Forward, Into the Past ~ Back to Halloween

Do y'all remember I had a "something new has been added" photo (copied here), referencing how I dressed to wander (a bit) and hand out candy (none) on Halloween?

The cleavage was something of a cheat.

I did my "minimal Meg" and wore a different Renaissance dress. I wanted to wear my new bodice.  I

also wanted to avoid damage to my expensive forms so I wore less expensive, more solid forms.  They are shaped chunks of silicone, which means the weight is right but they don't give like the filled forms do.  Still, that's what I felt I needed.

They also are only slightly concave in the back and they stick more firmly to my chest.  Mostly.  If my bra wants to shift they won't let it but I certainly can't go braless and expect them to stay in place.

I laced myself in the bodice as tightly as I could and then reached inside and pulled my skin (and forms) in to the center of my chest and up.  The bra moved with everything and the bodice held them in place.

Cleavage!  It's a perfect-storm kind of cleavage.  I couldn't do it without the bodice which isn't normal street wear, nor with my silicone-bag forms, nor with a different bra.

But wait until you see me at the next Renaissance Festival!

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Forward, Into the Past ~ Introduction

Back in October, Charity and I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Last year, my friend Star supplied clothes for us from her copious collection.  This year, we were on our own, but I was (inadvertently) prepared.

A few months earlier, I purchased a long green velvet dress at a shop misnamed "Unique" (misnamed because there's a bunch of them).  It set me back $10 and I thought it was a cute dress, but the more I looked at it the more I thought it was really a Renaissance Faire dress, not a street dress.  It sat in my closet ever since.

The dress is a bit longer than mid-calf but not really "Renaissance length."  I grabbed several maxiskirts and found one I liked that went well with it as an underskirt.

We went on the final day of the Renfest, and it was kind of chilly.  It wasn't horribly cold, but it was brisk.  Charity had the makings of a more realistic Renaissance costume than I did, and she gave us each shawls for warmth (and style!).  I also decided on my "regular" guy sandals (which are from the women's side of the aisle).  Heels are contraindicated for gravel and grass, and with sandals I could wear tights (green, to match the dress).  With, say, flip-flops, I would have had to go barelegged.

There was a long line of cars entering the festival, and a long line at the ticket window.  I continued my Meg-comfortable kidding and suggested to the girl behind the counter that I was considering a season pass but "that's probably a bad idea" (again, last day).

The final day, I discovered, is also "wrong day," where people kind of break with the real Renaissance Festival spirit.  There were a few guys wearing female medieval dress but not at all attempting to pass, and there were a LOT of kilts.  Members of the 501st Legion were wearing their full Stormtrooper regalia... with kilts.  There were costumes more suited for Halloween than 16th century England (a Star Trek Q was there).

501st Legion.  Click to enlarge

We went to a few shows and a lot of shops.  I was hoping to find some candlesticks but struck out.

I bought a couple of "official" Renaissance Faire ceramic wine goblets (purple), a roll ring (which involved a long discussion with the guy running the booth), and a bodice (long fairly funny story, coming soon).  I also bought Charity a ring, but she returned the favour so we evened out.

I also picked up some "Ribbon Fryes" and was asked by a civilian what it was.  I told him and where to get it.  I was caught off guard and a bit nervous and I realised I do need to get more comfortable in unplanned interactions with men.

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Halloween at the Apartment

Mandy was in town but I wanted to be home for any little goblins that might show up.  Since I was able to get out of work early, Meg was able to answer the door.

I changed into "Minimal Meg," as I described yesterday.  I've been wanting to do this, to see if I'm passable with minimal makeup.  Well, at least as passable as usual.

I did my close shave.  I considered only lipstick and gloss over my toner and moisturiser but instead went with powder and blush as well.  I also added mascara because, well, I like mascara.  But I skipped my cover and primer and foundation, and my other eye makeup.  I should have done something about my brows, but they were covered by my bangs and I wasn't planning on going anywhere (at that time; I had hopes of getting out later).

I put on a red Renaissance dress, black tights, black open heels, and my new bodice.  It wasn't easy to

16th century (minimal) Meg

put it on by myself, but I think I did a credible job.  It does crush "the ladies," as the saleswoman called them (that story is in the queue), so I changed to more solid breastforms instead of the liquid-filled bags I normally used.  I was afraid the pressure would ruin them.

I added earrings that looked antiquish, and a bead necklace and bracelet along with a couple of rings.  And my hair flowery thing.

Charity was expecting nail polish and kids were NOT appearing so I went downstairs to get the mail and see if a package arrived.  That's when I made a mistake I'm still kicking myself over.

I know a lot of people join in on a private conversation unbidden, but I always found that kind of rude so I do it sparingly, or veryconsciously.

One of the women who works in the office was standing by the mailboxes and talking to a male tenant when I came down.  I heard him say "it's Halloween" and she said "I have the most awesome costume.  I'm going as myself."

I ignored them.  I could have responded to the first statement "really?  I'll have to put on a costume."  Better would have been to respond to the second statement with "yeah, I'm just going to be myself for Halloween."

Funny, unexpected, and true on several levels.  It might even have started a conversation about the outfit.

But I didn't say anything.  I checked my mailbox (no mail yet so I had to go down later) and went back upstairs.

I expected to go into the office and ask for my package to see if the woman in there asks me which apartment I'm in.  I would have said something along the lines of "oh, come on.  You know by now" but there was no slip in the mailbox.

I missed opportunities but I'm sure Thalia had a reason.

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Something New Has Been Added!

Care to guess what it is? :)

This is "Minimal Meg."  More coming up.

Meg Let Me Do It

I was never one for costumes.  Meg, of course, is an exception, which makes me think I don't consider that a costume.  I need to think about that more.

But last Friday, in memory of one of the greatest innovators of our time, I did "Steve Jobs drag" at work.  I wore sneakers, jeans, and a black mock turtleneck with the sleeves pushed part way up.

I bought the top a few years ago.  I was signed up to do a presentation for a group of teachers on how to teach kids to create computer games.  A couple of days before, I came up with the idea of doing the Steve Jobs ensemble.  I went to a local mall and started hitting women's shops, telling mostly the truth: I said I wanted a long sleeve black mock turtleneck I could wear.  When asked, I explained it was what Steve Jobs normally wore when he did a presentation and I was doing a tech presentation and I thought it would be fun, the salesladies were still in the dark but in the "sale's a sale" mode.

Here's the little lie: they invariably asked why I didn't look in the men's department, and I said "I did.  Nobody has one.  So here I am."

I also wore girls' jeans, socks, and sneakers on Friday.  No surprise there, except maybe to the people at work.  If they knew.

Most people in the office didn't notice what I was doing.  One guy did, and he was sending people my way without telling them why.  Most still didn't get it.  The program manager, the head guy in the office did, and I went by later and said "wait 'til you see what I have planned for Halloween."  He said "now I'm scared."

I have nothing planned, but maybe the door's open just a crack.  Even though "Steve Jobs drag" was acceptable there, I'm quite sure "office girl drag" won't be.

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All On A Mardi Gras Day

It was dark by the time I left my house. Melinda had followed me home from the CVS. She left her car in the driveway and I had put my car was in the garage, to facilitate a stealthy exit. The party was at 7 and about 20 minutes away. Just before 7, I did a pre-flight check.

I made sure my makeup looked good.

I double-checked how my wig sat on my head, how my earrings looked, how the top and skirt fit, how the shoes felt. Did I have my watch? Yes. What am I forgetting?

I made sure everything I needed was in my pocketbook: money, a credit card, driver's license, insurance card, camera, cel phone, tissues, lipstick, powder, liner.

I looked through the garage windows and didn't see my nosy neighbors.

I took a deep breath and got into the car. I opened the garage door, stepped on the gas and crashed the car right into the house.

No I'm kidding. I got on the road with a "I can't believe I'm doing this" feeling. I got on the highway and found J's house without a problem. There were a lot of cars there. I had to park a block or two past it.

I sat for a moment. I thought "this is my Nike moment: Just Do It." I picked up my pocketbook, opened the door, and stepped out. I double-checked that I had my car key, then checked again. I locked the door, tucked the key into my bag caught my skirt in the car door and tore it off.

No, I didn't do that either. That was the last one ~ promise.

I walked down the sidewalk towards the house, sure that the click click click of my heels was loud enough to get everyone in the neighborhood to poke his head out to see what the racket was. I passed a couple of other people getting out of their car, probably heading towards the party. I smiled and nodded and soldiered on.

Mardi Gras 2005 ~ Advise and Consent

The agonising continues. I bet most of you have been there. It's one of the first times you're going out. So far, it's gone well, but there's always something new, something scary. My anonymous friend Pat said that she might go to a costume event in November, but put the chance of going at "less than 10%". Been there. Pat, I want to hear it's up to 50% by the end of September!

Back to the story. I wrote my friend S:

I still can't decide if I should:

* skip it
* wear a skirt, as I had discussed with the hostess
* wear a skirt & blouse
* go all the way. I may even have someone to do my makeup for me.

Yes, I was also still considering skipping a costume altogether. Maybe even skipping the party altogether. I'm not very good at parties. As I mentioned earlier, I am a classic introvert. I'll pass on describing what that means, unless readers want to know more.

Anyway, later that day I wrote:

I know what to do about costume:
* go all the way. I may even have someone to do my makeup for me: this is what I will delude myself into thinking I will do and I'll plan it all week as I completely distract myself working out every detail and buying the missing bits to make it happen

* wear a skirt & blouse (and tights and pumps): I have that very nice blouse I got from that little shop I mentioned. I have a couple of her cards and I'd be happy to give them to anyone who'd like it. This, I will convince myself, is my fallback and I'll even try it to see how I look as in skirt & blouse and maybe convince myself that it's not as extreme as above but I can get away with it. Biggest problem in my mind is, it makes it harder to do the full thing in front of the same crowd. I have two purple skirts, once is long and straight and plain; the other is very light and feminine. So I also need to decide which to wear. With the full outfit I'd probably wear the fem one.

* wear a skirt like I discussed with the hostess (with tights & pumps): the straight one. This is actually pretty safe, but, again, I can't escalate to a full outfit if I get up the nerve next time there's a costume event.

* skip it or go as : where I'll probably end up. Although I think I'd wear the skirt if it came down to this.

I don't expect an answer on that; I have to figure it out for myself. If you have any ideas on the "colours" question I'd love to hear them! I really have no idea, and if I do the full outfit I'd like it to look right, I think. Maybe if it looked wrong there'd be less suspicion.

Last summer I put a query on craigslist.org to look for a makeupper. I found the woman who did me for Meg's First Day Out in October there (another future post), along with some others whom I did not use. I tried re-contacting the others without success so I posted another query. I received 7 responses: a guy who said he has a (male) friend who does makeup; a pro who will do an 8 hour session/lesson/personal shopper for $300; a pro who said "I don't need the money; can I put you in my portfolio?"; someone who said she was "just good" at makeup and that she'd do a session for $50 at my house but we haven't discussed cost for session/shopping (but she's willing); a "what are you willing to pay?" e-mail; someone who is willing to give me some e-mail or phone hints & tips if we can't get together.

A bit of an explanation: the "little shop" is one in Vienna (Virginia, not Austria. Nearby.) that I stumbled upon. I had a client near there and I was early and the weather was nice so I went for a walk. There was a little shop selling Indian clothing. I went in to look at clothes and I ended up talking to the owner. At first I said I was just looking; she said she made all of the clothes there. They were a bit out of my price range (close to $50 for a blouse; a few hundred for a Sari) but there was a LOT of purple and I liked the idea of buying from the designer/creator. I told her I was going to a Mardi Gras party in women's clothing and had pretty much decided on purple. She was very helpful; she even let me try a top on. I was screwing up my courage to come out of the changing room to show her, but I heard her talking so I didn't. It turned out she was on the phone, and I had changed back and missed an opportunity. She said she really wanted to see how I looked in the blouse. But I did buy it. Yes, there Will Be Pictures.

On Wednesday I wrote S:

If I can get the wife to go directly from [my son's] piano [lesson] on Sat I will have enough time to get in a makeup lady (not a pro; she says she's "just good at it") and go to the party Sat eve.

The woman (pro) who I was talking to about Sun makeup and shopping hasn't answered e-mails since very early Mon. The Sat woman may be able to repeat on Sun, but I have good feelings about this other woman and I'd like to try her.

I don't seem able to meet up with the woman who wanted to put me in her portfolio. That seemed like a fun thing -- make me feel like a model! Certainly an experience I never thought I'd have.

I am very worried about how my costume will go down at the party. I am very nervous about going out, maybe getting caught by neighbors, etc. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

On Thursday I wrote S (you can see it's difficult to be a friend of mine, particularly a gg friend):

Right now I have an eclectic purple outfit: a bright purple (lavender? fuchsia? I'm not up on colour names) top, a choice of a medium purple long pleated skirt or a dark purple shorter skirt, lighter purple tights.

The wife had a good idea. She said she'd seen feather boas in a party store. I hope they still have them; I'll try to get a purple one.

I'm trying to decide on my "story". I sort of decided that I'm going to keep changing it, as people ask (even the same people if they say 'no really').

"I do this all the time, I just don't usually go out."
"Sorry. I couldn't think of a costume so all I did was wear this boa and my usual clothes."
"Dems have groups for women, labour, gay, latinos.... They don't have a group for white men and I felt left out."
"J [hostess] suggested I wear a skirt [true]. I got carried away."
"I was going to do the boa and I didn't have anything that looked right with it so I got the skirt. My legs looked funny so I got the tights. My sneakers looked dumb so I got the shoes. Then I noticed that the bottom didn't look good with my shirts so I got the blouse. The blouse didn't fit right so I added padding. Then the face was totally wrong so I did the makeup. That looked stupid with the hair so, well, here I am."
"J suggested I wear a skirt and I thought, might as well go all the way."
"J suggested I wear a skirt and I mentioned it to a friend who suggested I exceed expectations."
"I always dress like this to parties. That's why I never get invited to second parties."
"I went into a store and asked for something in Mardi Gras colours. I thought 'Chico' meant 'boy'."
"Damn. Wrong meeting."
"The hard part was deciding which outfit to wear."

I hope I remember all of these. I'm sure I'll think of some more.

A bit more explanation: yes, I told my wife I'd be going to the party. She slightly knew J, and some of the other people who would be there. I think I mentioned, I tell her everything (with the exception of my flying as Meg).