Remember how I said in the latest Dapper Day blog that April was going to be a busy month because of a bunch of events? Well, here’s a short recap of two of them! And like Dapper Day both had a retro theme, making them quite an opportunity for us to have some fun with our clothing and express something specific.
You might even say that my friends and I enjoy having Nostalgia for the past…even if it’s something we never directly experienced. But more on that phenomenon in a future blog/pod! Today, I just want to talk about a weekend with great people and fun clothes. Because in the end, we can make (or find) our own Occasions to put some outfits together. And boy did these fit the bill!
We actually decided to talk about all of this on the podcast, half to show what our life is like and half to take a brief respite from the “big” topics that we often tackle. Hopefully you enjoy it (especially the cold open 
)
Podcast Outline
- 6:08 – Topic Intro/Catching Up
- 9:49 – Dapper Day Intro
- 19:28 – 80s Party
- 39:30 – How Much Do We Like 80s Fashion?
- 44:35 – Ren Faire
- 1:09:16 – Wrap-up
1989
The first event of this jam packed weekend was a “Prom 1989” themed party to celebrate my friend James’s birthday. To be more accurate, this was a triple birthday party as we were also celebrating his roommate Brandon and a third friend. James and his friends all went to art school and are all lovely people; it’s always a good time when I get to hang out with them.
If you’re wondering what inspired the theme, it’s all because of Lisa Frankenstein, a recent comedy-horror film that follows a Lisa, teen in 1989, and her misadventures (and romance?) with a Victorian-era zombie. I did not like the film (it’s really mediocre) but I did find a few things (namely the setting and a few side characters) quite charming. I could tell that angsty ex-tumblr kids would really enjoy this movie. Hence, James decided to model his birthday after the film. When he sent out the invitations, he immediately told me that he was going to cosplay the zombie (the “Creature” as it is named in the credits) for the party.
Now this was an interesting theme and unlike anything I’ve done before. I’m used to general decade attire and I definitely have no issues with 80s tailoring. But an 80s prom? How could I do that? Youth attire after the 70s isn’t really my thing; I certainly do not own windbreakers or pastels. I also wasn’t about to buy clothes just to be worn once.
The only saving grace was that prom usually requires tailoring of some sort, though black tie or a suit on me tends to naturally look a bit trad. But then I stumbled across the perfect source of inspo: a group photo where one guy is wearing a gray DB suit, a black shirt, and a bolo tie. I already owned all of those things (my 1940s inspired suit works well for an 80s silhouette)…well save for the bolo tie. I tried my best to find a “stone” type (I know Ducky wore one in Pretty In Pink as well) but to no avail. In the end, I graciously borrowed one from my girlfriends’ sister’s husband. It was decidedly very western, seeing as the “stone” was a Texan star, but I think it did the trick, at least for the party! I accessorized with a crocheted boutonniere (its prom after all), a black double breasted sweater vest (from the 80s), some sunglasses, and of course, white socks and loafers. I certainly got the most out of my existing wardrobe!
Everyone else looked great too! James did a pretty accurate cosplay, wearing the exact Violent Femmes merch tee with a tweed jacket (and of course, stellar make-up). Brandon wore his dad’s high school varsity jacket. Quite a few people went for the goth prom look (a la Lisa Frankenstein), complete with corsets and 80s hair; Maddie also had 80s hair but wore a vintage pantsuit. Isabel had a vaguely artsy look with a floral dress, straight hair, and dark lipstick (though I guess that’s more 90s). There were also a handful of denim tuxedos worn with vintage tees. Spencer was generically early 80s which really is just “rugged ivy”, per his menswear background. In fact, MJ was the only one who wore black tie!
It was definitely a fun time. I liked that the name tags had superlatives on them, as to keep with the high school theme for the party. We really need to bring back themed parties outside of Halloween!
1589
For this next event, we went to the 80s again…the 1580s to be exact. Well sorta.
The day after the party was our desired day for the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, which is held in my backyard of Irwindale. As a whole, this Occasion is rather new to me, as our outing last year was my first time attending since college. It was such a blast to be in such a wholesome environment that encourages immersion. It is quite something to be around people speaking in Ye Olde English getting you to drink up, eat up, and toss an axe or javelin.
What’s even better is seeing everyone get fitted for this. Whether you were a vendor or attendee, you were wearing something in service of the theme. Like Dapper Day, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire has a general retro vibe for the 1500s-1600s. While I am sure that there are distinct style choices per each decade within that century, it all just blends together in the public consciousness.
There’s also the fact that the Ren Faire brings together LARPers, D&D and fantasy aficionados, and general cosplayers, adding to the multitude of expressions you can go for with your chosen dress. Even so, it can be a challenge to approximate this period of dress with modern clothing. But that never stops the attendees. Corsets, untucked button ups cinched with a belt, and slacks tucked into boots were found all over. Of course, some went were accurate with their attire, which you always got to love. There were also a bunch of pirate-themed outfits, considering that it was “Pirate Weekend” during the day we attended.
As you probably expected, I made my outfit to be as “accurate” as possible while making the use of my existing wardrobe. Doing Safincore was a no-brainer for this but I wanted to try something a little different this time. I was also a bit inspired by Skelton John, a modern menswear brand that definitely has a bit of a Ren Faire vibe to it, though obviously I wasn’t going to buy something from them just for this.
In the end, I wore a black rayon sport shirt untucked with my black linen gaucho pants. A thick black belt (from high school) was utilized to cinch my waist along with my black brocade scarf to add some pizzazz. I knew I was going to wear black cowboy boots but right before I left my house, I made the move to tuck them into my boots and blouse the excess fabric over the top in order to further the Ren Faire/Pirate theme. While this did out me as wearing cowboy boots and not riding boots, I think it worked quite well. At the very least, it added some needed emphasis to separate it from my typical attire. Of course the “Turkish” hat and elf ears probably helped!
We all tried something new that day! Isabel was finally able to finish her Ren Faire dress from last year and add some cool sleeve/shoulder details. MJ looked like a menswear pirate (specifically like Jake). Epiphany and Youmna wore corsets with their dresses. Joseph got a little more “metal” with it and wore a sleeveless tunic and kilt. Serhan also had a tunic but added a cone shaped hat; people kept calling out Wirt as we walked through the crowd.
While we weren’t as drunk as we were last year, we actually had a better time this go. We got in early and were able to see the two jousts; the second one ended with murder. There was even time to play with some weapons. I quickly found out that I’m terrible at throwing stars but decent at crossbows, but then again, I don’t know what I expected.
To me, this whole thing is what life (and this blog) is really about: an encouragement to hang out with your friends and wear a fun outfit. It doesn’t even need to be Pitti, a trunk show, or even Dapper Day. It can be a birthday party with a theme or simply going to the Ren Faire.
Just wait until I go to Anime Expo later this year, because you just know that’s going on the blog.
EDIT: The 380s B.C. (or whatever)
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Buh-bye!
Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)| StyleandDirection
The Podcast is produced by MJ.