As I explained in the three “making of” posts for the components of this suit (the frock coat, breeches, and shirt), I’d sewn this entire outfit to wear to our friends’ wedding in Ireland on Halloween! I was lucky to get some very nice photos taken on the lawn of the hotel before the ceremony began, but I couldn’t share these here until we got home!
I bought a few accessories for this – the black satin ribbon for my hair, black satin gloves (with strangely long thumbs that I really wished I’d shortened before I left!), a gold brooch with two hands (an in-joke referencing Nicki from the show), and a ring I made that’s a replica of one worn in the tv show (which you can buy here).
If you’re coming into this post fresh, I HIGHLY recommend reading the earlier three posts for the context and months of work that went into these pieces. But also because the violin print brocade fabric has deep meaning for me because I won it in an auction of props from the TV show “Interview with the Vampire”!
I was one of the very few people in fancy dress (costume) at the wedding, but as one of the bridesmaids put it “most of the people who would’ve dressed up are in the wedding party!” so I’ll give those guys a pass! I got so many compliments on the outfit, and I was amazed at how many Irish folks instantly knew (and loved!) the show when I mentioned it! Here in London I’m used to having to explain the show to people (“no, not the Tom Cruise film”, “yes, it’s based off the books”, “Yes it’s actually incredibly good!?”) so that was nice.
The only issue I came up against was that this suit was designed for men. If I had male equipment, I’d only have needed to unbutton the two big flap buttons on the trousers to go to the loo. However, as it was, I needed to unbutton SEVEN buttons to use the loo, which was a little annoying, but never let it be said that I don’t suffer for my art. 💅
I ended up keeping the jacket on for the vast majority of the wedding and party, but I did remove it a little for the dancefloor and got to show off the ridiculous sleeves! The entire suit was really SO comfortable so I guess the three muslins were well worth all the effort to have such a wonderful fit in the end.
Having so many pockets was also really handy – not just for keeping my phone, handkerchief, lipstick, etc, but also for my FFP3 mask and CO2 monitor – for once I actually had more pocket space than J, and with no need for a handbag!
Unfortunately, despite masking and being outdoors as much as possible, both of us still came down with an absolutely rotten chest infection/cough which has impacted my ability to post these photos quickly after arriving home, on top of other things (like sleeping through the night without several hour-long coughing fits which leave me gasping).
Still, I’m super pleased with how this entire outfit turned out, and it’s almost guaranteed to be in my favourite makes of the year when I go to write my annual roundup!