Easter Holidays

The holidays are going okay, though sometimes I feel a little stir-crazy stuck at home. But that's alright: these holidays are meant for revision, which I'm doing quite consistently, I'm happy to say.

My parents gifted me with a seriously cute ornament that looks like Indy to motivate me in revision. He sits on my desk the whole time, staring at me with massive eyes and a huge pink tongue sticking out. It's uncanny how much he looks like Indy!

I also got some new shoes, which are from Kickers archive, based on the original shoes designed in 1995. They do have a real 90s look to them, and the shade is just wonderful! I first wore them in Manchester yesterday, when the weather was horrendous; and guess what... they didn't get wet or stain! These shoes are magic, not to mention making me at least two inches taller!

In Manchester I went shopping in Thunder Egg again, possibly the quirkiest, cutest shop I've ever been in. Fans of fairy-kei, otome-kei, or generally just cute, eccentric fashion would love it. Even the bags are sweet and colourful! I purchased this dress here, which reminds me of otome-kei, the 50s, and dresses that Pauline and Juliette wear in Heavenly Creatures all put together! How could I resist?

 

Aside from that I went to town with a friend and she introduced me to the American TV series, Orange is the New Black, as she knows I love LGBT characters in media. She told me all about the characters in great detail, the plot line, and the setting, and I was captivated right away. So I bought the first season a few days ago, and already I'm completely hooked!
As for my favourite characters, they're mainly Piper, Alex, Crazy Eyes, Lorello, Trisha and Boo, although all of the people in the show are very interesting and amusing. Alex is so hot, and even though I know she's quite a mean girl beneath her sexy rockabilly exterior and street-wise personality, I'm really attracted to her! Piper's also really beautiful, on the outside and inside, as she's very kind to the other prisoners most of the time - even when her tolerance is being slowly shredded to bits - and goes out of her way to make good relationships that otherwise treat her like dirt. She's so chipper and cheery despite her situation, which I admire. I also love to hate the workers of the prison (especially Pornstache, the bastard!) and the homophobic, transphobic idiot Doggett... She really, really gets on my nerves.
In a way it's like a black comedy; I know I shouldn't laugh at the situations, but really, they're just too funny! And the theme song, "You've Got Time", is always stuck in my head it's so catchy.

My dad and I are going on a primal/cave-man diet to lose weight. I think it will do my health a lot of good, as recently I've started thinking that I could be lactose-intolerant as well as gluten-intolerant. Seeing as it was Easter I accumulated quite a lot of chocolate eggs (just the usual Cadbury confectionery, which is actually my favourite kind), and although I didn't gorge myself with them excessively, even just a little bit of chocolate made me feel ill. Sometimes it was very bad, which has persuaded me to give up my Easter chocolate to other family members. I don't drink or eat very many milk products anyway, if I can avoid it, as I'm not that big of a fan unlike some people I know. So no more cake OR chocolate for me!

René and Me - Gorden Kaye

Right now I've gotten a taste for autobiographies after reading the amazing Malala Yousafzai book I got for Christmas! I recently bought this book and finished it really quickly, as it kept me engaged all the way through, despite it being an autobiography.

It was written in 1989 and basically out of print, so I ordered it from a second hand bookstore through Amazon. Surprisingly, the book itself only cost a measly penny (which is bad for poor Gorden, the author, but good for buyers), yet the shipping was 2 pound 80, which is still really reasonable for an old book. 

I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. But when I opened the front cover... it was SIGNED by Gorden Kaye!

I'm really excited, as he is the main character from one of my favourite comedies, Allo Allo! Not only that, but through reading this it seems that he's also really lovely, modest and down-to-earth, regardless of being a well-known, talented actor.

In Allo Allo he plays René, who being a lady-magnet-type heterosexual man, comes across as slightly homophobic when the adorable Lieutenant Gruber flirts with him. I bought this because as well as being a big fan of Allo Allo, I heard that Gorden Kaye was actually a closeted homosexual until partway through the show, when his secret was revealed and he felt his world was about to come crashing down, which interested me considering the character he was playing. Me being a lesbian, I would absolutely refuse to take on even slightly prejudiced roles - and perhaps even straight roles, if I'm to be completely truthful - if I were an actress. That aside, I can sympathise with Mr Kaye completely on the tough time he went through, as "coming out" is a very scary situation, especially when you've been forced by another to do so.

I found it really intriguing to know the background of one of my favourite actors, and what I got from this story was very uplifting; if a painfully shy, working-class boy can get through the sadness of life and achieve such success, then everybody should strive to do the same.

Evangeline's Summer Dress - Design

 

This is the dress I designed for my character, Evangeline; her mother is very old fashioned, and although Evangeline is a tomboy, she sews and forces her to wear girly dresses. It was inspired by Jane Marple and the 50s, and I finished making it at the end of February! It has an otome-kei feeling and I love wearing it with 50s accessories.
It's a really comfy, loose fit and I wanted to show that on Evangeline's body. I made my own croquis this time, inspired by the How to Draw Vintage book and 1920s 'garçonne' figure. Whilst I enjoyed drawing this, it may be the last digital art picture I do for a while, as a book on fashion design has inspired me to get my paints out.

Top 5 Favourite Comedies

I need cheering up at the moment as school and life in general is so overwhelming. These programmes are a wonderful escape for me, so it's about time I wrote a little something about them!

1) Jeeves & Wooster
Naturally this is my favourite programme, because a) it takes place in the jazz age (those clothes, people!) b) Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are brilliant, and c) it makes me laugh so much!
Bertie Wooster is perhaps my all-time favourite nincompoop - and that is said in the most loving way possible - and Jeeves is almost too good to be true. I love this comedy, and somewhat I just wish I could magically transform into Wooster and live the life of the idle rich.

2) Black Adder
Most of the time I can't breathe watching this programme, it's that funny! Again, the actors are fantastic and the characters are hilarious, particularly Baldrick, Blackadder's dogsbody. It is another period sitcom, taking place in Medieval times, the Elizabethan period, the Georgian period (or what I like to call the Rococo, even though it's set in England), and the First World War. My favourite is the Georgian series, or Blackadder III, because Hugh Laurie as the dotty Prince of Wales is brilliantly humorous.

3) Allo Allo
This is a quite recent discovery from last summer, and since that day I haven't stopped watching it! Allo Allo takes place in German-occupied France during World War Two, and while that sounds frightening rather than funny, all the near scrapes between lovable cafe-owner Rene, the mostly-friendly Nazis and the crazy French Resistance, never fails for an entertaining story. Plus, Gorden Kaye (the actor of Rene) is so sweet; I'll be reading his autobiography soon, "Rene and Me"!

4) Miranda
I think every British person knows who Miranda Hart is, and I should think that everyone adores her personality; prudish, clumsy, childish and all! I have watched all the series (even the finale that was a bit of a disappointment to me - she should have married Mike in my opinion, as I just can't stand Garry, the man she's in love with) and seen her 'What I call Live show' in Liverpool last year! She is amazingly funny and so easy to relate to.

5) Spaced
This comedy from the 90s is also one of my favourites, as it is so surreal at times! The characters are all so crazy and zany that you can't help but love them, especially the army-obsessed Mike and the insane artist, Brian.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

IMDb says, "GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune -- all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent."

I watched it with my mother last night, and we both loved it! The Grand Budapest Hotel is surreal yet entertaining, lively, and amusing. Almost the whole way through, it made my mother and I scream with laughter, even at parts that otherwise would have been seen as morbid. Needless to say, I found this film very artistic in a way; and who wouldn't want to stay in a crazy pink hotel for lone artists and writers alike?

There were many surprises, some of them good, and some of them not so good. One of the things that irked me was the flash back sequence of present-day Zero and lobby boy Zero, though that may just be me being nit-picking over my favourite character; the two actors for Zero were obviously not chosen well, as the two were different ethnicities, which impacted a little on how believable the tale was. Then again, the whole film was rather bizzare - in its own impressive, unique way, of course - so it probably shouldn't stand out to me as much as it did. 

Another shock was the language used throughout. Gustave H swore like a sailor, which was strange considering his flamboyancy and the era the film is set in. I really couldn't imagine people from the 30s-40s and backwards using such foul language - the worst that is said in Jeeves and Wooster is "bally", and even then Bertie gets a right ticking off!

The thing that I loved was the eye-candy of the whole hotel, and not to mention those mouth-wateringly gorgeous Mendel cakes dotted throughout the film! The interiors were wonderful, so much that I felt overwhelmed trying to take every last beautiful detail in; this film definitely needs a re-watch, just for the beauty! 

The locations and scenery of Austria-Hungary was also a pleasure to watch, even in the dead of winter. There was lots of symbolism used throughout, even through little everyday objects, and the soundtrack was fantastic in providing atmosphere, even without an extremely tense 'Psycho' like feel. 

I would definitely love to watch this again sometime. 

Quarry Bank Mill

Today I went to Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire with my family. I'd actually been here before, for a school trip a few years ago, and I really loved it! I have some great memories at the National Trust.

Right away I noticed this robe à la française (or sack-back gown) in the gift shop, as the colour and my passion for historical garments made it leap out at me! It was so wonderful that I couldn't help but stare at it for a while, and touch the fabrics to see how it was put together. Really, I just wanted it. And the fabric was actually traditionally spun at the mill, making it all the more unique and special. A lot of work must have gone into it. 
They had bundles of the red toile for sale - which, coincidentally has a very similar print to my lovely wallpaper at home - but it was very expensive for a tiny amount, so I could only dream of the things I could have made with it! Perhaps a Lolita version of the sack-back gown? 

One of the bundles with a singer sewing machine.

The mill itself.

 The building was so big and full of all sorts of machinery from the Industrial Revolution, that I found it really fascinating. History fans will love it here! Unfortunately we did not get to see the other parts of Quarry Bank Mill, as it was raining and my brother was particularly moan-y at this point.

There was also some great parts for those interested in textiles, as a very nice lady did demonstrations of some traditional looms, such as the spindle and spinning Jenny.

The mill owner's wife, Hannah Greg.

 I think the lady in this portrait has really gentle brown eyes and lovely curls, so I couldn't help but quickly snap this photo! Apologies for how off-centre it is.

Family members of the mill.

It's a Georgian rock band! Lute solo! (or whatever instrument that is; I'm really not a musical person).  These dresses are surprisingly low cut, I find - especially before the modesty of the 1800s. Nevertheless, the blue silk dress with princess sleeves is gorgeous.

Elizabeth Rose Skirt

Finally, it is done! This skirt took absolutely ages, but I can't help but think it was worth it when I've seen these photos. It's a part of my Textiles coursework for school, and as Textiles is my favourite lesson it was a labour of love.

I made the design quite a while ago, yet it has changed a bit from the original look. For a start, I got rid of the ribbons on the front of the skirt and added a huge bow at the back. Not to mention, I changed the fabric a few times; I wanted chiffon, but as that was not available I settled for polyester taffeta instead, which I think works quite well. It gives it an interesting texture in my humble opinion. 

 

The brief was Japanese Street Fashion (lucky me!) so I got my Lolita brain on and immediately thought of a Classic Lolita design, as these days the allure of Sweet Lolita isn't so great. Hopefully the monotone gray rose fabric I chose embodies this sub-style; it was inexpensive and came from IKEA, which is great for school and so easy to sew with.

As for the pattern, that was drafted by yours truly and made up along the way, as I can't follow pattern instructions to save my life.

Although it's quite long on me, I'll look forward to wearing it sometime next year, as the school will take it away from me to be moderated.