With Malice Toward None . . .

I saw Lincoln on Friday night.

Immediately on leaving the theatre, I made three phone calls: first to my sister. I gushed and cried. Then to my best friend B. I gushed and cried. Then to my mom. Ditto. It was after 10pm Chicago-time, but I did not hesitate to make any of these phone calls. I think I would have burst if I hadn't been able to speak to someone after that experience, and even after three calls I was still full of feeling.

We all know who Abraham Lincoln was, and the immense impact he had on the history and shaping of this country. And, I think most reading this review have seen more than one film about some historical figure, be it Napoleon or Kennedy or even Jesus Christ. Biopics tend to treat their subjects as larger-than-life, and we sit in awe as the events of history play out before us, the figure portrayed by some actor we recognize and try to forget in the guise of someone we've read about. Beloved historical figures are often treated as nearly god-like in films about them. We leave the theatre after these films with the sense of having seen the deeds of someone great, while not truly feeling any nearer that person.

Lincoln is not that film.

I can honestly say that I have never seen a biopic that made me feel more, personally, for the subject than this one. The Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln, are already deeply personal to me for obvious reasons, and so I expected to feel some emotional stake in the events onscreen. But, what Spielberg has managed to do is to put the viewer smack in the center of the room with the man. You cannot sit and watch. You must join in. Lincoln is not grandiose; he is a man, an extraordinary man, yes, but a man: funny, complicated, kind, fiercely intelligent, even gently conniving. Rarely have I ever liked a figure on film as much as I personally did by the end; here was a man I wanted to know, to sit with on a porch and talk with. Here was a man who made others better simply by being present. The tallest man in the room, always.

To compliment the film fully, I cannot just compliment Spielberg, naturally. I must talk about the incredible cast. Every single person brings their A-game, even those you barely see, even soldiers who do not get a name, or secretaries who handle his letters. Day-Lewis gives a performance so striking in its natural flow that I never, for one moment, saw him onscreen. I saw Lincoln. He is completely and utterly the man, and if he does not win the Oscar this year, good God, I can't think who might beat him. Sally Field plays Mary Todd with a barely contained intensity; not madness, but such heart-breaking misery at times that it was difficult to watch. She is always on edge without ever seeming to lurch into expected characature. Tommy Lee Jones is powerful, hilarious, and deserves a supporting actor nod for his turn as Thaddeus Stevens, so instrumental in the passing of the 13th Amendment. And David Strathairn deserves a nod as well for his understated and controlled portrayal of Lincoln's Secretary of State Seward, who is possibly the only man who can argue any opposing point with the President while still so clearly showing how he respects and loves the man. There are scores of others in the film who play meaningful and important roles and who I could mention here, but this review is too long already.

A few words on the superior costuming by Joanna Johnston: it is beautiful and incredibly specific; I watched the entire film with a critical eye, and I couldn't find a single flaw. Mary Todd Lincoln's dresses in particular were superb, even though I personally would never wear them. And, the men . . .! I cannot say enough. Flawless, right down to Stevens' horrible wig.

Everyone knows how Lincoln's story ends, with a fateful trip to Ford's Theatre. As the film reached that point, I felt my chest seize and a lump in my throat, and I began to cry unashamedly as the camera follows him out of the White House for the final time. This was not just a historical figure I had read about. Not even a figure I had seen portrayed by a friend or intereacted with. This was someone I suddenly felt as though I knew. I felt for the first time the depth of the country's loss, because it felt like my loss. Spielberg invited me into this man's life for a few weeks, and in the end I felt just how short a time that was. I wish I could adequately put it into words, but that is the best I can do.

See Lincoln. Even if you think you know the history and nothing can surprise you, I promise, you're wrong. You will be moved, and, if you're anything like me, you might be a little changed too.

Dressed Sharp . . .

The suit is finished! Yay! The project, all told, took around 20 hours, which is really not bad when you consider how much handwork I ended up doing.

As you'll remember, I started with Eva Dress pattern 2165. I shortened the skirt a tiny bit to make it less '30's and more '40's, and added shoulder pads.

Here's the mockup. Originally I had made a silk ruffle-front blouse to wear under it, but the ruffles proved too bulky and the jacket crosses fairly high, so you couldn't really see them anyway. I decided to go with just a silk scarf. The suit went together fairly well, but there were a few darts that needed to be added that weren't in the pattern instructions; vintage patterns really aren't for the faint of heart. Once I had added small darts in the back of the each elbow and at the back shoulders, the pieces fit together as they should.

The jacket in process. As you can see, the scarf really is just enough under the jacket; the double-breasted cross is fairly high, and i'm wearing a full slip under it.

My favorite part of the jacket is the buttoned lapels. I cannot tell you how much I love these.

If I'm ambitious, I might just decide to make a dress this coming weekend from another '40's pattern I have and some extra fabric; it was a backup, in case the suit didn't work out. But now that I have an extra weekend before the Fort MacArthur event, I might as well not waste it;) Meanwhile, stay tuned for pics from the eventn on the 18th! I can't wait!

Happy (Steampunk) Halloween!

Yep; the Steampunk ensemble is finally done;)

And, yes: I really did go to the office dressed this way!

The Money Dress skirts have certainly gotten a workout, and they saved me quite a bit of work this time around too!

I intend to gussy up the goggles some more, but this was all there was time for . . .

Ta-dah! And next weekend I get to wear this again, for Comikaze;)

Steampunk Progress . . .

My sister came to visit this weekend! Yay! I went to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano with her and my brother-in-law, and a lovely time was had by all. But, when I wasn't visiting with them, I was working on my Halloween costume.

I've had to scale back my Halloween plans this year due to budgetary comstraints; most of what I have has either been purchased very cheaply or is repurposed from things I already have. But, it's still going to be fabulous. The bodice above is the new steampunk bodice for the ensemble, draped for the most part, though it is loosely based on a Truly Victorian pattern. It's underbust, but I'm not a big fan of how I look in underbust corsets (hi, Dolly Parton!) so I designed this to be worn over a regular corset. The bodice is boned, but is not designed to draw you in at all. You can't quite see the collar due to the fabulousness of the blouse (can you believe I bought that a few years ago at Forever 21?), but the collar is actually pretty cool: dark green silk velvet, fanning out and standing up with sass. The front will close with hidden hooks and eyes, and those brown leather straps and buckles. There's no real reason to have the detachable straps with buckles, they just look cool;)

I'm going with a brown bowler; I feel like the top hat or tri-corn is done to death in this genre, and I wanted to do something a little different. The motorcycle goggles need to be spiffed up, but I probably won't get to that before next week. My favorite pats of the costume you can't see yet: I'm going to be wearing leather bracers covered in wires and gears and little doo-hickies, and I made a leather holster for the giant bronze flare gun I just happen to have in my possession. It already looks totally steampunk, but I will eventually trick this out too.

Add to all this the skirts from the Money Dress, and I'm ready to take over the nearest airship. I just hope I can get it all done by next Monday;)

Steam-powered Costume . . .

After far too long saying I'll do it, I'm finally making a Steampunk costume. I have nowhere to go and nothing to do on Halloween, but not having something new to wear just seems inconceivable to me. And since I've become the master of pulling stuff out of my ass for very little money this year, I'm making a new bodice to go with my Money Dress skirts, and cribbing most of the stuff from materials I already have. The bodice is adapted from a TV pattern, but I've changed almost everything about it, so I can't even really claim the pattern I started with! I'll try, somehow, to get pictures of the full ensemble, and post them here. If I'm allowed to dress up at work, I'll see if one of my coworkers will take some pics. Otherwise, the good, old timer function will at least get some passable shots, if not stylish;)

Know Your Enemies . . .

HBO's Boardwalk Empire premieres Season 2 in a little over a week, and I can't frigging wait. I watched last season with baited breath each week, fawning over the costumes and set decoration of course, but admiring the strength of the performances even more. It's a helluva show, and I'm excited to see where it goes now that Nucky is surrounded by foes he used to count as friends (and family!).

In a pretty sawesome marketing ploy, HBO restored a 1920's-era subway car and decorated it to be one big, rolling advertisement for the show. It actually ran on several weekends in New York!

Tune in Sunday, September 25th for the new season of one of the best shows on television.

Dinner Dress Begins . . .

As promised, here's a bit of a diary on the Edwardian corset construction. I used a striped sage satin as the outer fabric, and lined it in a heavy twill and cotton, using a three-layer construction to protect the silk outer layer from shattering.

The construction itself was fairly straight-forward; I ignored the boning chart included with the pattern (as I usually do) and boned along the seams, and it was just a matter of putting everything together. The only real altering I did was to give the front a slight sweetheart shape, which I find more flattering than a straight edge. All told, it took two days, which is about average for me and corsets;)

Once again, I hand-tacked lace at the top edge, threading a mint green ribbon through. I think it sets off the sage silk nicely.

I used Sandra Altman's #106, the 1901-1908 "Straight-Fronted" Corset. It doesn't give me a straight front, but I don't have a particularly straight front to begin with, and even corsets can't do miracles;)

I also started beading the black lace overlay for the Edwardian Dinner Dress. Don't worry; I'm not crazy enough to bead all of it. I'd go blind! I'm intending to bead the bodice (which is what you see the beginning of here), and then 3-4 inches of the edge of the over-skirt. Once it is placed over a white fabric, as you see here, the lace really pops.

There's still a metric ton of beadwork to do, so I guess I better get busy! I do have until April to get it done, so at least I've given myself enough time . . .

A Night to Remember . . .

Those of you who aren't history nuts like me probabaly aren't aware that next April marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Those of you who are history nuts are probably already planning your wardrobe for the occasion;) As ghoulish as it seems to celebrate so many people dying with a party, that's still what plenty will be doing, serving it up true Edwardian-style with eleven courses and music and fabulous ensembles.

I've had to shelve my Halloween plans for budgetary reasons, so instead I'm focusing on something slightly farther out, and I'm starting work on a 1912 dinner dress. I already have some of the material for it and I'm beginning to bead a lovely black chantilly. As for the rest, I'm planning to make the dress out of white silk taffeta with a black silk velvet sash.

I don't have any extent garment images that exactly match what I'm planning so I posted these as a more general idea. I like the sleeves on the above image, and the stark white and black of the top image was the inspiration for my color palette. Hopefully I'll be able to post some in-progress pics; I just finished my Edwardian corset, and I'll try to do a short diary on that soon.

Fantabulous Giveaway!

Okay, y'all, this is fantastic. I don't know if you've checked this company out yet, but if you are at all into historical costuming, you should. American Duchess is making affordable 18th century shoes, and there aren't many people doing that (we don't all have $300 to spend on shoesm, after all!)

About the shoes:

The Devonshires are a leather 18th century shoe based on museum examples from the 1760s through 1780s. They're made of top-grade dyable leather, with a beautiful, smooth Italian leather sole for dancing, and are hard-wearing, water- and mud-proof, for even the toughest of outdoor re-enactments.

Pre-Order the Devonshires through August 10, and get the special $100 price. We're only making 200 of these shoes, so don't miss the chance to own one of only a couple hundred pair on the planet! Visit http://www.american-duchess.com/ to order.

Going Up to the Spirit in the Sky . . .

Update: Atlantis has had a perfect launch, and is now in orbit around Earth. She will rendevous with the ISS on Sunday, for STS-135, dropping off supplies. Yeah, I cried a little. 'Cause I'm just that big a geek;)

Today (if the weather holds out) marks the final flight of the Space Shuttle program. The program turned 30 this year; it was begun in 1981. 135 flights, 33 for Atlantis (counting today), 20,830 orbits around the Earth, and $196 billion. The shuttles took the lives of 14 astronauts, but launched the Hubble telescope, helped end the Cold War and establish better international cooperation, and enabled us to build the Space Station. Some would call the program a mistake; in fact, one NASA administrator did. But others would say that it was cheap at twice the price. After today's launch, it will be at least three years before Americans are launched into space again on their own soil. We will become passengers instead of pioneers.

It is a sad, exciting, hopeful, historic day. We remember the past and look to the future of space exploration. Godspeed Atlantis. And, we thank you.

Truth is Better Than Fiction . . .

Sarah Palin doesn't know Paul Revere. Even Longfellow didn't really know Paul Revere. While it's true that both of these people altered history to make a point about what was going on in current events, the real story of Paul Revere's famous ride was even better and more dramatic than anyone could make it out to be.

According to several of Revere's own accounts of events, and the accounts of other witnesses, this is what happened on that night in 1775, the official start of the American Revolution:

-On April 16, 1775, Revere rode to Concord near Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, along with the Provincial Congress, that there was an eminent British attack against the colonists' store of arms at Concord, and that the two men, leaders of the rebellion, might be arrested.

-That same day, Revere went to his friend Robert Newman, sexton of the Old North Church in Boston, and told him of the plan to raise lanterns in the steeple to warn the patriots across the river in Charleston of the British invasion: one lantern if the British were coming overland, and two lanterns if they came over the water.

-Two nights later, on the night of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren of the Provincial Congress in Boston sent Paul Revere and William Dawes out to warn the colonists of the British invasion force. They had been made aware by the patriot intelligence network that the redcoats were moving, and the time had come to warn the countryside.

-Revere went to Robert Newman first and told the sexton to raise two lanterns to warn Charleston, in case he did not make it there. Then he was rowed across the Charles River while William Dawes took an overland route.

-When Revere reached Charleston he was warned that ten heavily armed Bristish soldiers had been spotted on the road to Lexington. Revere borrowed a horse and rode out from Charleston, passing through Somerville, Medford, and Arlington.

-He shouted "The Regulars are coming out!", and several other riders, perhaps as many as 40, rode out to warn the rest of the countryside.

-Revere arrived in Lexington around midnight and went straight back to Hancock and Adams to warn them, and Dawes arrived a short time later. They stayed there some time, trying to decide how best to protect the two patriot leaders. Then, Revere, Dawes, and a third man, Dr. Samuel Precott, rode out to warn the colonists in Concord.

-They were stopped and detained by a British roadblock, the same ten redcoats that Revere had been warned of when he landed in Charleston. Only Prescott escaped. He reached Concord and warned them of the invasion, and the colonists repelled the attack that came later.

-Dawes escaped later and tried to return to Lexington but fell off his horse along the way and never made it.

-Revere was questioned and led at gunpoint back to Lexington. As the patrol escorting him arrived, they heard the first shots of the Battle of Lexington Green. The regulars left him there after taking his horse.

-Revere went back to Hancock's house and found the man still there, hiding with his family. He took Hancock and his family, along with several incriminating documents, and led them out of the city, narrowly escaping the British.

Exciting, harrowing, and factual, according to accounts by Revere, Dawes, and several others involved. Too bad Palin didn't do her research. She would've had a better, and truer, story of American heroism.

Halloween Plans . . .

The original is a tad more vibrant, but here is the colorized version of the Halloween costume plan. Let's hope I can pull it off;)

The Winner Is . . .

Here's a preview, as yet uncolored, of the winning Halloween design! Yay! I'll probabaly end up wearing a tank under it to cover up my midriff (especially if I wear this at work!), but I'm pretty excited to get started. I'll put the finished image up, once it's colored, and we can compare the costume with the sketch come October;)

Looking Forward . . .

So, I think I have to give up on San Diego Comic Con for this year. It would be silly of me to spend money on a costume I probably won't get to use, when by next year I might have an even better idea. It's time to look at Halloween.

So far, I have two radically different notions for a Halloween costume: an Ancient Egyptian ensemble, or a Victorian Fancy Dress Costume. Each presents interesting challenges:

The Egyptian Queen costume would require me to work with Wonderflex for the first time to craft a headpiece similar to the one in the picture above, of a bird wrapping over the head. I would also need to build a collar, and probably construct my own braided wig (the options out there are ghastly!)

The Victorian Butterfly costume (very loosely inspired by the idea in that drawing above) would entail building another corset, making a lot of blue morpho wings out of fabric, and creating a set of wings.

Both choices are pretty interesting. Naturally, the Victorian one is more familar, but I've been wanting to do Ancient Egypt for quite a long time. I'll probably make the final decision in the next few weeks and start getting materials, but I'd love to hear some opinions on which you'd rather see me do:

What do you think, dear readers? Should I go back to Victorian England, or Ancient Egypt?

Thank you, and Godspeed

Today, the 30th Anniversary of the first shuttle launch, NASA announced where each of the retired space shuttles would be living out the rest of their lives, on display for all of us to get a chance to see a vehicle that has traversed the depths of the outer reaches:

Atlantis will go home to the Kennedy Space Center.

Endeavour will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles (and, you'd better believe I'll go visit!)

Discovery, the most-flown shuttle, will go to the Smithsonian.

And Enterprise, the prototype shuttle, will go to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York.

The end of the Apollo program saw the beginning of the Shuttle Era, and from 1981 to 2011, NASA has sent human beings beyond the reach of this planet inside the world's first reuseable space vehicle. The shuttle program has made possible further innovations, like the ISS, and has paved the way for a truly International Space Program. Yes, there were tragedies, and we will never forget Challenger or Columbia. But, as the Shuttle Era comes to a close with Endeavour's final flight, we thank these remarkable craft, and the remarkable people who put her into space again and again.

It was really something to see Charlie Bolden, veteran astronaut, shuttle crew, and NASA administrator, get choked up as he thanked the crowd gathered at Kennedy Space Center for applauding, saying ,"It's been a tough day." For them, it must be like saying goodbye to a member of the family, one that kept you alive in the vacuum of space, and returned you home safely.