Return of The Steamy Sari

Oh my gosh, it's a costume re-wear!

I happened to get an email from my corset supply shop with some information on a local event they were vending at featuring an awesome jungle-tastic photo.  It seemed like a fairly good place to take some south/south east Asia inspired photos, so it was sent on to the Partner in Crime.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Partner in Crime wasn't able to attend Steampunk World's Fair this year.  We had spent a while working on her Thai dancer costume and she was pretty upset that she didn't have a chance to wear it.

I had only worn the sari outfit for a few hours at SPWF, so it seemed like a pretty good opportunity to get some more mileage out of the outfit and get some awesome photos.  It's also nice to only have to track down my costume parts and not be rushing to finish something at the last minute.

Me, elegantly dying in the fernery.

That being said, I'd had some issues with the brown bodice being too loose at SPWF, so I made some alterations to make it fit better ultimately taking out about four inches from the sides and another four inches from the center back.  It's still a bit loose, but the fit was better overall.  Still not happy with the bustline, but that will only be corrected with a proper mid-bust corset.  I also added an extra hole to my belt with an awl (not the best tool for the job...), so now it's sitting at the waist as intended.

I managed to get the fake hair paranda to work this time around and it bulked up my braid nicely.  (I have an unhealthy relationship with cheap fake hair extensions.) I might consider making a more traditional paranda just to add some more color to the outfit.

I made some minor changes to the accessories as well.  I found some bangles that I had wanted to wear the first time around, but couldn't locate at the time, changed out the gold earring for green ones, and added a vintage Victorian sash pin that I bought at SPWF.

The lovely sash pin

I prefer the green earrings.  They're a bit more interesting than the gold ones and I think they complement my skin better, however, they kept getting stuck in my hair (well, they keep getting stuck in the fake hair).

Original gold earrings.
No schvitzing.

Halfway decent shot of the earrings, sash pin, and bangles
if you ignore my schvitzing.

I'm considering getting a new petticoat for this.  I've worn it both times with a white petticoat, but because the lace is cream all of the detail is lost in photos.  If I wear it with something darker, that detail will stand out better.

Detail of the brown linen and cream lace

We headed out to the Morris Arboretum pretty early in the day, which ended up being a good idea since it was so damn hot.  We've been having some pretty great weather lately, so naturally the day of the event was over 90 degrees (this seems to be a recurring theme in our summertime events).

We wandered a bit, getting lost several times because we both have a terrible sense of direction, but (exhausted and hot) finally made it to the fernery.

The fernery was built in 1899 and is currently the only free-standing fernery in North America.  It houses a collection of ferns from around the world and a koi pond and made an awesome backdrop for some steamy (literally) photos.

Thai dancer on the wooden bridge and
some of the greenhouse glass in the background

Approximation of what I might actually look like in India.
I am so hot my face is red.  

Undoubtedly the fernery would be lovely in the winter, but it was already oppressively hot and humid when we visited, doubly so in the fernery.  We managed to get some decent photos, but scurried out immediately after.  Emerging back onto the path outside felt like air conditioning after the fernery.

We called it a day after only a few hours, since it was so darn hot.

The arboretum is really very beautiful, particularly the rose garden, so we'll have to go back when it's not quite so hot to explore a little more and maybe take some more photos.