...with so many places to go.
One of my favorite things to do is to get dressed up, whether it's just wearing nice clothes or if it means getting to wear a costume. Over the past couple months, I had the opportunity to get decked out for quite a few different events.
#1 - Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball
A group of us went to the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball up in LA over the summer. After a lot of debate and thought, I finally decided to go as a Sea Nymph and make my own costume (dress and headband) at the very last minute. My dress turned out pretty well considering I had less than a week to make it, but unfortunately I failed to get a full length photo of it that night.
#2 - The Magic Castle
My sister-in-law invited the hubby and I to go to the Magic Castle in LA with her. I had always wanted to go, so I was super excited to get the invite. For those who don't know, it's an exclusive club for magicians and to make it even more awesome, you have to get dressed up. I had never been to a magic show before, so I really enjoyed it. Plus I even got called up to the stage during one of the shows to be the magician's assistant!
#3 - Wedding in Santa Barbara
We got an invite to go up to Santa Barbara for a friend's wedding at the end of July. It was held at a gorgeous mansion in the hills with an amazing view. It was a great setting for such a romantic day.
#4 - Buccaneer Days
Oh, Bucc Days...pretty much the best weekend of the year. The village of Two Harbors on Catalina Island turns into a pirate town for the first weekend of October. Everyone dresses up in their best pirate gear, camps or stays on a boat - we've been lucky enough to actually get campsites for the last couple years, seeing as they book up a year in advance! We already have a site booked for next year with some friends - and drinks grog for the weekend. This year, my brother and his girlfriend flew out from NY to join us. They had such a good time, they are already talking about coming back next year.
#5 - March to the Sea VIII
MttS is a pub crawl that some friends organize in Santa Monica. It's 3 miles, 8 or 9 bars, teams and challenges and if you make it to the end, there is treasure buried on the beach. This time around the teams were Toga vs. Golf/Tennis vs. White Trash. None of these themes really resonated with me, so when I found out that I was on Team White Trash I decided to dig around in my closet instead of wasting money on something new. I enjoy putting together items that I already own in new ways to make outfits that I wouldn't normally wear.
# 6 - Halloween
Quite possibly my favorite holiday, Halloween this year was awesome. We went to a house party on Saturday, to which I went dressed as a shark. Then on Sunday evening, a group of us went up to The Edison in LA, all dressed as Victorian Vampires.
For my shark costume, I wore a dress that has been in my closet for about a year, and I made fins for my arms and back.
For the Victorian Vampire costume, I was a bit more ambitious. I picked up a pattern for a Victorian dress, as well as yards and yards of fabric, and made my own dress complete with bustle and train. I was again sewing up until last minute, I always seem to underestimate how long it will take, but I think it came out pretty well.
Next opportunity to dress up....holiday parties!
