A fair & exhibit for all!

In January of 2016, the ORS is hosting a celebration of costume, from historical to fantasy.  The fair and exhibit will include costumes of all kinds; from reenactment wear, to cosplay and steampunk. It's over two days, there will be costume vendors and a costume exhibit and contest. All are welcome! So join us as a visitor or a participant. Application forms for vendors and exhibit submission forms will be posted soon on the ORS website. Visit www.orregency.org for details and keep checking in for updates. And don't forget to join the ORS Facebook group to join our lively discussions.

Jane Austen's birthday tea

Recent events

The ORS has been organizing a list of new events for the next six months or more. They are being populated on the main website (http://www.orregency.org) as they are finalized.  In the meantime, enjoy some movies of our three most recent events, A celebration of Shakespeare dance, the Topsails & Tea event in Hood River on June 1, and the Pittock Mansion Picnic, held this past Sunday, July 28 at the Portland landmark, the Pittock Mansion. :)

We will also be holding three costume workshops, with details to be posted here: A bonnet workshop, a stays workshop and a gown workshop. See our events page for details.

2012 ORS Regency Retreat (and some photos of Topsails and Tea)

Apologies to all for the lag in updates. The ORS has had a bit of a spike in fertility and we've had some unexpected pregnancies among the leadership that sort of threw a couple of sabots into our proverbial looms. We're now one baby boy (Master Logan) stronger in our Regency family here with the ORS, and hopefully we'll know tomorrow if it will be a little white dress or a skeleton suit for the second arrival coming in November.

Anyhow, I'm happy to post the details on the ORS retreat in August. There are a few spots still open, so please feel free to query us if you're interested in coming.  Full payment should be submitted before July 25, if possible. Contact us at orregency@msn.com if you have questions, or if it's after July 25 and you want to know if there are still spots available.

Click HERE to download the registration packet.

Read the details online on the ORS 2012 Regency Retreat page.

Click HERE.

Additionally, I'm adding some highlight photos of our lovely May 19, 2012 'Topsails and Tea' event in Newport Oregon.  We enjoyed a sail on the tall ship, the Lady Washington. She sails out of Grey's Harbour in Washington State and with her sister ship, the Hawaiian Chieftain, they visit a number of ports along the Pacific Northwest throughout the year.

It was a lovely event and we all had a great time. It began with a delicious tea, we enjoyed a lovely day, heard great music, saw baby sea-lions, and some of us capped off the night with some wine and seafood and good company.  I cannot wait to do it again next year! We're going to try to buy out a whole ship this time. :)

Here come LOTS of photos. These were taken by myself, Stephanie Johanesen, Stephanie Robertson and by Megan Funk.

A golden-locked serenade.

Spiders on a web.

Paul always cuts a striking figure.

One of the highlights of the sail. Beautiful
bagpipes.

Blue steel.

It wasn't just the men making striking poses.

Our sister ship offered lots of 'beauty passes'

The crew.

Some of the AMAZING crew of the
Lady Washington.

This is George. I was going to sea-lion-nap him.
I was advised I could not. Mostly by
George's massive family members loafing nearby.

As you can see, it was a lovely event. We hope to have more and more as the baby-making surge levels out. :D  Happy weekend all!

February Calendar

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Here is the February Calendar of events, as it stands right now.

Sunday the 5th we have been invited by Mme Theodosia de Valois to join her in attending The Bach Cantata at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church at 1907 NE 45th Avenue, Portland, Oregon.
Sunday the 26th, we will be hosting a tea, for which we will have more information coming soon.

My Warmest Regards,
Mrs. Azevedo

Some sparkly new events!

Hello all. The first thing I'd like to do is talk about the 2012 retreat. Yes, it's on.  This time it's a Summer retreat.  What we've decided to do is to 1) alternate between summer and winter so we can both do outdoor activities, and cozy up by the fire, and 2) to alternate locations. 2013 will be hosted by the ORS Rogue-Valley Chapter.

But this year's retreat will be held at Tilikum Retreat Center again. And it will be held on August 24, 2012 to August 27, 2012.  The theme for the masquerade is 'Myth and Mystery'.  Pre-registration is now open. Click the link under the image to go there.

Pre-registration is now open.

Another delightful event we have coming up is "Topsails & Tea".  The Grand Victorian Bed & Breakfast will be hosting a lovely tea. It also provides for possible lodging for those who made a long voyage to take to the sea.  Tea is $15 per person and begins at 2PM.

After tea, we take a leisurely path to the port, where we will board either the Lady Washington or the Hawaiian Chieftain at 6 PM for a two-hour sail aboard a tall ship.  These tickets are $25 a person and can be purchased using the button below.  The Historical Seaport, home of the two tall ships, recommends that participants buy tickets for the evening sail as soon as possible, because the evening sails sell out very fast.

And our tried and true event comes into its 5th year.  The Pittock Mansion picnic, a wonderful social event.

We have more events in store, we came up with a good, full year of dress-up opportunities and costume fun, and we will be adding them in as venues are confirmed and dates are locked down.

Check back! And as always, join our facebook page for the most up-to-date ramblings.

The ORS Facebook Group Page

Like our ORS page as well.

2012 - What's to come?

Do not fret, Oregonians and neighbours, the ORS has organized its first leadership meeting in January so we can start to plan the coming year.  We are going for broke this new year, and there's already a preliminary list of event ideas, including assemblies, balls and yes, another retreat, only this time in August!

We will frame out the events and have at least a few 'save-the-dates' to share with you, and the events roster for the year will go up shortly thereafter. But keep checking in after that, because there's always a chance new events have been added.

For those of you in the Medford region, there is a new chapter of the ORS for you there! It's called the Rogue Valley Chapter, and it's looking for new members! If you are an English Country Dancer, a Janeite or a costumer, and you're interested in participating in ORS events locally, visit the link provided and keep an eye out for updates. The Medford leadership will be joining us at our leadership summit in Sandy on January 14th. Have ideas you want to share with us? Join us on that day for tea.  More information can be found on the event on Facebook. We will need to know how many to expect, so please RSVP on the Facebook group.

There is also some interest in the central valley area for starting up a chapter again in that area. It's not set in stone yet, but it's a possibility. We'll keep you all apprised as events develop.  In the meantime, if you're interested in assisting with the efforts wherever you are, be sure to contact us and let us know.

Update of events

Due to some issues out of the ORS control, we don't have any events set in stone and have not been able to update the ORS events list on the ORS site.

Here is a list of upcoming events and event ideas we have been planning.

May 20th-Astoria bicentennial celebration. Charlotte Cunningham and Nora Azevedo will be attending the opening of the Celebration at the Museum and later on the Lady Washington. If anyone would like to go with us, we are available for carpool.

Astoria Events page

June 26th-Picnic and Delaford--Strawberry picking and frolicking of a genteel nature. More information will be forthcoming

August 7th- Le Bon Ton is having an archery event as well as some other things which may be of interest to us

Le BonTon of Oregon

July 30th-Not Just a Memory Horse race
July 31st-Picnic at Pittock Mansion!
This is a double header for all of you Ladies and Gentlemen who travel any sort of distance to our events.

August 13th-tentative date for the summer ball. We have thought of an Out Door Park event with a live orchestra to keep down costs and get more public exposure.

October SAVE THE DATE for the 2nd Annual Fall Assembly. More on that once we have a secure date, time and location.

December 1st through 4th-Regency Retreat...most fantastic and will have more information soon

This is what we have so far as plans for a fantastic summer of events.
Other ideas have been put forth such as Tea at the Lavender Tea room in Sherwood, Summer Picnic or Ball, Picnic at Multnomah Falls, Trip to the Shakespeare Festival.

Feedback is most appreciated as to ideas, dates, places etc.

Lets make this the best Summer Yet!

The Duchess of Beaufort's Midwinter Feast

Last year's Feast of the Twelfth Night was a revelation.  This year, the chef is making an expanded menu and we are able to squeeze in a few more seats.  The venue is changed as well. Our organizer has picked a lovely farm in Dayton called Red Ridge Farm; which is a winery, Olive orchard and herb farm. It's a beautiful setting and the venue itself is a lovely space with a nice stone-mantel fireplace.  We are very excited.

The menu last year featured the following dishes:

First Course

Lobster Bisque topped with a Tarragon and Lobster Chantilly

Deviled Eggs with Fresh Ground Pepper and Dill

Creamed Leek Pie

Lavender Blueberry Trifle

Roasted Leg of Lamb

Boiled Potatoes tossed in Butter and Fresh Dill

Steamed Mussels

Strawberry and Chocolate Trifle

Second Course

Meringues filled with Strawberry Mousse

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Vol-au-vents

Glazed Ham

Honey Mustard Carrots

Roasted Asparagus

Glazed Pear and Rosemary Cake

Prawns

Fresh Fruit Tarts

Third Course

Lemon Ice

Cheese, fruit, and Nut Board

Cornish Game Hens

Shredded Sweet Potato Pie

Glazed Lemon and Anise Cake

Crème Caramel

This year, there will be MORE dishes and we will also be featuring wines from area wineries, including Red Ridge's products.   This event can be an opportunity to make a weekend of exploring the wine-country here in the Willamette Valley. There are lots of really great lodging options in the area.

~~
The Event's 'Write-Up':

An exclusive event, the Duchess’s Midwinter Feast is an extravagant and decadent evening of riches. Join the Duchess for a succession of sumptuous dishes created by the Duchess’s chef; and sip an array of wines made from the fruit of local vines. Indulge in an evening of society, pleasant diversions and perhaps even partake in a lovely dance.

The Menu will be expansive; larger than last year’s fine dinner. A larger selection of locally made wines will be provided as well. Set in a vineyard, herb farm and olive orchard, we dine by candle and firelight.

This event calls for Formal Regency Costume only – no daywear, please. Your dress should be appropriate for sharing a dining table with aristocracy.

There are only twenty-eight total spaces available.

Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.oregonregencysociety.com/events.htm#feast

Let's talk habits

Two of our most beloved ORS members are organizing a wonderful new event. A Fox Hunt!

Naturally, as the ad says, we will be hunting faux-foxes, sans horses and baying hounds—but we WILL be hopefully all trussed up in our finest riding habits as we run about seeking out those sly little fellows hiding in the shrubbery. So I thought a post on the Regency Riding Habit to be much called-for.

Personally, being an avid Horsewoman since I was four, this project has caught my interest. I’ve ridden sidesaddle in the past, however my habit was more Victorian in style than Regency. I have been simply DYING to make a regency riding habit, despite my horse not quite being trained enough to wear a side-saddle… however, this isn’t going to stop me from moving forward on this project, and I have been looking at a number of fashion plates to get myself motivated. There are TONS of blogs out there featuring a variety of habits in a compendium of colours… so I’ll let you do your own picture searches. Right now, I’ m past pictures and am now well into the patterns and research. HOWEVER, as the mainstay of regency research given to us by the irascible Cathy, who taught me SO much with her invaluable website, I offer you this single link. (Pay some attention to the hats too!)

Inspiration:

Here is a link to an extant garment, shared by Dawn Luckham, costumer extraordinaire!

Dawn wrote: "Extant habit in linen or cotton (Holland is a fine quality linen). Note the light colour!"

Meg Andrews' Hot Climate Riding habit.
Click here for a detail

Kyoto Costume Institute's Extant Habit
Estimated 1810.(detail here)

This habit has a longer waist than the others depicted here today, but it is a perfectly lovely example of a period riding habit.  The buttons are adorable.  Here is a modern interpretation of this garment:

Patterns of habits:

There are very few patterns out there to work with… here’s what I found; The Rocking Horse Farms pattern (scroll down the page to find the pattern) also comes with a shirt. I have no reviews of it, but as RHF patterns go, they are usually decently drafted and easy to follow.



Reconstructing History’s Habit (ostensibly based on the pattern by Janet Arnold)… I’ve heard mixed reviews of RH patterns… they are certainly not a beginner’s pattern.

Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 1 book contains the a nice habit, in addition to a number of other amazing Regency patterns, from bib-front gowns to half-robes and a robe. Definitely worth the price of the book… trust me.

Habit projects:

Now, I’ve been following Katherine; a young lady who is almost a legend in the costuming world around here, for quite a while. She is amazing. Her website is addictive, so before you click through, finish up reading this post, because you’ll forget all about it once you start browsing her photo-essays of her various costume projects. Katherine tackled a number of Regency pieces. One of these includes her Regency riding habit. Her project photos are enlightening—and explain a lot about construction.

What Katherine shows us is that she can take a pattern (Janet Arnold’s) and piece it out to customize the design. If you look at her construction page, you can get an idea how she constructed her pieces. Her inventiveness for the habit shirt is also wonderful:

That girl is a wonder; and she hand-stitches EVERYTHING. ::blargh::

I think the primary difference between a habit and a spencer is that you are supposed to wear the spencer over your clothing. A riding habit is your gown in essence. Many women used the riding habit as traveling clothing as well. The habit would be made of a lighter material than the spencer. A linen, or very light wool, or heavier cotton, perhaps. A nice jewel or earth-tone was appropriate.

The riding habit comes in two primary pieces (three if you count the shirt). The first piece is pretty much a short spencer—add a nice peplum and you’re good to go. It doesn’t take too much to modify your collar and front to your preference. Scanning the variety of fashion plates out there can inspire your design. Riding habits often had a distinctive military look, or sometimes, they looked like tiny versions of the gentlemen’s frock coat.

I look at these patterns and I see a lot of similarities from a riding habit and the Ravenrook/Mode Bagatelle Spencer pattern for the spencer (see views G for the peplum and H for the collar and the rest)

You can easily take this pattern and turn it into a viable riding habit using lighter fabrics, and taking in the seam allowance a tiny bit, so that it is closer-fitted.

Taking that pattern for the spencer, you can create something quite authentic looking; and using the skirts from View C, you can create the trained skirts (or untrained if you don’t want a train) that you need for your habit. Using the bodiced petticoat bodice (view A), you can use the back and side pieces to create the little bodice that holds the skirt up; trimming the front part off just shy of under the arms, and making sure to cut your back on a fold so it's one contiguous piece. (See Katherine’s habit skirt on her page linked above for a better idea, or my drawing above as well).

Here is a reproduction garment using a book pattern.

If you own the Sense and Sensibility Pattern for a spencer, and you are inventive, you can surely use that pattern to construct your habit jacket with it. You’d have to probably work in the peplum yourself, but it will provide a good framework to begin.

Sense & Sensibility's Chemisette pattern (as well as LMB's chemisette in their pattern package) would work extremely well for a riding shirt (although they both lack sleeves). But like Katherine, you can be inventive; because the white ruffled cuff inside your jacket sleeves would be very pretty. Depending on your collar, you will want to fill in your neckline, and even apply a small cravat or some ruffles to the front.

Finally, the Burnley and Trowbridge pattern for a spencer is very habit-like and it has a darling peplum.

I am going to attempt to hold a workshop before September to help people construct these delightful garments, but in the meantime, let these images be your inspiration to create a riding habit you can feel elegant in. :)

What to wear underneath

There is also the question of what would be the appropriate underthings for a habit.  It depends on whether or not you are actually going to ride a horse sidesaddle or if you are doing it for the simple sake of costuming.  In the case of costuming, the standard undergarments will suffice; although there are some little period breeches (featured on Koshka the Cat's habit post) that are modeled after men's breeches that women were known to wear. But a pair of pantaloons or pantalettes will do if you aren't comfortable in just a shift and petticoat.  And stockings of course.

For the actual rider, I do not recommend you wear a petticoat unless you have made it with lots of volume, you need a lot of freedom of movement under those skirts. A shift and your corset over a pair of riding leggings or jodhpurs would be your best bet, although I have seen women wearing standard riding breeches underneath their habit skirts (sometimes full seat breeches for stickability) with only one tall boot on their left leg and a short boot on the right, which is a standard sidesaddle practice.

Regency Ladies' Riding Boots

Depending on your commitment to authenticity, your selection of appropriate boots is fairly broad.  If you can find a pair of all-leather lace-up standard paddock boots, you're in luck. Ariat makes nice paddock boots, and they're specifically designed for riding. I'd recommend these for people who actually intend on riding in their Regency habits.  ((See my post on Regency Sidesaddle Riding)) These boots look the part, and serve a practical purpose. Here is a sample of actual riding paddock boots: Click Here. 

If you're not too concerned with having actual riding boots, but you want something that is authentic with your habit and also with other Regency day-wear, you should get these: Click Here.

If you're looking for something that looks the part, but doesn't cost too much, and doesn't really need to be too practical, a pair of good lace-up Jazz boots look the part. Sample Here: Click Here. More samples: Click Here. They range at about $30 - $40

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Update! Look at this reproduction piece I stumbled on via another period blog; it includes photos of a garment for sale--here is the link for the sale page, but since sales are temporary by nature, I wasn't confident that this link would remain active forever, so I sniped the pics from the site and made a little collage so that if the link breaks, you can still see this beautiful garment.

Click image to enlarge.

The sale caption reads: c. 1999 repro 1810 Deep Navy Cashmere Wool Felt Empire Trained Equestrian Riding Gown and Jacket (Riding Habit) from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park 1999 film version! COA! Every once in a while I'm able to get my hands on some fabulous period reproduction pieces that are beautiful enough to compare to the original period gowns. This one captivates your heart! You will never find another quite so realistic. The jumper gown can be worn buttoned up at the sides as you see, or just unbutton to wear straight. The jacket has violet-blue velvet collar, cuffs and buttons. The wool feels like cashmere. Wonderful! Near mint condition. Purchased directly from the production company and comes with COA that calls it "Andrea's Vest and Jumper". I'm not sure who Andrea was in the flick, but in this instance it's all about the costume itself, not the actress.