Back in Adelaide

Back from an exhausting weekend away in Adelaide. The purpose for my trip, the annual Australian Costumers Guild Ball. This year, was my fourth trip. In the past I have traveled down with a number of my fellow costumers, but this year, I was on my own. I left work early on Friday and jumped on an afternoon flight to make it into town by 6pm. The unfortunate side effect of seeing the PINK concert the night before had left me so tired that I don’t even remember the plane taking off – I had crashed. But, I did get a couple of shots on my camera as we approached. The sky was lovely and clear as the sun was setting over Adelaide.

I arrived in town and checked into my accommodation for the weekend at the Picadilly Apartments – 190 Gover Street, North Adelaide. The place is just a short walk to where the ball is held and the price is perfect. At just under $100 per night, it is affordable (especially with a group). In the past I have stayed in a room with a number of my fellow inter-state travellers, and while the accommodation is dated (1970s) it is functional. This year, I was put in a newly renovated room. Apparently the whole property is undergoing an update under their new ownership. It's just a matter of time before all the rooms are done over. I took a few photos of my room as it now is, and I have to say, it was lovely. Everything was very clean and had all new fit-out. I was incredibly impressed.

I spent Saturday, doing the fabric shopping thing. In Adelaide, there are a couple of really good fabric stores within the city space. The first that I went to was DK Fabrics at 105 Port Road, Hindmarsh. I considered taking a bus, but was looking at a 30 minute trip. Instead a taxi took about 7 minutes from where I was staying. The store opens at 9am, and I was there shortly after. The main different with DK Fabrics over other stores is that you don’t collect the fabric that you want and take it to the front counter, but instead it is cut on spot. If you are planning to shop for a lot of fabric, I suggest taking a pen and paper to jot down some notes on what you are after, so you know what you are going back to. I picked up a number of lovely pieces of fabric for future projects. As you can see from my photos, there is an amazing selection of fabrics available, and all at good prices.

I then made my way to Eastern Silk. A quick tram trip down the line (only two stops, and within the free travel zone) saw me arrive. The address, for those looking to travel to it is 7 James Congdon Drive, Mile End. I shop online at Eastern Silk quite a bit as they offer free standard postage within Australia. And while their fabrics are standard prices, the quality is much higher than the silk available at Spotlight or Lincraft, and they offer a wider range of colours. But shopping at Eastern Silk is another thing entirely. The shop is a converted old house that still manages to maintain its charm; and it encompasses not only the fabric side of the business but the home furnishings and accessories as well. This time, I didn’t actually buy any fabric for myself, but did grab a couple of beautiful scarves on sale.

I then made my way back to North Adelaide to pick up some food before heading off to rehearsal for the Ball. I had decided to enter into both the Parade and Workmanship competitions this year. For the Parade, I wore my Charlotte La Bouff costume and performed a simple display with lip synching to a 45 second snippet of sound taken from the film. In workmanship, I entered my I Dream of Jeannie costume. Workmanship, is where your seams and construction are examined and judged. Trust me, it is rather daunting. The second image is partway through De-princessing for the evening.

Later that night, came the ball itself. It was great to catch up with so many of my fellow costume friends from Adelaide. Most, it is the only time of year that I see them in person. I unfortunately didn’t get as many photos as I wold have liked, I was too busy having a good time, but they are up on my costuming blog. And while I didn't win in my category in the parade part of the competition, I did win a workmanship award for my I Dream of Jeannie costume. It's a huge compliment and it makes me feel justified in the amount of effort that I put into it. I think though, it's an inspiration and helps me stay motivated to do a good job on the next costume, both inside and outside. It's well worth the effort.

It wasn't until well after midnight that I shuffled the couple of minutes’ walk back to my room, where I proceeded to fall into bed. It had been a very long day and I was still running on Brisbane time (a half hour ahead).

I woke up Sunday morning, to pack my suitcase and check out of my hotel before meeting up with a couple of the ACG members for brunch. Unfortunately there were many who couldn’t make it (Father’s Day falling in the way). Afterwards, I spent the day catching up with a close friend of mine before heading to airport to make the trip home. I had a wonderful weekend, and am already trying to decide what I will wear next year. 'Cause if I can swing it, I will definitely travel for the ball again. And who knows maybe one year, I will spend some time actually seeing a bit more of Adelaide. Just driving around, it is a beautiful city with a lot of heritage. I am very envious of those that live in such lovely surrounds. I can imagine getting dolled up in historical a lot if I lived there.