By Autumn Adamme, founder and creative director of Dark Garden
The Edwardian Ball is coming to town! It's an amazing, delightful, awe inspiring, rip-roaring good time, but begs a very important question - What should you wear??
Firstly, let's discuss the Edward in Edwardian. This Edward isn't a stuffy English king but instead one of the most prolific, weirdly inspired, and talented author/illustrators of the 20th century; Edward Gorey.
Best known for The Gashly Crumb Tinies and the opening credits of PBS's Mystery series, Mr. Gorey drew bizarre creatures, told tragic tales, and taught us the alphabet in a darkly amusing manner. His ladies were often wan and veiled, his gentlemen top hatted and clad in bearskin coats and always inhabit a world drawn in black and white.
But still, what should you wear?For inspiration will you look to Edward Gorey's favorite eras, the 1890s to 1920s? Will you be a corseted lady, a starving urchin, a brute in a bowler, a decadent flapper, or cross dressing, mustachioed twins? Or perhaps recreate a character from one of his alphabet lessons...B is for Basil, assaulted by Bears...?
The Edwardian Ball has been running in San Francisco for 22 years, evolving and expanding in extravagance and creative expression every year. The costumes and clothing worn by guests has often matched that of the performers in complexity and audacity. Above all, think of this event as an opportunity to express your own creativity, to wear something you might not wear anywhere else.
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