long birthday weekend
Apr. 16th, 2012 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonI took off time this year, which I never do, even though the actual day was Saturday. But I had good cause:
I made a day trip to Philadelphia on Thursday for a museum collections visit. Six gorgeous Fortuny gowns with all the variations I could hope for (two sleeveless, two long sleeved, one short sleeved. Two were "Delphos", a dress with over-tunic). Lined up like Rockettes, for close inspection and careful notes!
I didn't sit down for the two hours I was allotted, I just kept circling the table and taking notes furiously. I wasn't allowed to touch the dresses, but the curators were there to move, turn, and otherwise handle the garments. I was even allowed to take pictures, and though idjit me forgot the camera D. had carefully set up for me, my phone took surprisingly good images.
I answered a lot of the questions I had about how these pleated gowns are constructed. What I'll do with this information I don't know; I suspect what I figured out isn't new to any collectors or curators so I doubt it's anything publishable. Possibly I'll experiment with shibori pleating on the silk remnants I got last month.
It will have to wait because said remnants are in a box with tape on, in preparation for moving. No - NOT across the country this time! Just across town (maybe even only across the parking lot), because our unit is going to be remodeled. We need to be out in two-ish months. Not sure where we're moving TO yet, but in any event culling and boxing took up Friday, in addition to my original plan of typing up Fortuny notes.
Saturday was my actual birthday and was coincidentally the same night as a big charity gala that we were invited to by some of D.'s colleagues. So we put on evening finery and after a minimal struggle with D.'s bowtie we went out for good food and wine with smart and generous people. Having been told it was my birthday, they had set us up with a junior suite in the hotel, along with cake and champagne on ice :) It's the kind of elegance and glamorous goings on I dreamed about as a kid while isolated in the exurbs, and it may seem strange but I'm just tickled that I get to do things like this now!
Sunday was trying to get back into the swing of things at home, continuing to weed out the bookshelves, starting the laundry, and more notes.
Not a bad way to start my 39th year :)
I made a day trip to Philadelphia on Thursday for a museum collections visit. Six gorgeous Fortuny gowns with all the variations I could hope for (two sleeveless, two long sleeved, one short sleeved. Two were "Delphos", a dress with over-tunic). Lined up like Rockettes, for close inspection and careful notes!
I didn't sit down for the two hours I was allotted, I just kept circling the table and taking notes furiously. I wasn't allowed to touch the dresses, but the curators were there to move, turn, and otherwise handle the garments. I was even allowed to take pictures, and though idjit me forgot the camera D. had carefully set up for me, my phone took surprisingly good images.
I answered a lot of the questions I had about how these pleated gowns are constructed. What I'll do with this information I don't know; I suspect what I figured out isn't new to any collectors or curators so I doubt it's anything publishable. Possibly I'll experiment with shibori pleating on the silk remnants I got last month.
It will have to wait because said remnants are in a box with tape on, in preparation for moving. No - NOT across the country this time! Just across town (maybe even only across the parking lot), because our unit is going to be remodeled. We need to be out in two-ish months. Not sure where we're moving TO yet, but in any event culling and boxing took up Friday, in addition to my original plan of typing up Fortuny notes.
Saturday was my actual birthday and was coincidentally the same night as a big charity gala that we were invited to by some of D.'s colleagues. So we put on evening finery and after a minimal struggle with D.'s bowtie we went out for good food and wine with smart and generous people. Having been told it was my birthday, they had set us up with a junior suite in the hotel, along with cake and champagne on ice :) It's the kind of elegance and glamorous goings on I dreamed about as a kid while isolated in the exurbs, and it may seem strange but I'm just tickled that I get to do things like this now!
Sunday was trying to get back into the swing of things at home, continuing to weed out the bookshelves, starting the laundry, and more notes.
Not a bad way to start my 39th year :)
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