Gail Carriger in Teal eShakti Pencil Dress in Boston for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

As noted in recent posts, for my Waistcoats & Weaponry book tour, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover. On my first day in Boston I wore my teal eShakti pencil dress with the cross over front skirt and scolloped neckline. I love the fit and look of this dress but it wrinkles like a mofo. I'm really going to have to avoid the poplin from eShakti from here on out, it just doesn't travel well enough to suit my needs.

I didn't take a solo shot of the outfit (sorry) so here are a few with friends (Robin & Hanna). (That second photo if from via Hanna on FB, I hope she doesn't mind.) You can see I kept the pockets in this dress. One reason for me not to have pockets is that I tend to do exactly that, shove my hands into them in photos. Sigh. I must say I don't love how the seams do that nipple thing (that is the seams, not my nipples, I swear) so I'm not so sure about this dress in general. Would you believe I ironed the hell out of it? Yeah. I may not bother to tailor this one after the surgery.

I paired it with black accessories: octopus necklace, oxford stacked heel platform booties (similar), bow belt, my obligatory pen necklace, and some jet earrings (similar).

And a fan for Sophronia...

Fan  1830s-1850s  The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger in Teal Velvet 1960s Cocktail Dress at the Spy Museum for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

For my Waistcoats & Weaponry book tour, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover, and this one was my favorite. On the Sunday of World Fantasy, I escaped for the International Spy Museum. The event space was amazing (and sneaky). This dress was tagged in the shop (Real McCoy in Exeter, UK) as 1960s but it must be pretty early. It's a bit big at the waist but I don't mind as the rest of the fit is so well.

As you can see I wore it with the teardrop hat with one of my magnetic flowers to match the dress, long black satin opera gloves (vintage ~ similar $5), a collar style necklace that a friend found at the flea market for me (similar $5), my pen necklace (of course), a broach pinned at the flower at my waist, and a massive flashy octopus ring.

Look at me, remembering to take a detail shot!

While I love my green rose dress the most, this one was more comfortable and really photographed better than I thought it would.

Not a perfect match but pretty darn close!

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger in a Rouched Black Cocktail Dress in DC for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

For my Waistcoats & Weaponry book tour, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover ~ except for this one aberration. On the Friday of World Fantasy, I wore my new black rouched cocktail dress with white accessories. It is a bit more modern than most of my retro pieces, but it's very forgiving and I knew the evening was destined to end with a lot of sitting (the mass autographing session and then the bar). This dress sits well in that, as it is already very wrinkled, it doesn't show further wrinkles. (I bet Victorian designers thought about this with Dinner Dresses. Must look into that.) It has this cool full back, I should have got a photo for you, which makes me very glad I do yoga in order to get the zipper all the way up.

I borrowed another flower from Whiskey Tango Fashion (I am, clearly, going to have to purchase several of my own for they are easier to travel with than hats, look great, don't give me headaches like most head bands, and I can get them in specific colors.) That is my beloved multi-strand pearl necklace (similar $12) with my pen necklace (for the mass autographing), and a sparkly brooch (similar), a beaded evening clutch (similar $18), beaded cardy, and the lovely sounding Via Spiga spectator peeps blogged of previously.

We found the retro phone in the hallway and thought it made for a pretty backdrop. Normally, I am not one for the LBD but this one was so easy to pack and I know it would sit well so I had to take it along. I would have preferred it were a color, but sometimes you have to go with what you can find that fits.

Lately I've been coveting these boots to go with this outfit as a more steampunk alternative. 

$48 but only in full sizes

A fan to go with, for Sophronia...

Fan  19th century  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger in Paisley Print 1950s Day Dress in DC & Chicago for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

As noted in recent posts, for my Waistcoats & Weaponry book tour, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover. On Friday of World Fantasy convention and on my first day in Chicago I wore this vintage 1950s paisley print dress in shades of green and blue. (This is the same dress that I wore for the launch party for Crudrat.)

In both the versions pictured above, I am wearing it over a Dark Garden sweetheart custom corset. The first (with the black accessories) is at World Fantasy and second (with the brown) is for Crudrat. The black accessories included my black teardrop hat with magnetic teal flower, steampunk fan earrings (similar), elastic black bow belt (similar $4), new black Born oxford wingtips, and, of course, my gold pen necklace.

Here is the dress later on the tour without the proper foundation garments...

See? Proper corsetry makes all the difference. Also when in the right underpinning, I tend to prance and twirl around the hotel room in my skivvies (since the corset and crinoline are both white and the latter made of copious amounts of tulle) singing "I'm a pretty ballerina." As if I were 8.

 The lovely lady pictured with me was wearing these boots, or ones very like. They are velvet and come in red (and used to come in purple) as well as the black ($81). I actually nearly bought some from Clockwork Couture but they don't come in half sizes and I am a pretty clean 7.5. Speaking of Clockwork Couture have you seen Donna's boot collection lately? Oh my goodness!

Not a perfect match to the cover but I did my best.

And here is a fan for Sophronia:

Fan  1620  The Victoria & Albert Museum

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger in Laser Cut Turquoise eShakti Dress in DC for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

As noted in previous posts, for my Waistcoats & Weaponry book tour, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover. On the first day of World Fantasy I wore my new eShakti laser cut turquoise, black, and white pencil dress. It is a bit more modern than most of my retro pieces, but I love it. It is VERY light weight (perfect for a mid summer wedding). I had intended to wear it again on the tour in Boston or Chicago, but the temperatures required that I only wear this the one day at World Fantasy.

I like this dress very much, although it certainly doesn't minimize the Rack. I also adore my teardrop shaped hat, it doesn't go on the road with me often because it is too big to travel well. But I was checking luggage for the first part of this trip so I packed it in a puffy envelope, well filled with socks, and crossed my fingers it would survive. (It did, both ways, thank goodness.) My favorite part of this outfit, though, is the spectator peep heels. These are old old Via Spigas, comfy and unique and cute, but they made the BEST sound on the parquet of the hotel floor. The perfect tack tack tack of stilettos. Made me so happy I kept walking through the lobby just to hear them click.

A fan for Sophronia to go with this outfit...

Fan  1920s  The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger in Green Rose Print 1960s Evening Dress in DC for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

As noted in the last post, for my Waistcoats & Weaponry book tour, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover. On the first day for my launch event and on Saturday of World Fantasy I wore this vintage early 1960s I. Magnin print cocktail gown. It has green roses (they are fuzzy to the touch!), a slightly tulip shaped skirt, and half length sleeves. This has to be one of my favorite vintage dresses.

I paired it with long green satin gloves (they come in most any color you want for about $12), a green and black Lucite necklace, and a green feather hair band (both vintage).

Here are the two sides of the feather band. I bought it just with the feathers, they had fallen off one end so I sewed on that vintage gold and green scarf clip. I do love the band. As you can probubly tell, I am wearing my corset with this dress. It no longer fits the Rack without it. Thank goodness it still fits with it! (Although I do tend to spill a bit. Stop leaning forward, Gail.)

On my feet are my new black snakeskin platform Mary Jane stilettos (with the much coveted almond toe).

Similar in patent with a retro heel or with the super high stiletto.

With Howard Tayler & Vanessa A. of Whiskey Tango Fashion

I wore the outfit again Saturday for the Art Show reception at World Fantasy with a black octopus necklace and a black skinny belt. All in all this was my favorite outfit of the whole tour.

And a fan for Sophronia to go with...

Fan  19th century  The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger in a Hawaiian Print eShakti Dress in DC & Boston for the Waistcoats & Weaponry Tour

For my tour for Waistcoats & Weaponry, Fashionable Reader, I tried to dress in outfits that matched my cover. On Wednesday, my first day in DC, and then later on my first day in Boston, I wore this Hawaiian print dress in shades of green and pink on a black background.

This is one of my eShakti purchases, so not vintage but retro. I paired it with an H&M blazer (similar), blush colored flats (similar), and this lovely octopus necklaces (gift from a reader, similar $18).

Signing with the pen necklace.

Here is a shot that shows the dress without the jacket. I had them put on the sleeves as the original design was without.

The flower in my hair is from Whiskey Tango Fashion.

One of the things I love about this dress is that because of the pattern and its colors I have a lot of accessories I can wear with it. Also it has a side zipper and a front zipper over the chest, and while not very vintage looking this means I can step into it. Win! I can do the hair and makeup first.

And a fan for Sophronia...

Fan  early 20th century  The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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Gail Carriger's Recent Acquisitions ~ Dresses

OK so some of these where a while ago, but I still need to report them in.

Black Rouched Dress

I found this at Crossroads Trading and I couldn't resist. Rouching in a pencil dress is a little odd but it does hide everything, even as it adds a little bulk. Normally I resist black, I have more than enough, but this looked ot pack beautifully and was so easy to wear.  It'll probably come out tour with me this November.

Tiki Dress

 This one came from a local thrift store. I know, strapless. Bear with me (heh heh, puns). I wear it over my corset and the corset hods up both the dress and the Rack beautifully. Because the dress is thin and stretchy it also shows the corset but I can wear a cream peplim shirt over the top and it's really quite a nice look. Anything that gets me away from a bra on occasion is good in my book these days.

Speaking of which, I've started a new exercise regime. No I am not one of Those Girls. I just would like to be a bit more fit (and the doctor told me to try to get something off the Rack, if at all possible, now, before surgery). However, I needed to figure out how to do it in a lazy low impact way ~ because I am lazy, and because of the Rack. It doesn't help that I used to be a treadmill addict: put it on, get on, watch a movie. Ta da! Exercise. (I know, bad form, but I really am so lazy. Anything is better than nothing.) But my apartment is now too small for a treadmill (and up two flights of stairs). Yes, even a folding treadmill wouldn't fit. (Two people, one cat, one shoe addition, two jacket additions, no closets, one tech additions, and 600 square feet: it's not pretty people. Not pretty.) Anyway, where was I?

Oh yes.

So I bought this lovely little thing:

Sunny Health & Fitness Twister Stepper $53

Referred to by me as the steppy steppy. Oh my goodness, Fashionable Reader, I love it! We are in a Relationship: me and the steppy steppy. It is so easy to use. My knees don't complain about it. I just put it from its corner and get on it. No plugs. Pop in a DVD and ta da! Here's hopping it has some kind of effect on the Rack, or at least stops me from puffing on stairs in future. Hooray, steppy steppy! 

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

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