Steampunk Symposium Part I: Con Report!

You've all been waiting for this one, haven't you? That's right, it's time for the con report!

This was my second year attending Steampunk Symposium. Last year was the first year of the con. I have to say, while the hotel was nicer this year, I actually liked it less. The staff were very rude, the service was horrible, and the physical layout of the hotel wasn't as amenable to just hanging out and meeting people as the previous location. Each panel, section, etc, was very segregated from the other parts of the convention. It was also a lot more expensive than last year--almost double the price per room (granted, the rooms were a lot nicer looking and more comfortable, but the other problems kind of negated it.

All that aside, however, we did have a great time. 

Friday kicked off the panels. The first one we attended was on corset making. It was absolutely fascinating, but I'm not quite ambitious enough to give it a go just yet. Missouri is contemplating it, however. We'll see what she comes up with. 

Following that, we hosted our own panel on Maintaining History. There was talk of costumes and typewriters, old books and leather. Not many people showed up, but the ones that did asked some good questions and I think that they enjoyed it. 

Speaking of typewriters, I did spot one while we were there: 

This Underwood was being used as a prop at one of the booths. It's in great condition (despite my poor photography). I wanted to play with it a little, but no one was manning the booth and  didn't want to be poking at things that didn't belong to be, so I walked away reluctantly. The next time we went by the booth it was gone.

I also spotted this phonograph machine by the check in; I thought it was quite cool, especially since it still had the cylinders.


We only did one other panel that night, since we were both tired: Con Sociology, the Zen of Flirting. At lot of the things in that panel could be used for general networking, but it was a lot of fun and the host was hilarious.

There were, of course, parties aplenty on both Friday and Saturday nights, but neither Missouri nor I are much for large parties. For starters, neither of us drinks or enjoys being around people who are drinking, so we spent our evenings relaxing in our room and making tweaks to our costumes.

On Saturday, we did some shopping in the morning. I think that there were more vendors this year than last, but there was a lot less variety in their wares. A few stands outs included hand-blended teas, a purveyor of vintage kimono, and leather top hats. There were a lot of people selling corsets and costumes of various sorts, but most were quite expensive (not overpriced, mind, but most people don't got to a convention with $150, $200+ dollars to spend in the dealers room). There was less jewelry and accessories than last year, but a lot more author tables, which I whole-heartedly support. I heard a rumor that a publisher had a booth in the dealer's room, but we searched it thoroughly and couldn't find it.

For me, the highlight of the entire weekend came on Saturday afternoon, when we took a stage fighting class. Fencing, to be specific. Most of the class was using rapiers, but they ran out when they got to me so I got to play with a cane sword. Here I am (or at least my back) practicing part of the routine they were teaching use. 

Did I mention? The class was taught by this guy, who arranged the fight scenes in the Highlander TV series and Hook, which was one of my favorite movies as a kid. So cool! So much fun! I really want to take fencing lessons now!

We finished off Saturday with more costuming panels on bustles and corset fitting, and one on Victorian mysticism and occult beliefs, and hilarious panel on Victorian Erotica. I don't think I stopped laughing for the entire hour. Sunday wound things down with Goths in Steampunk, and LGBTQ in Steampunk.

The panels were all great, but I wish they were longer. All of the panels this year were one hour, and most would have been better served to be 2-3 hour workshops.

This is going rather long so check back on Friday for all the details on the costumes, the books, and what I was making while I was there!

A Gift for the Typosphere

There was a keychopper at the convention. This caused an ethical quandary for me, because the same person was also selling hand knits, and while I wanted to support the knitter, I couldn't support the keychopper, especially when I spied keys just like those on my beloved Oliver gracing the table. Thus, I present a little gift for the Typosphere. Have at:


[.gif image with a transparent background]


[.jpg image with a white background]

P.S. This is now available on teeshirts and hoodies here.

Hint

I've had dreams about typewriters two nights in a row now. I think the universe is trying to tell me something, I just don't know what it is.

But I'm probably using the wrong medium.

Briefly, at Tiffany's

Very random, but:

How did I go this long never seeing Breakfast at Tiffany's? And why didn't anyone TELL me that there is, in fact, plot, that it's not just about some social climbing bitch and that there's a writer and typewriter action in this movie?

Now I'm on an old movie kick. Must get caught up on classic films!

Costume p0rn and Typewriters VI

The Help
This is the last regular post I have planned in this series, though my next Netflix might get tagged on at the end and I'll probably revisit it from time to time, since by now you all know how much I love writing about costumes in general, and period costumes in particular.

I talked a bit about this movie when I first saw it in theaters, and the desire to watch it again is what kicked off this whole costume p0rn thing (with some help from Murdoch and Dr. Ogden). Unfortunately, though, I had to wait for Netflix to catch up, hence the other films and shows.

Before I get into the costumes, there are two other draws to this movie (other than cast, story, etc): number one, the sets are wonderful, particularly the mansion Skeeter's family lives in.
Case in point:



And then there's this:
Her '62 Cadillac convertible is more than drool-worthy in my opinion. Put a bow on it, I'll take it!

Allison Janney (who plays Skeeter's mother), like most of the characters, is dressed to the nines in nearly every scene. She sports some fantastic jewelry, and I love her sweater clasps, which Google images is failing me on.

Of course, in a film of this sort we have the usual 1960s style:
I love the nipped in waist lines and the full, swishy skirts. I also love that the center dress was "handmade" (at least, according to the story line) even if I don't like the woman who "made" it so much.

I guess I'm not the only one who loves the costumes from this movie, since there was a display around the time of the premier. I love the apricot dress on the right, which Skeeter wears to dinner. I hate the romper on principal. Rompers should remain in the past where they belong, but every time we get a truck in at work I get proof that they refuse to die.

This is possibly one of my favorite outfits. It's simple, business like, and very flattering (fun fact: there's one almost identical to it in the Nancy Drew movie, and Skeeter wears a similar outfit in green later in the movie. Must have been a popular style). I also adore the leather satchel that Skeeter carries all of her business papers in.

Miss Hilly might be the devil incarnate, but she does have great fashion sense, like the pink jacket and dress she wears to the association meeting.

Since this is a movie about writers, there are several typewriters that show up, though most of them are in passing and the bulk of them are available only in brief glimpses when Skeeter visits the Jackson Journal office.


I did pick up the book. We'll see if typewriters play a bigger role in the print format.

Costume p0rn and Typewriters IV

The Mummy
I know I've talked about The Mummy and The Mummy Returns on this blog before, way back when. Why do I love these movies so much? I don't know. They aren't even remotely historically accurate, the mythology is way off base, the plots are so-so, and I have to cover my eyes any time there's a scarab on the screen. But nonetheless, something about them resonates with me.

I'm combining both movies here, since the characters generally wear the same costumes for the duration of the films (I'm pretending that Return of the Dragon Emperor or whatever it is doesn't exist, and I'm not much of a Scorpion King fan. Besides, you can hardly call the scraps of cloth and large pieces of jewelry used in that film to be "clothing.").

I think that the easiest answer to the above question is that once again, I'm drawn to the female lead. Unlike the characters I've mentioned previously, however, Evy is bookish. She's a nerd who loves a good library and isn't necessarily out for adventure, just the next great discovery. Adventure just kind of lands in her path and she can't avoid it. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she likes it.

With a backdrop of Egypt in 1923 (then ruled by the British), the Mummy not only has great costumes, but also great sets. Check out some of the wood work:



One of my favorite costumes of all time is Evy's librarian outfit. I love the bookish, nerdy look, and I have serious case of shoe lust for those Oxford Mary Jane pumps. I couldn't find a full body shot of the outfit, but you see them briefly in this clip (when I watched it, the audio syncing was off, but that might be my computer. Even if you hit mute, the scene is still very funny):



Here's a still from the same scene:


I love women in ties. Especially when worn with a long skirt.


But of course, this is an action movie. We can't have a dowdy, bookish librarian for the hero's love interest! So about five minutes into the movie, Evy promptly loses all of her clothes in a shipwreck, and must "go native":



In this scene, we also see Rick O'Connell's costume. It's pretty basic: Shirt. Trousers. Boots. Nothing really out of the ordinary, except those holsters. Which for me, really make the outfit. In his case, it's not so much what he's wearing, as how he's wearing it (okay, you caught me; Brendan Fraser fan).

Part of the reason I like this look is that while it is a period piece, and while it does involve British influences and have all the manners and niceties of the early 20th century, he's not wearing a suit. It's a nice departure.

Speaking of suites and departures, when the first board the boat (the one that sinks) he is wearing something a little fancier. Sadly, since it's shown for all of five seconds, I can't find a picture. But it's one of those light colored suits like the ones Jonathan wears throughout the film (minus the pith helmet and dorky expression).


You can see that Evy appreciates the change.

Oh, and of course there's the British Army uniform Rick wears in his opening scene. Uniforms are always a plus:


In the second movie, both Evy and Rick wear variations on their costumes from the first movie. Set ten years (or thereabouts) in the future, around 1933, Rick looks much the same only...cleaner. Well, he would have to since he and Evy are both key members of London society. The suits switch from tan and white to black (yawn) (though everyone looks very snappy in them), and Evy shows up in this:


...While I love the outfit, I can't help but think that the costume designer forgot what decade it was supposed to be. In fact, very few of her costumes from this film (mostly black dresses/skirts that harken back to her "native" costume from the previous movie) really look like something from the 30s. In fact her nemesis, Meela, dresses more to period (though her costumes are entirely inappropriate for traipsing around in the desert, at least until she gets ready for a show down and then she, too, forgets all references to time period.



And the typewriters in all of this? While there might be one lurking in the background at the beginning of the second movie, the only one I found in the first was a very abused portable machine that shows up for just a few seconds as Rick tries to get Evy out of Egypt as fast as he can. Sadly, I cannot find the clip or a still with the typewriter. You'll just have to see the movie and cringe for yourself.

---
I have two more blogs planned for this series, unless I think of another period film I want to add (which is possible. Originally, this one wasn't on the list). There are two others that MIGHT make it...it depends on how far I decide to go.

Other than the typewriters, what draw you to period films?

Costume p0rn and Typewriters III

Pan Am
Pan Am was, by far, my favorite new show of the past year. Sadly, I was one of very few who felt this way and it was axed after only one season. Still, it is available on the ABC website, iTunes, and probably coming to a Netflix queue near you sometime soon.

Set in 1963, this 14 episode series follows the crew of the new Clipper Majestic, the largest plane in the Pan Am fleet piloted by one Dean Lowrey, newly promoted and the youngest pilot in Pan Am's employ. His copilot and long-time friend, Ted, is a former Naval pilot and just a teensy bit jealous of Dean's promotion. Then there's Maggie, the trouble making purser, and Colette, the charming Frenchwoman who always falls for the wrong guy way too fast. Most of the series, however, tends to revolve around the sisters Kate and Laura Cameron. Kate became a stewardess to gain independence from her controlling, overprotective mother. Laura did much the same...after running away from her own wedding. Really, what girl wouldn't need to get out of the country after something like that?

Most of my flight experience is post 9-11. I remember meeting someone at the gate once; I don't recall ever being able to skip the metal detectors, and twice I've been flagged by security because of what I was wearing (the first time, I was thirteen, it was 6 am, and apparently tired teenage girls in pink hoodies and ball caps are threatening. The second time, it was for wearing a long skirt. No, I'm not joking). So for me, a big part of the draw to this series was that it depicts an era when traveling was more pleasurable, and assumptions weren't made about passengers before they even checked in. It shows a time when airlines actually cared about pleasing their customers rather than just squeezing every penny possible out of them.

And then, there are the cute little uniforms.

Now after my last post, I'm sure someone out there is expecting me to go into some big feminist rant at this point, what with the use of "stewardess" instead of "flight attendant", the weigh-ins the girls have to go through before they get on the planes, the way there are no women in power in the series, etc. But I'm not.

You see, my problem with Grease is that most of the anti-female commentary (ahem. "Beauty School Drop Out") were creative decisions, rather than strictly historical ones. It would be one thing if, for example, one of the T-Birds or even a teacher had told Frenchy she couldn't become a beautician, or if her parents had forbid it and forced her to go back to school. Instead, they made her "inner voice" a misogynistic jerk and allowed her to give up without trying.

Meanwhile, in Pan Am, every single one of these girls is a fighter in her own way. The weigh-ins, age limits, discrimination against women in the work place, and sexual harassment depicted in the show are all accurate.

And also, I don't have a problem with the use of the word "stewardess." It is the feminine of "steward," plain and simple. Dictionary.com provides five definitions of the word "steward;" the later three are as follows:

3. an employee who has charge of the table, wine, servants, etc., in a club, restaurant, or the like.

4. a person who attends to the domestic concerns of persons on board a vessel, as in overseeing maids and waiters.

5. an employee on a ship, train, or bus who waits on and is responsible for the comfort of passengers, takes orders for or distributes food, etc."

French, Spanish, German, and Japanese (to name a few) all have masculine and feminine nouns, verbs, and adjectives. It's just a language construct. Perhaps at one time it was meant to lower the status of women in comparison to men, but that is not the case anymore. Stewardess is the female and I find it no more offensive than saying actress, princess, or even queen. They're too sides of a coin, and both are shaped equally even if they're painted a little differently.

Anyway. As I was saying. The cute little uniforms.

Seeing as they required the use of a girdle, I doubt the trademark blue suits were comfortable, or that it was practical to spend so many hours in heels, but it certainly does make a lovely picture.

One of my favorite things about the uniform is the hat. I just love hats with hat pins, I don't know why. I also want one of those bags for a reason I cannot explain. Normally I am opposed to anything with advertising on it, but in general I just love the shape (I have two purses that are smaller versions).

For me, Kate is the style icon of the series. True, this is probably intentional on the part of the creators/producers/costume department, since she is the main character, but it's still true. It doesn't hurt that she reminds me a great deal of a friend.


[another example, which blogger doesn't seem to want to load]

Kate is always elegant, from the tips of her shoes (which always match her bag) to the top of her updo (which I want to learn how to recreate).

Her sister, Laura, is generally a bit more casual, likely Maggie's influence since the two are very close. Still, she has impeccable taste.



Every show has it's fashion flubs. Note the furry thing posing as Maggie's hat. I have no idea what it's supposed to be, but it kind of looks like a Tribble that got into the kool-aide. As recompense, here's a shot of Maggie when she isn't wearing aliens on her head:


Of course, you can put Christina Ricci in just about anything and I'll watch it. She's been one of my favorite actresses since I was a kid and I was thrilled to see her in this series. It doesn't hurt my opinion that she's Pan Am's Rizzo, and by now you probably all know that I love the strong female roles.

Colette's style is much less flashy, but no one dresses better for an event, don't you agree?



Funny story: There's a game I like to play when watching shows or movies with Canadian cast members. It's called, spot the Quebecois. While I learned European French in high school, my mother's family speaks Canadian French, which is a little different. While I don't speak the language well myself, I'm pretty good at picking out what continent the speaker is from based on dialect and accent (and I'm pretty good at telling the difference between American, Canadian, and French Canadian just by how they speak English). Karine Vanasse is very good at mimicking the European dialect--so much so that I suspected she was a French native, or at least had a VERY good dialogue coach. Then I heard her speak Italian, and realized she was actually from Quebec. I find this hilarious, since my Italian teacher in Florence kept accusing me of speaking Italian with a French accent. It's funny the way our voices and pronunciation change (or don't!) depending on the language we're speaking.

As for typewriters, as you can imagine they are not the crux of this show they way they might be, if, say, all the characters were writers. But they do pop up from time to time, usually when you least expect it (it should be noted that Maggie "dates" two writers). As a teaser, here's a clip from the pilot (pun so intended!) that features a typewriter:



Safe travels!

Costume p0rn and Typewriters I

I love historical costumes. I'm interested in most eras, but I especially love the Victorian period up through the early 60s--and it just so happens that those years were a typewriter heyday. Over the next few posts, I'll explore some of the shows/movies that I've seen recently (or would like to see again) that bring them together.

The Murdoch Mysteries
This Canadian series recently wrapped up it's 6th (and as far as I can tell, final) season. Seasons 1-3 are out on DVD, with season 4 just released in the past week.

Set in Victorian Toronto (mid 1890s-early 1900s), the titular character of Detective William Murdoch is played by Yannick Basson, a scientifically minded member of the Toronto Constabulary. Pioneering the use of techniques such as UV fluorescence, tracing phone calls and recording conversations as well as the use of psychology to catch criminals and garner confessions, Murdoch is changing the landscape of the police force. To aid him in his endeavors is Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) and the coroner, Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy).

I love the costumes in this series, especially the ones they choose for Dr. Ogden. She always looks extremely elegant, but always approachable. Another thing that I like--you frequently see her in the same costume or reusing costume pieces. Yes, I know it is a mark of budget constrictions, but it always bothers me in a tv series when every time a character pops up, they're wearing something different. I frequently find myself wondering, "Exactly how many coats does she have? Where does she keep all of those dresses?" I feel that by giving her a staple wardrobe for day-to-day use, it makes her character more realistic. [Historical Note: Dr. Ogden is based on the real-life Dr. Julia Byrne, who worked in Toronto around the same time period.]

The men's fashion isn't quite so stunning as the ladies, but this is generally the case. I will say, however, that I love all of the waistcoats and cravats. I love a man in a waistcoat.

For the most part, typewriters only get a passing glance in this series, but on several occasions (in later seasons; I don't think it even shows up until the second half of season 2) we do see Murdoch using an Oliver. A number 5, perhaps? Mostly only the arched typebars are visible, not enough for me and my piddly knowledge of the machines to be able to identify it.

If you love history, you will adore this series. Episodic characters include Tessla, H.G. Wells, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's a must watch.

In Passing

It is late. I have to be up early.

Since we have virtual type-ins, how about you guys join me for some virtual breakfast tomorrow morning?


My only problem with this is that in the project description, they describe a typewriter as "useless object."

(click the image to go to the origin page)

Typespotting and shopping

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but I just got back from the bank. In their window display they had two typewriters--an Oliver 9 (much cleaner than my own), and an Underwood portable that wasn't fooling anyone about it's ability to actually type, since the type bars were sticking up at strange angles and the lid was cockeyed. Wanted to take a picture but I believe photography is frowned upon in banks so I resisted the urge (couldn't get a good shot from the front of the building, anyway).

On the way back from the bank, I had to stop at Walmart and picked up a CD for my mom. Found a Dean Martin disc for $5 and couldn't resist. She loves Dean Martin. And of course, my present to myself was 2 Fast and 2 Furious, so now I have the entire franchise on DVD, with the exception of the new one that just came out. I'm thinking there will be a marathon later tonight when my friends come over for dinner. :)