How To Host A Murder

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Dress: Chi Chi London (via Asos) brocade

Cape: Gift, feathers & velvet (from Paris)

Heeled Booties: Corelli at Williams the Shoemen leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Leona Edmiston at Myer vinyl with gold hardware

Cuff: Samantha Wills resin, gold, onyx beads

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Finally posting all of the pictures from a recent Victorian-themed "How To Host A Murder" Party (slightly different from the kind you play at home; this one involved real thespians) at a historical home on the other side of Brisbane. It was part of week-long wedding celebrations for two wonderfully dear friends on mine who coincidentally were given the roles of in-cahoots murderers, marrying & "knocking off" wealthy women in a vain attempt to keep control of their crumbling ancestral pile.

As an homage to the Victorian era (1837-1901), I donned a navy & gold heavy brocade fit-to-flare dress with black tulle underlay by Chi Chi London via online English retailer Asos, altered from a strapless wonder in collaboration between my seamstress Desley & I; she chopped a good few inches off the bottom & used the excess material to create thick straps, removing the impetus for me to wear strapless bra, thank goodness! To ward off the chilly Winter breeze, I added a feathered cape with velvet collar detail, found in a little store in Paris & given to me by the mother of one of the dear friends in question for a previous social engagement. Needless to say, I was seriously chuffed to have the opportunity to wear it again so soon, not least because I had just had my hair freshly "bobbed" for the occasion. 

Check it out in detail below:

When it came to footwear, a pair of matte leather heeled booties (akin to Victorian-era riding boots) by Corelli at Williams the Shoemen really fit the bill, particularly when matched with a pair of 40 denier black nylon tights from Razzamatazz & a "prim" vinyl handbag with single handle & gold hardware from Leona Edmiston at Myer.

Jewellery was kept simple & statement-making in the form of a divine chunky black resin Samantha Wills hinged bangle with gold & onyx beaded adornment. I received it as a "Gift with Subscription" to In Style magazine about six years ago now & it has honestly been the BEST quality freebie in the history of magazine give-aways... far better than the umbrella I was gifted the following year, but I digress...

Keep scrolling for a final view of the look as a whole:

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In keeping with the Victoriana vibe, here are a few pictures of the gorgeous family-heirloom, hand-embroidered white cotton & lace vintage nightgown (a gift from the married couple) that I wore as part of my costume for one "Murder Mystery" round, displayed as part of a flat lay with my antique stereoscope & a selection of my stereoscopic photographs depicting the Diamond Jubilee of 1897.

For those who may not know, a stereoscope is a device used for viewing separate images - depicted in left-eye & right-eye views of the same scene - as a single three dimensional image. A typical stereoscope (such as this handheld Oliver Wendell Holmes creation from 1861) provides each eye with a lens that makes the image seen through it appear larger & more distant, usually shifting its apparent horizontal position so that a person with normal "binocular" depth perception sees the edges of the two images seemingly fuse into one "stereo window." 

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