The theme for the Revel was "cross dressing". Since I have been going to Far Isles events as Guy and his sister Violetta for many years, dressing as a man or as a woman would not really be entering into the spirit of things, I felt, so I dusted off long unused plans for a half-and-half costume.

The pictures, I'm told, don't do it justice and the costume (unfinished as usual) has since had the waist tabs and some of the green braid that was originally planned added to it since and may even get finished before it is next worn (yes, I'll get pictures)

The "Violetta" half of the costume started out as one of a pair of 2nd hand cotton brocade curtains I bought for about £4 in a charity shop. They were a faded candy-floss pink and *awful*. A run through the washing machine with purple Dylon machine dye soon changed that (though I only had one packet of dye and really needed two so the colour is a lot lighter than I really wanted).

The other curtain of the pair, incidentally, has been dyed a deep burgundy/red and made into a doublet and trunk hose for my by my friend Miki.

The skirt is cut as you would a very full culotte leg, and will someday have a half-farthingale underneath. The bodice has an underbodice beneath it to squeeze my chest into a suitably realistic clevage (or half- a clevage... a cleve, perhaps?... as that's all that shows) and then there is padding between the bodice and underbodice to simulate the covered/non-visible part of the breast.

The "Guy" half is made from offcuts from the "Europen Yellow Velvet Curtain Mountain".

Several years ago, Tom's mother bought us a set of six second-hand cotton velvet curtains very cheaply at Scouts Jumble. They must have been from a school hall or some other large room because each curtain was 4 yards long. Four of them were 60 inches wide and the last two were 90 inches wide (the extra 30 inches on each being made by a half-with panel being sewn down the side of each. These panels were a slightly deeper/redder shade of yellow). So far we have made a full length houpellande for an adult, a full-circle full length houpellande with hanging sleeves for a 5 year old and a subtle, parti-coloured tabbard (contrasting the slighlty deeper yellow panels aginst the main coloured fabric) and we still have enough yellow velvet left to make a couple more calf-length houpellandes. I used only (carefully pieced in places) offcuts from the earlier projects for the Guyoletta costume.

The bodice/doublet and skirt/trunk-hose parts are sewn together at the waist. The shirt/smock sleeves are sewn in to the armholes as part of the main garment, as is the yellow velvet sleeve. The 3 parts of the other sleeve are seperate tubes slid on over the smock sleeve on that side (they still need the green braid and points added). The partlet and the ruffle around the neck are sewn in as part of the main garment too. Appart form the stockings, shoes and under-bodice, it can all be put on as one piece and it fastens with hooks and eyes up the front.

As to the hair and beard. I had several weeks off work before the event (Christmas and New Year break, plus some time looking after our godson, Jared, while his parents were abroad), so I stopped shaving and grew a beard.

The day before the Revel, I went into a hairdressers and had them cut short the hair on the right half of my head, leaving the left half its usual mid-back length.

The morning of the Revel I trimmed the beard into one of those awful "poo-ring" goatee beard shapes, and then shaved off the left half of it. I made-up the left half of my face and fastened the long hair on that side back with combs and pearls (which don't show up at all in the picture....). I hadn't gotten as far as the headdress and I was still sewing the costume in the car on the way to the Revel)

I cut the other half of my hair short the morning after the Revel and it's still growing back sixteen months later.

I shaved off the horrid poo-ring too. The following month I started a course of laser-hair-removal treatments to kill off the beard growth (I hate beards and daily shaving is a real grind, especially when you have as dark and persistent growth as I do and have to shave a couple of times a day to stay clean-shaven) so growing a beard won't be an option next time.

I'll have to get the headdress done and do without the beard next time, perhaps I'll invest in a good quality fake goatee from a theatre supplier and cut it in half to use next time I wear the costume.....