Through joining Pinterest recently, I've discovered the joys of Edwardian fashions. All the dresses and ensembles are just too splendid, and these
images have made me aspire to make an Edwardian dress in the near future - though first I want to get through a couple of Georgian projects, such as some stays that the lovely
Bianca has advised me on.
I've just joined college though and things are already awfully stifling, so we'll see how things pan out before I start preparing a project. Besides, I don't think I could stomach those Edwardian S-bend corsets after knowing what they did to women's health!
That first one truly is a stunner! I'm not sure, but maybe that silhouette could be faked with adding more puffing on the chest and padding out the back a bit more, without damaging your health?
ReplyDeleteBest of luck for college, I'm sad that as an Aspie this is a problem for you, but I hope it will work out at least tolerably in the end - is it that you are surrounded by a lot of people you don't know, in a new environment?
That's a good idea - thanks! Though I'm not sure it would work well with my figure; I'm already quite "busty" with wide-ish hips, so I think the padding might make me look massively out of proportion. If I do make a corset some day, I may only wear it for a couple of hours or a few minutes for photos, so it wouldn't be too bad for my health, only very uncomfortable, haha. Or maybe I'll even just wear one of those free-form Edwardian gowns, where no corset is required? I have lots of options now!
DeleteAw, thanks for that. Things aren't so bad now, as I've moved to a different college that is nearer to home, and the people there are much nicer, and the special needs more accommodating for people with ASD. The other college was quite a prestigious one, so there was lots of pressure to get the best grades and go on to Oxford or Cambridge universities - totally not for me! So I like this new college a lot better, where I get to do Art and Design all day - yay!
I suppose it is hard to get used to new people in a new environment, but mainly the travel was a killer for me (an hour and a half each way on the bus, with motion sickness every day). Are you an Aspie too? If you don't mind me asking. :)
Ah, I see! Hmmm, I meant more like pad the rear rather than the sides, but I see your point. The things we suffer for beauty, right?:-) Have you ever worn a corset before?
DeleteI'm glad you found a better college where you can just devote yourself to what you love doing, the previous one sounds so stressful! I guess this will be a good preparation for your goal of becoming a costume designer? Do you do some fashion design there too, or is it more like graphic design?
An hour and a half by bus does sound like a nightmare when you are prone to motion sickness - this is how far my Uni is, plus another half an hour walking or so, so I can feel with you.
Are you an Aspie, too? – No, but my best friend is, so I know a little bit about how it works, though I'm still learning:-) I mean, it's still easy to slip and forget some situations might be difficult for her, but having a social phobia helps, haha:-) My friend told me Aspies are usually very passionate about their hobbies (something that I find wonderful), to the point of getting obsessive a bit sometimes - is that so with you, too?
I haven't worn a corset before, but I imagine it can be a tad uncomfortable. Have you worn one?
DeleteYeah, I'm hoping it will be some good practice for me! At my college it's a random mix of everything. First we did painting (including spray painting and graffiti art) in an abstract style (that one was boring for me as I dislike modern art), and now we're studying drawing birds, which is quite fun; I know that we're doing fashion design next, and I can hardly wait! I'm hoping to get some Lolita sewing designs done for it, if it fits the brief even slightly! I think we also do graphic design and photography at some point.
What do you do at University? It's a shame it's so far away for you.
That's really nice that you're learning about Aspergers for your friend. I wish somebody could have done that for me, as it's hard to explain when you have issues communicating in the first place, and most people my age haven't really heard of it. When somebody asked me the other day how Aspergers affected me, I got stuck and couldn't think of a single thing to say.
She must be really grateful that you're understanding and prepared to learn about it for her!
I get a bit obsessed with my hobbies too. Like, I'd only want to do something Lolita-esque or inspired by history if a brief came up at school, and I'd try and turn everything into something I can make Lolita-styled, even if it isn't very fitting in the first place. Lolita has been an obsession since I was eleven, and I don't think it will fade away for a long time to come. :)
I feel your pain about the difficulties with explaining! My friend has it too, the same. Btw, I can totes relate to the wish to Lolify everything:-) How are you succeeding so far? It sounds like it is sometimes an inconvenience, that it brings you troubles - is that so?
DeleteYour college sounds pretty exciting! Do you do oils and chalks too? How much time will you get to make those Lolita designs for the course?
I study International Relations:-)
Sorry about the silence btw, I'm running from one doctor to the other, haha, so life's a bit hectic now... I'm working on the reply to your PM, but I'm not sure when I'll have it done *blush*
Ad corsets - yes, I've worn some and from my limited experience can say they can be actually quite comfortable, even ease back pain, if they are the right size, fit well. But yeah, it can be pretty painful to wear one if it's badly made or if it doesn't fit! In hindsight, I think I should have started with a plastic-boned one, to ease myself into it (which is what I'm doing now and I'm thinking about saving up to have one custom-made by one experienced corsetiere. Her works often are a poetry!XD).
Lolifying everything doesn't really bring me trouble, I just like to make everything customised to my tastes. My parents think it's a problem sometimes - they don't really get it or particularly like the style, but I just remind them that it's a modest fashion that takes influence from history.
DeleteMy collections are Lolita-based (Gothic Lolita Bibles, Pullip dolls, tea sets and china, some dresses, etc) and I like to decorate my room in that style, to make it a happy, relaxing place. On most days I don't wear Lolita though for various reasons (mostly because I don't want to stand out too much at college, or things don't fit anymore - the reason I'm learning to sew :)), so it's nice to have a Lolita-ish lifestyle and hobbies so I can still enjoy the aesthetics.
What about you?
Don't worry about replying late. I know real life can get in the way. :)
A custom-made corset sounds really nice! What would your dream corset be like?
I forgot to say that at college we usually get around six-eight weeks on a particular topic, and then we switch to something completely different. Hopefully we'll get to do pastels and oils, but that may be later on when we have a bit more freedom in what medias we use. For now it's mostly quick workshops ran by the teachers in a particular way, using whatever they tell us to use.
DeleteHow is International Relations going? I've never really heard of the subject before, I'm embarrassed to say!
Hmm, I'm sorry your parents aren't so keen on Lolita yet - for how long do they know about your passion for it, if I may ask? It's cool to meet a fellow lifestyler, to be honest! How many tea sets have you got? What patterns and colours? How far have you lolified your room so far? What Lolita styles do you like the best?
DeleteI understand about not wearing Lolita that much because of college and so on, though I thought at Art and Design people would be more open:-( I wear it mostly at home these days, or when I go sightseeing at some castles or palaces and have a friend to accompany me - it's safer that way.
Haha, I think I'd love to have a Victorian overbust adorned with Valenciennes lace that would be threaded through with silk ribbon... you see, something delicate and girly. How about you?
I see about the college! What birds do you draw now? How many years does the college course last, btw?
As for International Relations - it’s politics, basically:-) Like you study different political schools of thinking, alliances, asymmetrical warfare, terrorism, ethnic violence, diplomacy, history... that kind of thing:-)
Btw, many happy returns:-)))
I've been passionate about the fashion for five or six years, and they've known about it the whole time. They aren't exactly disapproving, more like they just wonder what on earth I'm wearing, and for what reason. They see it as dressing up - Sweet Lolita is like a costume to them (though I'm nowhere near as OTT and pastel as some girls I've seen on the internet) and Classic Lolita is too fancy for just everyday wear. I don't really mind though - most of the time I just wear what I like, and sometimes my dad says that I look nice, which is great coming from my parents. :)
DeleteWhat do your parents and sister think about Lolita?
As for tea sets, I've got random bits of everything; none of them really relate to one another, though I do have two Alice in Wonderland tea cups and a tea pot. Then I've also got a few Japanese oriental-looking pieces with cherry blossom and a little village on, some old pieces from the 60s from my grandmothers, and a little heart-shaped set from Marks and Spencers.
Do you collect Lolita things?
My room looks mostly Lolita styled, though there are some very ugly areas that need something doing to it (i.e. wires on show from my laptop, a bunch of - very cute but clashy - pokemon toys, some very odd collections (taxidermy beetles), and a dresser that isn't really a dresser.) When I've moved my room around and tidied a bit, I think I may do a post about my room and collections, as I'm recently gotten a piece of furniture customized.
Classic Lolita is my favourite style, especially inspired by period fashion, though a lot of my wardrobe is Sweet-styled Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty. I've got one Innocent World dress that is my treasure, as it's my favourite brand. I also really like Moi Meme Moitie style, but haven't really worn Gothic before. Old school is also one of my favourites!
What about you?
Art and Design people are pretty open to anything, to be honest! There are a lot of wonderful people in my class, and I don't think that they would bat an eyelid at what I wear (today I wore a 50s dress and it got a lot of compliments - one boy even said that he wanted my shoes! He's very funny and sweet, and very, very camp, which I love) - but mostly it's silly passers-by that can be quite nasty about things.
It sounds very nice to wear Lolita to castles and such! I mostly wear it when I go out to big cities, as there are more alternative people there, but also because it's an excuse to dress up. Of course, I also wear it around the house as much as I please, but it's not all that often because my dresses are a bit tight nowadays (that's why I'm learning to sew, so I can make clothes bigger, haha).
They used to fit well, but as we discussed on LiveJournal, a stupid medicine I didn't need made me put on a fair bit of weight, and I haven't been able to lose it again. :(
Your dream corset sounds lovely! My ideal would be just like this https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/405535141424997753/
I'm drawing a whole lot of swans right now, mostly because they were the only birds worth photographing that I saw on our field trip. The other birds were too far away on the lake to take pics of, but this swan came right up to us. Rather scary actually, as swans can be aggressive. :)
My course lasts two years, as I started at the top level of art in my first year, seeing as I got good grades at my old high school. For others it may take 3-4 years if they start art from the bottom, so I'm rather lucky that I don't have lots of years left before I can graduate.
Thank you very much! <3