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Bucket List Item #135: Costume College.

So, while not really item number 135 on my bucket list, I can safely say that I can cross Costume College off my list of Things I Want To Do Before I Die. (Note that the aforementioned list is not a hard copy list with itemised activities. I just picked a number out of my cushion.)

There are probably many, many commentaries out there about how to cope with CoCo for 'freshmen', none of which prepared me for how overwhelming the whole thing can be. While it was great to be around a whole load of people with similar interests, there was a Whole. Load. Of. People. Far more than I'm used to anymore. Add to that a sense of inadequacy about what I was wearing and I felt rather meh about the whole thing until just after the Gala dinner. Then I just said to myself "Fudge* it. Get over yourself already," and had a much better time of it.  

El Capitane, Miss W and I met some lovely ladies who are definitely People Like Us. While I have no immediate plans to go back, I hope we can catch up again in person one day!

As for what I wore, the riding habit was a no go - at nearly 2kg, there was no way I was going to put that into luggage and then wear it in the middle of a California heat wave. The remainder of my plans were a successful thing, and I even wore my bustle to the Sunday breakfast. It ended up being the only day I wore a costume for the whole day (I changed into the steampunk outfit for the high tea).

I didn't take that many photos - my camera is old and becoming curmudgeonly. My phone has a shite camera. Having said that, there are some photos of me out there, a few of which are below, courtesy of new buddies. As soon as photos of me go up, I'll buy some from the studio, Shotwell, who was in attendance the whole CoCo. 


Saturday night shenanigans, photo by Dinah Saar


Posing at the Gala, photo by Maya Rockerfellow


Sunday afternoon, photo by Katie Lovely

Note the flowers on my hat in the above photo. (Yes, yes, if I was a good Victorian, that hat would be on my head.) They were bought from US hobby chain Jo-Ann's and sewn on while at CoCo. The hat I have been working on on-and-off for the last three years. I still have to sew in the lining. In fact, I was wearing it unlined on the Friday and deliberately ignoring the pins holding the lining on Sunday!

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