Vancouver in October: how delightful!
by HML
This year’s JASNA Annual General Meeting will take place early October in Vancouver, British Columbia. The theme is “Discovering Emma in Vancouver.” See JASNA’s web site for registration information, a list of lectures and tours, and more. British Columbia is one of Team Gimlet’s favorite (and easily accessible) getaways: our touristy plans include Granville Island, the UBC Museum of Anthropology, and at least one lunch at Mr. Pickwick’s. This will be my first JASNA AGM: with true newbie enthusiasm, the daily programs look very interesting and enough to stay busy. I’m also eager to meet other Janeites. New York City proved to be a large enough town to handle a pair of rabid Northanger Abbey fans, but will Vancouver be up to the challenge?
One of the highlights of the meeting will be a banquet, followed by a costume parade to the Regency ball. While there are those who consider such goings-on pathetic and sad (but social), I’m indulging my inner Mrs. Allen and having a Regency gown made, proper underpinnings and all. The long stays (or corset) must be worn to achieve the proper silhouette for the dressmaker, so in April I met with Marie of The Fitting Room to have a custom corset made. Our first appointment involved looking through books, photos, and patterns for ideas, shape, and other details; taking measurements; and choosing both inner and outer fabrics. The fitting was two weeks ago, and it looks (and feels!) great. Wearing one does wonders for the posture, as well as making the wearer feel like she’s just stepped out of a costume drama. The finished corset should be ready later this month so yes, expect pictures to show it off soon.
Learn more about Regency-era corsets from the Jane Austen Centre’s on-line magazine.
For the ball gown itself, the fashion magazines of the period furnish plenty of design inspiration: Ackermann’s Repository of Fashion, La Belle Assemblée, Lady’s Magazine, and Le Beau Monde, to name a few. Some excellent web sites to view these fashion plates and explore the world in which Jane Austen lived:
- The Fashion Plate Collection at the University of Washington Library, Special Collections
- Antique Fashion and Costume Plates
- Cathy Decker’s Regency Fashion Page
- Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion
- Jane Austen’s World: one of my favorite blogs, a treasure trove of links and fascinating articles about the Regency period.
Marie very kindly recommended a dressmaker, so once the corset is done, I’ll be meeting with her to start that process.
Tags: canada, local fun, vancouver
October 17th, 2007 06:27
Thank you for your lovely words. In addition, what an interesting post! I love your post of the conference too. Well done! May I link to it?