Coco 2013

[elizabeth_mn]

Ok, here goes: the wrap-up post from my first Costume College.

On Thursday, I got in super early. I have family members in town who were good enough to pick me up from the airport and shuttle me around. I got to the hotel around 11, Merja (a.k.a. the_aristocat) was the first person I ran into and I gave her the lamest confused sleepy hello (sorry, dear!) before excusing myself to check into my room and then crash in it. It was nice to get in early enough to hang up dresses and get settled and rest.

Thursday afternoon I just hung out and did some knitting. At the pool party in the evening I got to meet lots of LJ folks for the first time. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces! I met bauhausfrau, love3angle, demode and koshka_the_cat for the first time, and met nuranar and jenthompson again. And so many other folks!

I didn’t have a costume to wear so I just wore one of my favorite regular dresses. I had a couple drinks and some good conversations and looked at all the pretty dresses – I especially liked the mermaids!

I am really quite shy and I had to work pretty hard at being confident enough to even talk to anyone and not just run off to my room to hide. If I didn’t seem shy to you, I’m amazed. Even when I am getting the better of it, I am still choking down knots in my stomach. But I was proud of myself for actually overcoming it and talking, though when I’m nervous I either don’t talk at all OR I talk way too much and laugh too loud. So I hope it didn’t veer into the latter.

Friday I was still in mundanes, though I joked that this was my Authentic Minnesota Hipster costume.



I had some really interesting classes – adapting fashion plates and bodice draping, among others – and kept my knitting with me to help work off the antsy-ness. For the evening ice cream social I wore vintage (dull!). It was tough feeling like every time I started a conversation I had to scoot away from someone because we were interrupted with a photo request.

Later I went to a room party which was fun and I had some great conversations and met many more new people! I am convinced I need a tiara.



Saturday I FINALLY got to dress up. Being in costume made such a difference; I felt a little alienated in mundanes, but in costume I felt like I really belonged.

I wore my curtain dress and went to the Curtain-along meetup, which was basically half an hour of sitting and chatting and another hour of taking a zillion photos. I brought my tripod because I worried I would not get any pictures! But there are probably 6,000 of the whole thing now.







Chronological order:



After that, I had some lunch with 6 or 7 ladies there, which was great; those little casual intimate moments are always so much more resonant and satisfying for me. Just having conversations about not much and connecting.

In the afternoon I helped Jen and nuranar sew some last-minute stuff, then went to the English Country Dance class, which was awesome. I am really a folk dancer at heart and by Saturday I was feeling an intense need to move my body and enjoy a nice, structured social dance. I totally agree with Katherine about figure dancing being way better than a big loose free-for-all.

For the gala, Jen, Merja, and I gave each other some last-minute dressing help and walked down together. I had been terrified of facing the whole red carpet thing alone, but walking shoulder to shoulder with them, I felt like such a badass.

I will leave the lovely posed photos to the rest of you; I mostly had casual shots for the day.





I didn't get any good group shots but I did get a few nice new ones of my pink cupcake gown that I made last January.



I think I was the only person in the whole place that actually liked the pirate band, but let me qualify: I ONLY liked them while they played polkas, hornpipes, and sea shanties; when the cheesy pop music covers started, it was lame. But live music is almost always better than a DJ.

Jen and Merja both indulged me as polka partners – possibly just to shut me up since they’d both been hearing me whine about wanting to dance for 2 days straight – and they were both great partners, though I may have whipped them around a bit too much. Sorry, ladies! You two are absolutely the best, and I had the best time with you both. My door is open to you any time you make it to the Midwest.

Polka is my favorite dance and I only wish there had been more! (If/when I return to coco I definitely want to teach a dance class!) But even dancing to the crappy DJ music was fun, although I am just dying of embarrassment now at all the dorky dance moves I did – I really hope too many pictures don’t surface of that!

Sunday I had the undies breakfast, which was fun, then I finally got to wear my seaside dress, which I had just been hoarding all weekend; my best new thing for last! Sunday I took it easy and was super mellow; I shopped the market a little, took some photos, then went to the Tea.

I loved this dress, even despite the floppy cuff trouble and the horrible back wrinkle of doom.





The Tea was okay; the sandwiches and pastries were good but the tea was awful (but then I am a tea snob, sorry). I liked the Pirates of Penzance theme and there was some singing. I left early to attend Kendra’s hairstyles class, which I really enjoyed. I can’t wait for the book!

And then it was over, and the only thing left was to put away the last costume, change to mundanes, and sigh. I headed across the street to dinner with Merja, Jen, Katherine, Kendra, and others, then went back for a drink and chat in Kendra’s room. I finally got to say more than two words to Aubrey (a.k.a. girliegirl32786), and now I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk more!

I hated to leave and go to bed that night, but I had an airport shuttle picking me up at 5:00, so I said goodnight around 10:00. It was so hard to say goodbye! I’m sure it’s easier the more you get to do this, but I have no idea when I will ever get to attend another Costume College, if ever.

I know I did so much more, but it’s still all kind of a blur, and I can’t believe it went so fast. I felt so blessed to be a part of this and to be able to dress up, talk shop, and just spend time with so many amazing people. Thank you all.

Lessons Learned:
Pack a costume for every day, even if you don’t wear it, and even if it is old and lame!
Take lots of photos, and get yourself in them, too.
Plan everything more tightly – mostly I mean packing and knowing in advance how I’ll get to/from the airport, etc.
Accessories, accessories, accessories.
It was worth bringing the tripod, even if only to allay anxiety.
Don't save your favorite costume for the last day.
Posture!



Can't wait to see more of everyone else's photos!