It’s come to my attention that Mr. George Knightley of Jane Austen’s Emma fame is now authoring his own advice blog, titled Letters to Mr. Knightley! With help from colleagues and friends, he’ll be dispensing his wit and wisdom on life and love to the denizens of Highbury, the Internet, and beyond. Here’s a man I’d trust with any problem!

There’s been a ton of local Emma productions hitting the stage this spring, from Folsom, CA to Salt Lake City to Fort Wayne, IN, to Windsor, Ontario! Some of them involve the Michael Bloom adaptation.

I’m posting the latest news on my Twitter feed, but here’s a roundup from the last month or so…

• The Seattle Star’s “Another approach to the classics: Emma at the UW” – Michael Bloom’s Emma performed at University of Washington through 2/26/2012
• The Salt Lake Tribune’s “Austen’s turns of phrase on Pioneer Theatre Company Stage” – Pioneer Theatre Company’s Emma (Jon Jory) opens 2/17/2012 in Salt Lake City
• Broadway World piece on Pioneer Theatre Company Emma
• Examiner.com’s “A fool for love: Jane Austen’s Emma coming to Pioneer Theatre Company”
• The Actors’ Workshop presents Emma (scroll down) many evenings from 2/9-3/4/2012 in Folsom, CA (MyLincoln presents dates and times)
• The Folsom Telegraph’s “Emma brings Jane Austen’s work to Folsom stage”
• The Westerly Sun’s “Flock Theatre presents Jane Austen’s classic Emma“ – Opens in New London, RI, on 2/10/2012 as part of the Shaw Mansion Series
• Theday.com on Flock’s RI Emma
• The WIndsor Lance’s “Super Sweet: University Players presents Emma” – University of Windsor in Windsor, ON, presents Emma through 2/12/2012
• The Windsor Star’s “Emma: From the page to the stage” and “Evil Emma well-meaning”
• Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette’s “Values-rich Emma adapts to local stage”
• Cherry on Top Theatre presented Emma in Sacramento and Placerville, CA, last month
• 2010 Michael Bloom Emma stage performances
• Recent Emma stage adaptations (at Emma Adaptations Pages)

Hey everybody! I just added an email subscription feature to this blog; you can subscribe to individual posts and discussion threads via the comments section, or subscribe to the whole blog via the little form in the sidebar and footer. It’s the standard WordPress.com  subscription feature, if you’re already familiar with that. Every time a new comment or post happens, you’ll be notified.

If you want notifications about more general website-related stuff, join my Strangegirl.com announcement list, which is a completely different animal.

Thanks!

Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, costumed by Academy Award nominee Ruth Myers.

Fashionable Emma Woodhouse: Costuming Austen’s Emma Adapted

Before the 2009-2010 BBC Emma miniseries came out – and before I’d even started this blog – my friends Vic and Laurel Ann of Jane Austen Today kindly asked me to do a quick piece about costuming in the three previous major adaptations of the novel: the 1971 BBC tv miniseries starring Dorin Godwin, the 1996 Miramax theatrical release starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and the 1996-1997 A&E/ITV movie starring Kate Beckinsale.

It’s based on a previous article on Emma costuming I prepared for Ellie Farrell’s excellent Celluloid Wrappers site, which is dedicated to film costume. Eventually, I’ll be adding a section on the Romola Garai Emma to that article.

So a few months ago I set out a list of blogging goals. Like many ENFP personality types, I tend to be very long on ideas and very short on attention span and time. To make matters worse, this past semester was one of my all-time busiest work periods, a frustrating reality further exacerbated by a bunch of extra life demands (some fun, like period balls, some not-so-fun, like expensive car repairs) that required time and money. My 2012 New Years’ resolution is to spend more time on my websites – particularly this blog, as it is both a way for me to reduce my rambling ideas into tangible goals AND an impetus for following through on those goals so I can share the results with you!

Happy New Year! Pinup Couture Evelyn dress in green satin.

I’m still plugging away on my to-do list from this past fall, and  I’m logging my goal progress to keep me honest! But before I bring you in on that, a goodwill gesture to prove that I’m working on it – an Outfit of the Week!

This is my Christmas Eve ensemble: Evelyn dress in green satin with reversible black velvet shrug from Pinup Couture, new Dian Von Furstenburg frames, homemade hairflower, and black suede-and-patent heels from Sofft Shoes.

Seriously, this dress is ace: rich satin sheen and Christmas green color, super-cute ruched bodice with adorable black velvet bow, and tremendous fit. When it comes to the Pinup Girl Clothing house brands, I usually hover around xl-2x; this one’s a 2x. There’s extra room in the waist (My inch measurements are 44-33.5-49), but it’s not baggy or ill-fitting. And the length is perfect for my 5’8″+ frame.

So if you’re plus or curvy or simply looking for a kick-butt, retro-style, made-in-the-USA clothing company, give Pinup Girl Clothing a shot!

Okay, now on to the rest of it. Click the link below to come out on the other side of the jump…

Here are my previous goals, with parenthetical progress reports:

• Post my seasonal fashion interests/shopping lists (four times a year) - (More like two or three times a year, as fall and winter blend so much here…)
• Give you at least one outfit-of-the-day per month, if not per week - (Still working on it!)
• Finish my fashion review of the 2009/2010 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma- (Eventually!)
• Complete a picture post featuring my vintage hanky collection, similar to my previous pieces on my beaded purses and antique jewelry- (Still working on it, AND I have more vintage jewelry to blog!)

Annnnd, I have some new fashion projects I want to share here on the blog:

• Photos of a Greco-Roman chiton I made back in October, which I created for my second performance of Lady Emma Hamilton’s “attitudes.”
• A late-1950s day ensemble, assembled from both vintage and reproduction pieces, for my Vertigo-themed costumers’ guild event at Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco.
• Some amazing midcentury jewelry I inherited from my great-aunt!
• And some gorgeous outfits I’ve put together along the way!

Alright, that’s it for now! Happy New Year and see you here again very soon!

"This is Haunted Halloween" collection CD art...

- A festive two hour collection of holiday tunes, originally debuting on October 1, 2010! -

Disc One is packed with a selection of macabre party hits, from a new extended mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Sheb Wooley’s campy “The Purple People Eater.” Disc Two follows with pieces reflecting the darker side of Halloween. Here, spooky film themes, ghoulish classical favorites, and other grisly tunes mix it up with creepy sound effects perfect for a stormy night.

Produced by Jason Pittman and Kali Pappas, this collection offers new presentations of old classics alongside several fun surprises. But beware — this is not your average Halloween mix tape. Listen and share! If you dare…

NEWLY AVAILABLE FOR 2011!

Enjoy 40+ minutes of freaky tunes and scary sounds. Comprised from a variety of sources, this mix is perfect for your Halloween party needs, or even just scaring the local trick-or-treaters!

Available for download NOW:

Audio files:

- 2011 “Skerrymix,” a longrunning single audio file filled with frightening ambiance and creepy musical sounds. A perfect haunt, trick or treat, or party loop! See if you can spot our favorite macabre influences from film, music, and more!

- Disc 1 – 17 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

- Disc 2 – 14 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

Expanded notes on the collection and the various tracks:

– Liner Notes.pdf

- Liner Notes.rtf (text only)

LINKS:

http://tinyurl.com/2011SKERRYMIX

http://tinyurl.com/NOTES2011

http://tinyurl.com/hauntedhalloween

http://bit.ly/hauntedhalloween

Mirror:

http://tinyurl.com/strangebeat

http://bit.ly/strangebeat

So I promised infos on my second birthday party outfit.  I didn’t get any great pictures from that night ( which was a fun evening on Boatel Queen Mary in Long Beach), but I can show you what I wore!

On Queen Mary, looking (ship)wrecked. Yes, you can see my corset and bra and my arm looks like it's melting.

Trashy Diva 40s Dress - a slightly better view.

Trashy Diva 40s Dress - official shot.

My dress is the Trashy Diva 1940s dress in the Olivine Floral fabric.  The colors are perfect and the fit is just divine. I made a pretty purple magnolia hairflower to go with it. The white anchor necklace is also by Trashy Diva – perfect for dinner on a ship!  I didn’t wear the pictured white cardigan, though; instead, I added a light, short-sleeved, 1960s-style spencer jacket in a black jacquard fabric that I’d found at Lane Bryant ca. 2007.  A gorgeous vintage rose brooch (a gift from my friend Cynthia!) finished off the jacket perfectly.

Lane Bryant retro-style jacquard jacket with vintage brooch.

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday with my parents and my good friend Teri.  We went to Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, my favorite restaurant in the whole world!

I wore my Bettie Page Clothing “Surprised” dress from their Gil Elvgren pinup line, pearl necklace and screwback earrings that my mother and grandmother purchased in Japan in 1966, a hairflower I made from a Sally’s banana clip and a Michael’s silk special, my suede-and-patent Sofft bow pumps (which you can’t see here), and my beaded 1950s Saks Fifth Avenue clutch purse (which I blogged about last year).

Surprised! Birthday dress!

Next weekend, another party!  I’m not sure what I’ll be wearing, but I’ll definitely share here after all is said and done! 

For some time, I’ve been wanting to share “OotDs” (Outfits of the Day) on this blog.  The trouble is, it’s usually really difficult for me to get a good enough quality photo to post.  Lack of a decent full-length mirror (in a spot with enough light) is the main problem.  At any rate, today I managed to get a workable shot while out and about at Ann Taylor Loft.

I wore a 1940s-style print dress by B&Lu, a red belt by Bettie Page Clothing, vintage carnelian jewelry, Claire’s hairflower, Sofft sandals on mega clearance from ShoeStation, and shades by Juicy Couture.  It was a comfortable ensemble for shopping on a hot day, and it looked cute, too!

Outfit of the Day

Yes, I realize that my purse – which happens to be powerfully cute and cost me only $14 at TJ Maxx – doesn’t match my oufit.  I can deal with it, and so can you. 

So the talented and dedicated Michael Sweeney  just notified me that he was able to finish reconstructing the 1980s-1993 Walt Disney World Adventureland Veranda area loop!  You may remember that two years ago I purchased and ripped  a copy of George Bruns’ Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii album, the source of several of those generation 2 Veranda loop tracks (I’ll just call it version 2/generation 2, because we’re only aware of one other area loop presumably used for this restaurant area, and it’s been attributed to 1973 and Jack Wagner, voice of Disneyland/WDW and compiler of the Main Street Christmas area loop).

Anyway, Michael obtained a live recording of this later Adventureland Veranda loop from Mike Lee of Widen Your World and went to town.  Find the updated Adventureland Veranda tracklist here.

Groovy Adventureland Veranda area loop links:

• Michael Sweeney’s Adventureland Veranda area loop v.2  tracklist
• Mike Lee’s Adventureland Veranda page, including a live recording of the v.2 area loop in situ
• Kali’s/AprilDecember’s Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii album adventure
• Kali’s rip of of Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii (split track torrent) at Mousebits.com
• Kali’s rip of Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii (full album file torrent) at Mousebits.com