I haven’t mentioned it, but Noah signed us up for tango lessons. 🙂 We’ve been to one so far and it’s fun.
And in other news we might just go to PEERS this weekend. Noah is more than a little into Girl Genius so the theme is too perfect. Now we have the problem of finding stuff to wear. I have Victorian garb, but I may or may not be able to get my expanded body into it. And I’ll certainly need to get my corset back from Yani before I can even try. If anyone is going or not going and they have Victorian garb for a body that is more like a size 14 could I maybe borrow it if you aren’t using it? And I have no idea what Noah is going to wear. Hmmmmm…..
Amusingly, in order to study costume stuff I had to admit that I bought him Girl Genius comics for his birthday. 🙂
I could probably loan you my red/black corset or black waist cincher. Not sure what else I have that’s not seasonal. We’d have to brave my basement to find out.
Oooooh. That could be fun. 🙂
Upon further reflection I’ve come to the conclusion that we shouldn’t go. My comp exam is next Saturday and I really need to study. 🙁
Tango is hard… so be patient. But you are in one of the best places in the world to learn and dance with others who are skilled.
Dancing. Yeah! 🙂
So far, so good, really.
The first class was faster than we could handle every week, but it was also mostly meant as review for people who took a class we didn’t (and didn’t know about). So next class should probably be a bit less hectic 🙂
Noah: Out of the closet/thrift store:
White slacks (high, flat-front, snug is best; look for pants cut for someone four inches taller and about 20 pounds lighter, that tends to give a good Vic look)
Boots (English Riding ideally, but anything tall goes well with steampunk/GG)
White shirt, ideally with cufflinks (those little half-domed brass things they sell to keep manilla envelopes closed make awesome cheap, easy-to-use cufflinks. If you happen to lose them when your shirt’s rolled up for dancing, no worries, just pull a new one out of your pocket.)
Cravat (any brightly-colored fabric scrap will do- if it’s thin, like silk, a 36×18 triangle works great, if a bit thicker, I’m fond of using a 9×36 rectangle.)
Vest (again, snug is good- Vics liked snug. If you can find something with a neutral back color (black, white, self) or with a fabric (rather than acetate) back, that’s perfect. Pockets are your friend.)
Accessories:
Pocket watch (or just go to Home Depot and buy 15″ of brass chain; safety pin the ends to the inside of the vest pocket and voila! insta-watch-chain!)
Handkerchief- a great prop, and great for loaning out to fainting ladies/gentlemen, mopping sweat off ones own or someone else’s brow…
Hats- I recommend the Berkeley Hat Shop on Telegraph. Every style, material, color and price imaginable. I’m fond of Derbies myself, though many people go for tops.
Goggles- check out Berkeley Surplus in Berkeley. They have all sorts of stuff, from vintage Swiss infantry snow goggles, to WW I English ace goggle replicas. Alternately, old-school welding goggles from the local hardware store. Unscrew them, pop out the dark acrylic lenses, leave the clear glass ones.
Coat- long overcoat from a thrift store- if necessary, cut it down to a tail coat or something and add gold braids. Not historically accurate, but that’s not what your’e going for here:)
The Salvation Army in Alameda has some great stuff. Also, I highly recommend any thrift store in neighborhoods with lots of Mexican immigrants for shoes- they all come across the border, buy nikes, and give their awesome, hand-made, leather-soled great-for-dancing shoes to thrift shops.
Happy hunting!
*ahem*
/rant.
oooo!
you gonna be one of those couples that dance a hawt tango in the middle of a restaurant and makes everyone else jealous?
that’s be so cool.
Oh oh oh OH! I want to go! We have a birthday party to attend that evening and Anton isn’t terribly fond of dancing, but he LOVES mad science. If it looks like we might possibly show up, we’ll call! Otherwise, have a blast!
Unfortunately, after more thinking about it, we probably won’t be going. My comp exam is next Saturday and I need to study. 🙁
Aww, well, there goes my bargaining chip. =) Anyway we both have a lot of work to do this weekend, so it’s probably for the best. Good luck studying…