“Strange But Special” Fashion Feature | Provincial Belle

“Look, there she goes! That girl is strange but special;

A most peculiar ma’moiselle.

It’s a pity and a sin—

She doesn’t quite fit in—

But she really is a funny girl....

That Belle!”

It all started when I decided to take a square-dancing class at the local fairgrounds back in September. Peter, Mom, and I had taken the class a couple years ago—and actually graduated—but then took a year off due to scheduling issues and what-not.

I’ve always enjoyed dancing, and in any case, it’s a fun way to get some exercise, and I figured it’d be good for my social development actually to get out of the house and *gasp* mingle with people.

(Kidding—kidding! I’m not that introverted...but I still haven’t quite outgrown my awkward stage, :-P so I figured this would help.)

Anyhoo, the Charlie Brown Squares have dances for regular members on Tuesday nights (which I’d love to attend...only Mom’s handbell choir meet at the same time, and I have to be in that at present, so... ☹) and classes for beginners on Thursday nights, which I’ve been loving! This year, the 31^st of October happened to be a Thursday, so the Charlies threw a costume party that night...and anyone who’s followed my blogging attempts for more than a couple years knows what a costume nerd I am....

Mind you, I don’t celebrate that particular “holiday,” nor do I endorse the more ghoulish/satanic/just-plain-icky side of it. I looked on this as an opportunity to (finally!) channel that side of my creativity. Which brings me to the point of this post....

Thanks to Peter for snapping this pic! <3

What I’m wearing:

Shoes: Black velvet flats (thrifted). Originally had bows of black lace hem-tape on the toes, which I removed. Might actually be carpet-slippers, but they do make nice dress-shoes! (However, they don’t have the best traction, so I have to be careful when wearing them to class!)

Stockings: Hand-me-down from Mom (??) Not screen-accurate, but warmer for the tiem of year...plus I don’t have any nylons, so....

Skirt: Thrifted (altered). I’d been looking for something in this GORGEOUS shade of blue for years, when by God’s grace I finally found this skirt at a local thrift shop sometime last year. All I had to do was shorten it from almost floor-length to this more practical tea-length.

Bodice/Vest: Thrifted/altered. Would you believe this was a scrub-top in another life?? Big thanks to my mother for helping me put in some darts and make new neck- and armhole facings! <3 I also added an invisible zipper in one side for easy on/off. The lace trim was a last-minute addition, to cover the holes left from the original neck insert stitching.

Blouse: Thrifted (altered). All I did to this pretty little frock was switch out the boring, pointy collar with this much more feminine one—hand-embroidered by yours truly. Not to brag, but I’m ridiculously proud of how smooth the little flowers turned out (usually my satin-stitching is a bit rubbish, LOL). 😊

Purse: Courtesy of CBS $1 trunk! One corner of the building we hold classes in has racks of costumes and a couple old trunks of accessories for sale. The moment I saw this cute eyelet purse, I knew I had to get it for my costume, it was more practical than making a apron that I’d only wear once. :-P I plan to wear it with my light-colored “normal” outfits, too—great for holing my class fee, cell phone, and whatever else I need to carry. 

 

Jewelry: Sterling ball ear-studs (Etsy) and “Little Rose” pendant on Fine Chain. Ideally, a book-locket would have been my first choice for jewelry with this outfit...but I couldn’t find one in time for the party, so I went with this pretty little pendant instead. Originally a gift for my mother several years ago (which she gave back to me recently because her style has changed), it’s set with what I think is a ruby, and is a nice little nod to the Enchanted Rose in the movie.

As for my hair (which you can’t see in the pix, sorry!), I wrapped it around a thin elastic headband after washing to give it some texture (tutorial here). The day of the party, I removed the headband, twisted the sides, and made a low ponytail, hiding the hair elastic with a pretty ribbon I had on hand (which I didn’t get a pic of, oops).

CU of back collar

It’s not screen-accurate by any means, save that the color is about spot-on with the costume in the 1991 cartoon (which my family saw on my 6^th birthday, in fact!). The most noticeable difference is that Belle’s bodice has one seam up the front and a square neckline, whereas mine has darts and a deep V neckline. However, the scrub-top I used already had the V-neck, plus darts and V-necks are more flattering on me anyhow. Also, Belle’s blouse has more of a rolled/smallish shawl-collar, whereas my collar is more of a Peter Pan-type (which will make it just about perfect if I ever decided to Disney-bound as Briar Rose...). Also, my blouse sleeves are long and sport modern buttoned cuffs, whereas Belle’s are bound and change length from just-below-elbow to around ¾-length throughout the movie. I may crop the sleeves down the road, but for now they work.

CU of front-left collar

And yes, my hair is the wrong color, LOL, but I can’t afford a wig, and I refuse to dye my hair (with my luck, the chemicals would probably make me lose what little I have left...but that’s another story...).

We’ll just call this Belle’s Understudy, wot? ;-)

Nit-picking aside, I’m really rather pleased with how it turned out, over all. I do wish the zipper-seam hadn’t puckered so badly, but there’s really nothing I can do about that. And it’s under my arm, anyhow, to it’s not as noticeable as it would have been in front or back. I also wish the bodice was a bit sturdier, but making a full lining would have been a bit of a headache.

But I do love the color, and the fact that it’s comfortable, and that, by God’s grace, I was able to finish it a week before the party! Sole Deo gloria! 😊

The bodice and skirt being separate makes the outfit easier to wash, along with being more versatile for Real Life outfits. I already have one ready-made blouse, and fabric to make another, which blend beautifully with the skirt and vest, so that’ll give me some options when I don’t feel like being Belle. ;-)

As for the party itself, it was a blast! Most of the people there dressed up, and there were some really clever frocks there. It was really fun to see what other people had made or put together. (You’ll excuse me for not posting pix of them here; I don’t have these folks’ permission to do so.)

And personally, I found some of the calls ten times more fun in a skirt!

Anton Argentos:

And let’s not forget that you started off the first dance with a bang! XD

<_< Thank you for airing the family laundry. :-P

Erm, yes...the first dance of the evening, I was partnered with the seven-year-old cayenne* laddie and had to go under his arm at one point. I thought I’d be clever and squat while passing...and ended up landing flat on my fanny Like A Boss.™ Like I said, my shoes don’t have the best traction, and there was some kind of dust or powder on the floor that night, so...yeah. However, I wasn’t hurt (save my pride, LOL), and was able to laugh it off and carry on. I was more careful the rest of the time, however....

* Cayenne = A term used to describe a red-haired person. Inspired by the color of cayenne pepper; an alternative to the inaccurate “ginger” and derogatory-sounding “carrot-top.”

~Tom’s Dictionary of Whacked-out Terms and Old Family Sayings

Later that night, we held a costume contest, and everyone voted on the costumes according to different categories—Scariest, Coolest, Superstar, etc. I didn’t win anything, but the people who did totally deserved it.

My only complaints are that 1.) Two of my favorite classmates were unable to attend, and 2.) There was no big bowl of bite-sized candy bars (“trick-or-treat fodder”) like I’d hoped. Perhaps I can amend #2 next year, Lord willing I’m still with the class, and they throw a party next year....

My only regret is not getting a pic of the two adorable cayenne brothers (ages 9 or 10 and 7) in their Zorro and Ninja costumes. Aw well.

I’m so thankful and so glad I was able to attend this little party, even if it was on my least favorite day of the year, LOL. In spite of the stress and uncertainty that is sewing for me, it was wonderful finally to be able to fulfill that dream of attending an event In Costume. I really hope they throw another one next year, as I have several ideas already!

Bramblerose Cottonwool:

Beggin’ your pardon, m’lady, but don’t forget the Festival† come May. You’ll want to gussy up for that, I reckon, aye?

You can bet your last brass farthing I will! But that’s a post for another day (Lord willing I’m able to attend and get something made in time, that is.)

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~ℛ~

† My sweet little Halfling-lass is referring to the Square- and Round Dance Festival that’s part of Boatnik, a local celebration on Memorial Day Weekend. My family attended the year we all took the class together, and it was loads of fun! I really hope I can attend next year!