londonbard

I was chatting to a friend the other day and we were discussing clothing sizes. I actually thought of trying to get her exact size, because with Portobello Road just around the corner many strange things show up. Anyway, we didn't quite get to exact size, in inches - even though we did discuss costumes for Halloween and SCA (and, in my case, Carnival.)

So I was going down Portobello Road today and what I saw was a very good costume for a tavern wench who'd caught the Lord of Manor's eye a few times. Maybe she'd caught something a little easier to grip, too and been paid for her trouble.

It was a lovely emerald green dress, trimmed with black beads and lace, it looked like watered silk or taffeta or something - and she might have been trying not to catch the Lady of the Manor's eye, because her ladyship might not know where the dress had gone...

So I put out an exploring hand - and the material was real. Heavy shot or watered something substantial, but with a real jet bead trim! Real velvet ribbons (real heavy canvas stiffening that would make it a trial in hot weather.) It would have been too small for me- and if I'd have tried it on I'd be waiting for Ethan Rayne to cast something that would have me calling people M'Dear or M'Handsome and charging them in guineas to find out if I meant it.

It'd be the perfect wenches outfit because it's seen better days. Some bits of beading are missing. There's a small hole in the bead netting... (If it wasn't for the zip up the back I'd swear it was real. An SCA costume for the utterly upper class.

The bodice would be too small for me. Probably it would be too small of my friend. But altered...)

Emerald and black and lucious.

Haunting me.