2010 JASNA AGM Report: Muslin
by HML
Part the Third: In which, mayhem and mystery having been sufficiently discussed, muslin is all that remains. Fans of Mrs. Allen may say we saved the best for last.
As eager as we are to get to the ball, (you knew this was coming) that is getting ahead of the story just a little. First, we would be remiss if we failed to show off the stunning display of costume and fashion in the Milsom Street Emporium, all designed and executed by Susan Pasco. Everything was so beautiful.
It was such a treat to examine gowns, hats, and other accessories up close and marvel at the care and detail that went into making them.
This richly embroidered Georgian gown was my favorite:
Many thanks to Susan for generously sharing her collection with the AGM attendees!
The Emporium was well-stocked with vendors offering something for every taste and budget: antique laces and ribbons; original and replica fashion plates; tea and teacups; Regency clothing, hats and accessories; books, books, books, and more.
Checking in again with the Antique Fashionista and her Dogsbody, she was managing to keep up with a steady stream of requests for original watercolors. When the Emporium closed Saturday afternoon, we helped Team Fashionista pack up shop, then dressed for the banquet and ball.
This year’s ball was designated a “Bal Masque”, providing the opportunity for extra creativity in the evening’s attire.
One couple brought the cover of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters to life, and more than one elegant pair of vampires was seen gliding through the crush of the social hour.
Supernatural or not, it was almost overwhelming to see so much finery in one place, and there were countless gowns (and well dressed gentlemen) to admire.
“I simply must have the name of your mantua-maker!” I was delighted to meet Agnes and thank her in person for creating the gorgeous turban made to match my ball gown. Both of us are wearing gowns designed and created by Susan Pasco’s partner, the fabulous Tamara Fidler.
In Gothic fiction, it is customary to interrupt the action at the most exciting moment with a long, rambling discourse on the picturesque or an interview with a garrulous domestic. In that spirit, this seems like a grand time to step away from the ball and describe my gown and accessories.
Given that this year’s topic was Northanger Abbey and the meeting would be held over Halloween weekend, I decided to go Gothic for this AGM.
Inspired by a fashion plate from the April, 1810 issue of Ackermann’s Repository, I sent Tamara a scan and she came up with a stunning fabric palette of crushed wine-red velvet, black lace with ruffled trim, and burgundy satin to line the lace. Delicious! As with the pink gown she designed for the Vancouver AGM, Tamara’s gowns are extremely comfortable to move around in and for dancing. The skirt is a little fuller in the back, but there is no train, and the ruffled lace edge peeks out across the bodice and at the gown hem. The cutouts on the sleeves and gown are accented with buttons where the points join.
Agnes used the remnants from the gown to create the turban, proving that muslin (or satin and velvet) can never be said to be wasted. A jet beaded ornament decorates one side of the turban while a long black feather curves over the top to grace the other side.
The necklace and earring set was a lucky Etsy find. I used to own garnet and onyx pieces which would have suited this gown very well, but all my jewelry was stolen when our home was burglarized earlier this year. A search of my favorite local boutiques was unsuccessful, and time was growing short. When I saw this garnet necklace and matching earrings in the Beaded Dreams Etsy shop, I was immediately struck by how closely the design matched a set of jewelry from an 1811 issue of Ackermann’s Repository, featured in my December wallpaper. It was as if the set had been created to match the gown.
Enough, already: back to the ball!
Team Tilney and their Extraordinary Gentlemen strike a pose at the banquet. Don’t we clean up nice? And by nice I do mean neat and refined; thank you, Mr. Tilney.
After the banquet, those in costume were invited to promenade around the room, after which most of the tables were cleared away for the ball. The musicians and caller were excellent and many people chose to dance in the long sets.
Despite being on her feet for three days straight, the Antique Fashionista and her Dogsbody danced nearly all the dances.
Col. and Mrs. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters brought their two adorable children to see the early stages of the ball. They danced off to the side until the little ones quietly fell asleep and were bundled off to bed.
Such a grand evening, and it always seems to end too soon.
Epilogue: We drove Team member Kelley to the airport early Sunday morning, then headed north to rescue the grandparents from the Things. Having written previously in praise of attending JASNA AGMs, I hope that the photos and accounts on this and other attendee’s blogs will demonstrate that these general meetings offer something for every Janeite: plenary speakers and breakout sessions ranging from the scholarly to the entertaining; an opportunity to explore a possibly hitherto unfamiliar city; shopping, dining, glorious fashions and dancing; and best of all, several days well spent in the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.
- AustenBlog’s AGM report by Margaret Sullivan
- Austenprose’s AGM report by Laurel Ann Nattress
- Several AGM reports and photo galleries, including GimletBlog, collected by Jane Austen Today
- Flickr set of AGM portraits by Lorena Sanchez
Visit the Gimlet Gallery to see more photos from the AGM.
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Tags: ackermann's repository, fashion plates, JASNA, local fun, portland
November 3rd, 2010 08:34
Goodness, that dress is truly elegant. I adore that crushed velvet, and the cutouts are very fetching. It’s been fun to read your accounts, and I enjoyed the diversion to discuss the fashion at length.
It looked like the Mr. Tilney had a good time, I hope he gets a lot of mileage out of telling that story.
Oh, and I quite admire the overdress-gown in the last picture on this post. I can’t even find a word for the colour of the overdress (I should look at a box of crayons), but I think I’m quite taken with the overdress styles. I followed your link to the pink gown you wore previously, and quite admire that one, too. How fun to have excuses to wear such lovely gowns!
November 3rd, 2010 12:32
Thanks.
I love the gown in the last photo, too. There were pretties to admire everywhere. People really have fun putting their outfits together for this ball, and there are those who dress up for the entire meeting.
On our shopping trip we visited a knitting shop and an embroidery shop which were next door to each other. The knitters were loading up on stash (thanks to a special JASNA attendee discount the shops offered) and it looked like a very nice store – lots and lots of pretty yarn. The embroidery shop had plenty of stash enhancement to keep me happy, too.
Mr. Tilney did such a super job and was such a good sport. He really got the rock star treatment from the ladies.