down for our group photos. Pahl and I shared the lavender soda. I usually don't really like drinking soda, but I'm still dreaming about this one almost two months after I got it. The lavender flavor was subtle, but the overall taste was sweet (but not too sweet) and very refreshing! 

For my outfit, I went with black, gray, silver, and off white as my main colors. The dress I'm wearing is called, "Where is the Bat?", and it is by a Polish indie brand called Lady Sloth. I purchased this dress from another member in my community earlier this year at a swap meet. The dress is light gray, with matte black illustrations of sphinx cats and bats with silver and black stars. It comes with a black waist tie. In other photos I've seen of it, it also comes with a black bow you can place on the bodice or a strap, but that wasn't part of mine. This dress is very comfortable and even has pockets.

Since it was getting to be warm outside, I opted for a mesh inner blouse from Chinese Indie brand Honey Machine.  It was my first time wearing it, and it's neat how the shoulders poof out a bit while the rest of the arm tapers down to a small flare at the wrist. It was a little tight in the chest for me, but other than that it fits fine for an inner blouse. I also wore ribbed lace heart pattern calf socks to echo the mesh look of the blouse. Now because I knew I was dressing for the speak easy, this is where I did some things that are different. I wore my Miss Point Rhine Riverside Top Hat and my Modo~Vintage Elegant Three Buckle Mary Janes in the off white to match the pearl details of the hat. I completed my outfit with silver and black jewelry along wtih a matte black shoulder bag. I am also wearing a hoop skirt for comfort. It is slightly big for my skirt, but it helped with comfort while walking around in the sun especially. 

Pahl wanted to match my black and gray look, so he wore a white striped shirt, a more casual gray and black herringbone waist coat, black jeans, black and gray herringbone oxfords, a gray bow tie with black polka dots, and a black hat. 

It's always fun when someone plans a fashion meeting at a place that serves food and drinks where we can simply socialize and get to know one another. And this particular one was very clever to boot--with both the sweet shop and the speak easy portions. You could attend one or the other, or both--it  was a great way to get out and experience some cool new businesses in our little state!