Historically, Halloween has not really a big thing in New Zealand as it falls close to our Guy Fawkes celebration on 5 November.  However, restrictions on the sale of fireworks and other pyrotechnics have meant that Halloween is growing in popularity, particularly trick or treating.  As a group of friends who are child-free we take it as an opportunity to let loose, dress up and go out for dinner.

This year’s theme was Gothic and my husband and I took Poe’s “Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” as our inspiration.

David’s frock coat was made using Simplicity 2895 in a blue/black cotton spandex with cotton velveteen reveres, pocket welts and flaps.  I used black silk chamuese for the pocket bags and covered buttons (as the velveteen was too bulky) and grosgrain ribbon for the finishing flanges over the pocket flaps.  We found the lining, “Bats” by Blackwood (www.spoonflower.com/fabric/772059), which we had custom printed on silk cotton from Spoonflower.  I finished the lining with a “Grecian” embroidery stitch (standard on the Brother NX-400) matched to the blood red silk duponi piping cut from David’s mother’s Mother of the Groom dress from our wedding.  Because I couldn’t get a good match on the fabric pattern between the coat body and skirt (although check out the centre back seam match!) I trimmed the waist seam with a combination of duponi, grosgrain and embroidery to match the facing embellishment.  All of the facings are interfaced with horsehair.  The hanging loop at the back neck is chain recycled from the re-working of some of my jewellery for the event.

The waistcoat was also from Simplicity 2895.  The front body is “Stripes and Raven’s by J Witting (www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1674664).  We had this custom printed on a linen cotton.  The pattern is actually a an odd grey-brown but we found a perfectly matched silk shantung for the pocket welts, covered buttons and piping around the collar edge.  For the back fabric David chose the particular verse from Nevermore that appealed to him and Peacoquette Designs created something to our specifications (www.spoonflower.com/fabric/2220852).  We then had this printed on a silk cotton.  The lining is from his Mum’s dress again and the custom designed embroidery lozenge is by Steam Dust Studios (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/steamduststudios)  We used a faux suede jewellery lacing for the back waist adjuster which was adapted from Harlots & Angels’ Sweeney Todd Waistcoat (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/Harlotsandangels)

The shirt is Laughing Moon Mercantile’s Men’s Victorian and Edwardian Shirts (www.lafnmoon.com) made from a 100% cotton lawn with a fine self-stripe.  We decided to adapt it slightly and make the collar and cuffs as part of the shirt rather than detachable which would have been more historically accurate.  To make it a little bit special, and to tie it to the rest of the costume, I added some hidden embroidery in the same “Grecian” stitch in an off-white to the inside button placket, inside cuff placket and side gussets.  I used a McCall’s stiff interfacing which seemed perfect for the standing collar – I will never use this again as every time you even thought about steam to iron it (which you would with a 100% cotton shirt) the interfacing would warp and bubble – I replaced the collar and cuffs three times, so probably should have made them detachable after all.

David finished his outfit with his tuxedo pants, raven cufflinks from Art Jewellery Box (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/ArtJewelryBox), a tie historically accurate to his shirt in silk chamuese and wool felt top hat from Patterns of Time (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/patternsoftime).

I should have been born in an era when wearing a bustle was a daily occurrence – any excuse and I’m there with a bustle, walking skirt and cavalry coat.

I found Peacoquette Designs “You’re So Vain You Think You’re Royal Purple” (www.spoonflower.com/fabric/921251) early in the research process.  It solidified my colour palette to a Victorian undertaker’s black, silver and lilac.  Soon after I found Zelda at Dominick’s Murder Jewelry & Oddities (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/bonejewelry) and the whole outfit just leapt fully formed into my mind.

I started with a delustred duchess satin in a steely smoked lilac for Harlot & Angels’ Late Victorian Umbrella Walking Skirt.  Fortunately I had made their Victorian Bustle Petticoat for last year’s Steampunk Halloween so I could re-use that.  At this stage I wanted the bustle to be the drama piece of the costume so I was going to keep the skirt straightforward and strictly to the pattern – six shaping darts, a rear side placket and a pleated train.  Then Threads No. 168 arrived!  I had to be able to use that beautiful fabric feather technique somewhere!  By the time I had finished I had 4 yards of delustred satin, 4 yards of hot pink taffeta as an self-lined underskirt and 9.5 yards of pink shot lilac chiffon hand cut into feathers on the skirt.  The feather fabrics are time consuming to cut but incredibly easy to sew – although I think mine are denser than the ones in the article.

By the time all that fabric was added to the 5 yards of bustle petticoat I was carrying around a lot of weight.  I wanted a more luxurious bustle and train than last year’s Simplicity design so I settled on Truly Victorian’s 1880s Detachable Butterfly Train (www.trulyvictorian.net).  This is ultra easy to make but you do need a large cutting space as it requires 5 yards of fashion fabric and 5 of lining.  I had “You’re So Vain You Think You’re Royal Purple” printed on a silk cotton and then lined the train with a lovely stiff upholstery taffeta in liliac.

I decided that a professional was required to build and fit a corset for my rather ample figure.  I was thrilled with the result and my husband will get quite a bit of practice lacing it in the years to come.  We kept this relatively plain so that the skirt and accessories gave the drama to the outfit – without the bustle and accessories this will be a very striking evening outfit.

My “hat” was a magpie, Roderick (who, disappointingly, turns out to be a girl), sourced from a local taxidermist – he clearly thought I was mad when I said I wanted it to mount as a hat for Halloween.  I wired Roderick to a polystyrene base and which was covered in black taffeta and then wired to a plastic mesh to give the hairdresser plenty of attachment points.  I covered the base in twisted tulle and sequins and then finished with a net and taffeta “riding hat short veil” at the back with a large black crystal cross.  A beautiful vintage amethyst poison ring for one hand from Righteous Recycling (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/RighteousRecycling), silver claw ring for the other (fashioned from a spoon by Bent Spoon Jewelry (www.etsy.com/nz/shop/Bentspoonjewelry)) and a bracelet I made myself (featuring the same line as David’s waist coat lozenge) completed the ensemble.

We’re very pleased with the result.  I don’t know how thrilled I am about next year’s theme – “Halloween” which, it turns out, we’ve never actually done.

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