The Day of the Big Crinolines (Part 1)

So, it finally came – “The Day of the Big Crinolines”, that I’ve been preparing for all spring.

The Event poster made by Helena, using one of the pictures of my paisley gown.

The day was a collaboration with “Gamla Linköping” and “Svenska 1800-tals sällskapet”.

As a one of the hosts for this event I’ve put quite some work into getting it perfect.
Together with Pernilla from “Fashion of the days gone by” I talked to “Gamla Linköping” (the outdoors museum where the event was to be held) about help with publicity, booking the outdoors dance-floor and using their dressing-room among other things.
We had discussions with the historic dance team (to make hem do a dance show and a short dance course), with the “Historic costume group” for a fashion show and with several well read historic re-enactors for a small lecture on the fashion of the day.

At the end we only managed to get the dance team – who did a great job and was really appreciated by the participants of the day.
(Maybe next year we will be able to book some more entertainment and lectures…)

Besides planing the event itself, I’d worked on getting both me and my sister properly dresses.
Something I finished with just in time. My sister is wearing her new 1860s ensemble including her blue Skirt, white Shirt, blue Hat and black Swiss-Waist, paired with a bridal petticoat, bloomers, stockings, lace up shoes, and black lace mitts. 
I’m wearing my new 1850s ensemble of plaid Dress, green silk bonnet, cage Crinoline, Corset, petticoats, bloomers, lace up boots and a clock in a chain at the waist.

The event was a big hit and lots of lovely people from different parts of Sweden joined in.
We even got our own full page in the local newspaper.
Yes, it’s me in the big picture – the reporters caught me of guard, and convinced me to both answer some questions and to pose for them. They even caught some of it on tape – read the whole article and watch the interview (in Swedish) here.

Enough talking, on to the pictures…

We started the day by gathering all the attendant at the town square.awaiting some more people…

Perfect lilac picture dream

Staying cool in the sun

A bustle at the Crinoline day was of course also welcome

Coming back from the interview (with the two reporters trailing behind).

Then we went to the outside dance-floor to talk a bit and to get to know each-other, since there was a lot new faces for all of us.  You can see the reporters lurking in the background 

Clara, Maria and Engla in three quite different styles of 1850-1860s dresses.

Then we went for a short walk to some greenery, to have our picnic lunch. Eva, with her super modern fruit – the pineapple

Then we headed back to the dance-floor to watch “Folkungagillets historic dance team” perform.
And for some of us – join in the performance…

Here’s a short film of one of the dances:

Then everyone was invited to join for a a few group-dances and some polka.

Afterwards, one of the dancers helped me take some pictures of my dress in the nice light of the dance-floor.

One of the people who came to watch the public dance show was my friend Annica (who is an expert dancer) and I got to dance some polka with her. Yay!

Bustle glory.

After the dancing some of us headed of to get some cofee, or “Fika” as we say in Sweden.

And asked one of the photographing tourists to take our picture.

My (quite dramatic) shadow

Visiting some shops

To be continued…