Corset fittings and public personas

[catherineldf]

I went to Scoundrelle's Keep this morning to get fitted for a new ensemble. This will consist of a black silk corset, black ruffly/steampunky blouse and a black waterfall skirt with some lace trim when it is complete and I will look something like a middle-aged Victorian vampire with an excellent dressmaker. Not sure what I will end up doing with my hair but no doubt inspiration will strike when things are further along. Why I'm doing this now, after generally being a con goer/filthy pro not known for either garb or costumes, is a different story.

Some of it is that I am turning 47 on Tuesday. I've been contemplating getting an interesting outfit of a steampunky variety for awhile and I like to schedule big, flashy things around Occasions. I have also been assured that my back will be happier when corseted, which I look forward to finding out. In addition, I will also admit to vanity; I am a gal who likes her outfits and they are harder to come by when one is of a certain stature and build, particularly when one also has strong feelings about looking silly (variously defined). And I'm feeling a bit frumpy. I do not like feeling frumpy. It is bad for my self-image.

At the same time, there are interesting and prevalent opinions about Writers Who Dress Up. One school of thought is that a filthy pro must never, ever do this. The price of anything resembling is a costume is that you will immediately get taken less seriously by the numerous roving agents/editors/publishers/other writers and miscellaneous flora and fauna assumed to roam through every con.  This is less of a concern for me than it might have been once. My experience is that flamboyance generally doesn't make much difference, but that may be because I am published and have begun to receive my tiny modicum of fame, rather than still trying to sell something, anything. I might also add I am aware that there are "hip and cool" fandoms to dress up in and suspect that may also make a difference in how the costumed author is perceived - steampunk good, Star Trek dubious and so forth. I have also observed that while the occasional pro may sneer, fans generally love it, especially if it looks good. And they're the ones who usually buy the books, run the cons and generally make fandom function.

There are, of course, plenty of writers who ignore the mortal terror of Being Taken Less Seriously, and wear whatever they please. In my experience, this group is often a lot of fun to hang out with. Dressing up and knowing you do it reasonably well (even if only by your own standards) is fun and often confidence-boosting. The clothes make the writer in this sense, and you can take your shy, socially-inept self out and become someone else, even for a little while. One of the beauties of fandom in its many guises is that there is such a remarkable range of things to experiment with.

Your thoughts? And yes, when it's ready, I will try and post a decent picture. :-)

Comments

[rm.livejournal.com]

You know, I bump into this ALL the time. I spend most of DragonCon being intensely miserable every year because I Cannot Dress Up.

Gallifrey One is like the only con where no one gives a shit about the lines on these things, but the Whoniverse is like that. No lines. None at all.

Do I have a firm opinion on it? Not really. Do I loathe people lecturing me about it as if I'm particularly slow? Oh yes. Clothes are always costume and it's annoying to be instructed on the subject from those who don't know that.

I think your ensemble sounds fine.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

I, for one, would love to see what you'd come up with. :-)
After a zillion years of convention going, I've come to the conclusion that one's warddrobe is probably of most interest to oneself and that it really doesn't make that big of a difference. Though I admit that I might not wear the new ensemble at something like World Fantasy where I know I'd get grief.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I've always loved dressing up, from the time I was a teen and designed and hand-sewed all my own costumes.

The one time I listened was when someone told me that Readercon pros never dress up, never never. Since Readercon totally ignored me as C grade anyway, I realized it doesn't matter what I do: people will have their preconceptions, so why not do what I like and have fun?

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Good point. :-)
The whole pro pecking order is someone's dissertation topic waiting to happen, what between the who's published by whom, who knows who, what they're wearing and so forth. At a certain point, feeling good and having fun is more worthwhile.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Figuring that I'm a "D List" pro at best, I am assembling a steampunk costume for CONvergence. I have a steampunk/weird west novella coming out this year, so what the hey. My wife is an award winning costumer, so anything she helps put me in will look good.

And if someone give me a line about professionals not dressing up, I'll just tell them "This is my professional image."

[queenofillusion.livejournal.com]

YEAH! Can't wait to see your outfit!

Hey, we should all be on a writing panel and be in costume. That'll teach em!

Veronica

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I'm really looking forward to seeing it. :-)
Seeing as CONvergence is a costume-heavy con anyway, this sounds like it will come off splendidly. I always love the notion that every single con is like Readercon or World Fantasy - chock full of people who will make or break one's career based, not on your work or behavior, but whether or not you're wearing a costume or anything like it. I must admit that any publishing professional willing to snub my based on my attire, seems not worth my time.

[lee-martindale.livejournal.com]

The new ensemble sounds luscious. We should talk about hair to go with it when we cross paths next.

Normally, I don't do costuming when on the panel participants' list. And, yes, part of that *is* a matter of pro-think. However, there are exceptions. If I have a Musketeer demo immediately before or after a panel, I will be in my fencing finest for the panel. (Also sweat, if it's an after the demo panel and I haven't had time to grab a quick shower.) Likewise for any panel immediately before or after a scheduled performance. If MCing the Masquerade, working an SCA demo, or hosting a costume ball, I'll likely be in appropriate costume. I consider all of those ways to indulge my love of doing costuming and not going too far beyond dressing "pro."

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

Oh, they want you to dress up, apparently -- just not in 'costume.' I was told repeatedly that I should wear 'professional-looking' garb (read: business casual, with specific mention of -- wait for it -- blouses and hose) at cons AT ALL TIMES, OR ELSE. I am not kidding. Also, I am apparently still a little peeved about it.

Anyway. I think I fall into the camp of wearing whatever I please.

[lee-martindale.livejournal.com]

I've been fortunate in my publishers and conventions, in that no one has ever indicated they wanted me in attire other than what I chose to wear. I suspect the publisher who tried to dictate such things would find itself vainly trying to find just where in the contract it acquired that right. I don't suffer fools gladly. Actually, I don't suffer them at all. And I've been slinging contract lingo since before most of them were born.

Part of my "charm" -- read: part of why publishers have liked me just the way I am -- is that I'm somewhat memorable in my own individual style. Being old (60), fat (and fabulous), in a wheelchair (paraplegic for the last 19 years and they don't call me "Hell on Wheels" for nothing) may have something to do with it, but I've also been an entertainer since I was three. It sells books.

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

I should be clear that it was never publishers who told me how to dress. (I don't have a publisher, in that sense.) It was other authors.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Having seen people actually do this, including the suit and tie version for guys/other male-identified folk, the overall effect is that everyone assumes that you're a mundane who's gotten lost. I've also run across the opinion that the person in the corporate uniform is clearly a newbie, because who else would be trying that hard?
The fact of the matter is that we're talking cons, not boardrooms. Anyone who's taking fandom that seriously probably needs to develop some perspective. :-(

[jean-roberta.livejournal.com]

I look forward to the photo - and yes, I think you must do something fabulous with your hair to complete the look. My only pet peeve on this subject is folks who dress in bizarrely inconsistent ways - e.g. my fellow-actor in an amateur production of Victorian one-act melodrama who willingly wore an ankle-length dress for the part but no makeup and no coiffure because: (& I quote) "It's not me." Re being Taken Less Seriously, this might apply if you wrote textbooks for law students, for instance, but anyone who wouldn't take you seriously in the black silk corset prob. doesn't read your fiction anyway. :~)

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

You can expect me to be dressing in bizarrely inconsistent ways. I'm not out to the do the full on role play stuff - it's too much work and takes time away from other things that I'd rather be doing. Most convention goers respond to me as a "Convention personality," which means they generally haven't read much of my work in any genre but are there because I'm funny and have something to say. So this does play into that.

[skogkatt.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm all for it.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Excellent! :-) I've enjoyed the pics you've posted of your costumes, BTW.

[deakat]

That sounds fabulous. I'm hoping that by the time Gaylaxicon rolls around this year my financial circumstances will allow me to indulge in something along those lines myself.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Oh cool! Post pics! I won't be making it to Gaylaxicon this year but do hope that it's fun. :-)

[deakat]

If it happens, my vanity guarantees that there will be pictures.

Sorry to hear that you won't be there. Since it's less than a 2-hour drive for me, I've decided to give Gaylaxicon another chance. I was very disappointed in it when Megan and I attended in 2006, but we didn't know anyone and social butterflies we were not. I suspect that now that I've attended two cons on my own (last year's WisCon and WorldCon), this will be a completely different experience for me.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Well, you weren't the only ones who said the 2006 one didn't work for you, but hopefully this one will be much better.

[queenofillusion.livejournal.com]

I must admit I went as a published author (albiet in the non-fic field) to several panels at CONvergence and was the only one dressed up...as a pirate, no less. At first, I got funny looks, mostly from the other writers on the panel, but when I said things that made sense to them and gave good advice, they tended to look past the Dressing Up in Costume Thing. For the main part.

I agree that Steampunk is probably dandy or anything of that ilk. Dressing up as Spock, on the other hand, might be harder to pull off. Still, showing a bit of cleavage is always a goodly and useful thing, I've found.

Can't wait to see your outfit!!!!!! I agree. Frumpy is BAD. I have this mortal terror of ending up frumpy someday. Being the strange old lady around town is more my goal.

Personally, I'll either wear a costume at a con or dress up as funky-cool-sexy as possible...which is a sort of costume, anyway.

Veronica (who also likes the Victorian look)

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

I was warned that I would be looking at more than a bit of cleavage (I believe I used the term "acres," she was more tactful) if I didn't go with the blouse. Thinking I'll be keeping a little mystery. :-)
CONvergence is a costume-heavy con, of course, so that makes some difference. But yeah, the writers in attendance, not so much on the clothes. Sounds like Mike and I will be joining you this year though. :-)

[thaedeus.livejournal.com]

Writer's get to dress how they want, whenever they want.
It's a perk.

If anyone gives you any trouble, just unleash a Lovecraftian rant in their general direction. And if it's a publisher, make fun of THEIR clothes.

They should consider themselves lucky that they ran into a
verbally-abusive, and yet non-violent, non-smoking, non-alcoholic writer in the first place.

I like it when sexy vamps dress up as writers... um, I mean....

[jean-roberta.livejournal.com]

. . . or as Convention Personalities. I hadn't considered that some writers might have in-person fans who haven't read their writing, just as many writers have fans who have never seen them. So much to consider. When I unpack, I just hope I have enough clean clothes to wear for the duration. (Nothing like spaghetti stain on the white shirt to detract from being taken seriously.) :)

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

I've never delivered a Lovecraftian rant - I think it may beyond me. But yes, the mocking I can handle. :-)

[thaedeus.livejournal.com]

Well, the problem with Lovecraftian rants, is people tend to fall asleep halfway through.... :)

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Perhaps if we put spaghetti stains on our Lovecraft? :-)