Coco 2019 Gala - 1830s Explosion!

For this year's Costume College gala, the theme was "The Opulent Streets of Venice," which can be, well, anything really!

Abby, Chrissy, and I decided to be opulently wide and fluffy, so we donned our 1830s silk dresses. We originally made these gowns for Dickens Fair last Christmas, so Coco was only the second time wearing them for me and Abby, the third for Chrissy.

me, Chrissy, and abby - we're nothing if not colorful! I brought back some Venetian masks from our trip last October and have been stashing them for this event all this time.

We tracked down Anne Lister! Cathy Hay attracted the attention of many an 1830s lady that night.

It's a p.i.t.a. to travel with bonnets by plane, especially really huge 1830s ones, so Chrissy and I opted to make ridiculous barbe caps - or "lizard caps" as we now call them. Both of our caps are made from vintage cotton organdy and trimmed in broad ribbons.

Chrissy's lizard cap is extra. EXTRA with more extra thrown in.

I made a mistake on mine which meant the ruffles weren't as big as intended, but Chrissy's came out *HUGE* and *FABULOUS*! If you'd like the gridded pattern for this cap, it's available over on our Patreon.

My favorite view of 1830s dress is the back because those sleeve are just beyoooooond

Abby's gorgeous plaid gowns. I just love this thing.

We had a great time bouncing down the Red Carpet, then we headed over to the nearby mall for dinner. There were Bird Scooters on the way, so naturally, as one is really obligated to do in historic dress, we spent a few moments zipping around the mall like hooligans.



All-in-all it was a fabulous evening of fluffy-puffy-silliness, and now we're all off on a bender making more 1830s gowns to do silly things in. Stay tuned for shenanigans! #gigotgirlgang