Party Like A Vanderbilt

 

Party Like A Vanderbilt

April 24 - 26, 2015

Biltmore Estate

Asheville, North Carolina

Edit 10/11/2015:   We're doing it again!
For the details for
Party Like A Vanderbilt - Season 2
follow this link:
http://theperfecttouchvictorian.blogspot.com/2015/08/party-like-vanderbilt-season-2.html

 

Spring in Asheville, North Carolina means the Biltmore in Bloom season at the Biltmore Estate.  With 8,000 acres of breathtaking Great Smoky Mountains countryside, the Biltmore Estate welcomes you to a different time in history.  For those of us who love history and historical costume, a weekend at Biltmore Estate is truly a once-in-a-life time dream.

 

You are cordially invited to join other costumers at a full weekend event which has been designed specifically for your passions!

The Biltmore House

All You Need To Know:

Where You'll Rest Your Head -

 

Watch this!   Inn on Biltmore Video Introduction

 

Inn on Biltmore:  George Vanderbilt had a plan for an Inn on the Estate where others could appreciate what he so loved - the mountains of North Carolina.  In 2001 that dream became a reality and the Inn on Biltmore opened.  We have reserved a block of standard Deluxe King and Deluxe Double rooms .  While the rates are different for each of the 3 nights, the average special discounted price per night is $273.00 plus taxes.  Once you are registered and your initial deposit made for the events,  you will be provided a code to use when making your reservations directly with the Inn and you will receive the discounted rates.  All contact information will be provided with your code in a personal email to you. 

 

What You'll See and Do -

 

Friday Evening, April 24th - You've been traveling all day, have settled into your room at the Inn on Biltmore, and now it's time to relax and begin your adventure!  You have a choice of two fun activities for this evening.  To get you in the mood for the history that is Biltmore we have chartered a private Historic Trolley to pick us up at the Inn and provide us a tour of Asheville with historical commentary and snacks and drinks.  The white or red trolley will be open air weather permitting and costumes are welcome. Update 4-9-2015  Pick up at 5:15 PM and return at approximately 7:00PM.   Pick up at 5:00 PM and return at approximately 6:45 PM.

 

 

If you are in the mood for some local flavor, the Asheville Pubcycle is your choice!  The Pubcycle can accommodate a maximum of 10 riders and promises fun for all!  You will be driven to the meeting place and brought back to the Inn by a local attendee. Costume is welcome!

You will make your choice of Historical Trolley Tour or Pubcycle at a later date.

 

Saturday -  Your weekend will include Tour Tickets for Biltmore House and Gardens for both Saturday and Sunday.  As guests at the Inn we are provided shuttle service within Biltmore Estate.  The shuttle will leave the Inn at 9:30 AM Saturday morning for Biltmore House.  There we will take our photos outside as photographs are not allowed inside Biltmore House.  Touring the House and Gardens and Conservatory will be extra special during this time as it is the Biltmore in Bloom season.  An extra special touch at the Biltmore House will be the Downton Abbey Costume Exhibit.  If you attended the Exhibit at Winterthur Gallery you will be pleased to know this exhibit will feature different costumes from the hit PBS series.  Now entering it's fifth season, Downton Abbey has all costumers eagerly awaiting the January 2015 debut in the US as the Downton Abbey family and staff live life in the 1920s.  Tour at your leisure, catch a light lunch at the Stable Café at the House, or take the shuttle to any of the other areas of Biltmore Estate.  We'll all be in costume so no doubt we will be stopped for photos and conversation by other guests.  Enjoy the day in the beauty of Biltmore!  Return to the Inn by shuttle on your own schedule.

 

 

 

Saturday Evening - A "Downton Dinner at the Champagne Cellar" - Dressed in your finest inspired by Downton Abbey's first season set in 1912 with the sinking of the Titanic to the present season in the 1920s, prepare to be treated to an exquisite Biltmore evening dinner in the Champagne Cellar at the Winery.  We will meet in the Inn lobby for photographs and then be taken to the Winery at 7:00 PM. Update 4-9-2015  The Estate Trolley will leave the Inn on Biltmore Estate at 6:30PM to shuttle those staying at the Inn.  You will be served a five course dinner that George Vanderbilt himself would have approved of and enjoyed!

 

First Course with Biltmore Wine Pairing

Risotto Carbonara, Crisp Bacon Lardons, English Peas, Shaved Pecorino Cheese,

Poached Quail Egg

 

Second Course

Baby Springs Greens, Peppered Bacon, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Pickled Peppers,

Crème Fraiche Dressing

 

Intermezzo

Lemon Basil Sorbet

 

Entrée with Biltmore Wine Pairing

(Guests will choose table side from one of the following)

Roasted Scottish Salmon, toasted Pinenuts, Preserved Lemon Beurre Blanc

Horseradish Crusted Beef Tenderloin and Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Wild Mushroom Salad, Thyme Jus

Pan Roasted NY Strip and Natural Breast of Chicken, Braised Swiss Chard, Bordelaise

 

Dessert

Chef's Dessert Sampler

 

Homemade breads with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Biltmore Blend coffee or tea

 



 



 

Sunday Morning - This is your personal time.  You may want to sleep in!  You may want to explore the Inn on Biltmore or take a short walk or shuttle ride from the Inn to Antler Village on the Estate where you will find additional exhibits and places to eat and shop.   You may want to return to Biltmore House for a specialty tour or spend more time at the House and Gardens and Conservatory. 

 

 

 

This is also the time to schedule an optional activity such as a carriage ride.

 

For those who would like to join in an archery lesson and photo opportunity in costume, we will be taking reservations.  The cost is $50 per person and requires a minimum of 5, maximum of 20 participants.  Update 4-9-2015  Archery lesson attendees will be picked up at the Inn on Biltmore Estate at 9:30AM and return to the Inn at approximately 11:00AM.

 

Sunday "Time Traveler's Tea" - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM - George Vanderbilt was born in 1862 and passed in 1914.  Wearing costume from any of those periods, we will enjoy a private tea in The Hunt Room at the Inn.    If you take any lunch at all on Sunday, keep it light as the Tea is hearty and heavenly!

 

 

Sunday Evening "The Legacy Continues" 1920s Reception in The Hunt Room at the Inn on Biltmore 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM (Update 4-9-2015) - To celebrate the birthdays of George Vanderbilt's grandsons, George Henry in 1925 and William in 1928, we will top off our weekend with a 1920s costume extravaganza.  Arrive in your sparkled and dazzling best and enjoy Reception Hors d'oeuvres, both hot and cold, and hand-selected Biltmore wines.

Rosemary Crusted Beef Tenderloin on Crostini with Crumbled Blue Cheese

Maine Lobster "Silver Spoon" with Citrus Chive Aioli

Smoked Duck Breast on Baked Lavosh with Red Onion Jam

Tomato Bruschetta with Boursin Cheese

 

Warm Brie En Pyllo with Raspberry and Almond

Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallop

 



And a surprise awaits!  Neither the residents of Biltmore Estate nor Downton Abbey could have done it with more panache!

 



The Entire Weekend's Events At A Glance -

• Friday Evening - Choice of Asheville Historical Trolley Tour or Asheville Pubcycle
• Saturday - Two-day Tour Ticket of Biltmore House and Gardens including the Downton Abbey Costume Exhibit
• Saturday Evening - A "Downton Dinner at the Champagne Cellar"
• Sunday Afternoon - "Time Traveler's Tea"
• Sunday Evening - "The Legacy Continues" 1920s Reception

The Dollar Details -

The Friday evening through Sunday evening five-event amount including tax and gratuities is $375.00 per person payable in three installments.  The first deposit of $125.00 plus online service fee will guarantee your place in one of only 30 openings.  The remainder will be due in two more payments of $125.00 each no later than February 1, 2015 and April 1, 2015. To keep service fees to a minimum the balance due is payable by check or money order with instructions provided in a personal email to you.

Once all 30 reservations are taken we will keep a wait list.  Deposits are only refundable once there is a paid reservation from the wait list as all monies will already have been paid to Biltmore to reserve our venues.

To make your reservation and deposit please visit Brown Paper Tickets from this link:

(Note added 12/11/14  Party Like A Vanderbilt has Sold Out!

The Brown Paper Tickets link will show the sold out status and no further tickets are available.

A wait list is being compiled and if you interested in being on the list for

any tickets having to be resold, please leave a comment here or email theperfecttouchvictorian@gmail.com .

Thank you!)

Brown Paper Tickets - Party Like A Vanderbilt

 

Immediately following our incredible weekend, the San Diego Vintage Dance Society has scheduled their Vintage Dance Week in Asheville with classes each day and dances each evening.  Our weekend event and the Vintage Dance Week is the perfect combination of historical experience and historical dance in costume.  Details can be found here:

San Diego Vintage Dance Week in Asheville

We are looking forward to seeing you when we

Party Like a Vanderbilt!

 

 Frequently Asked Questions:

1.  Is there an airport in Asheville?  Yes, the Asheville Regional Airport AVL.  Shuttle service is available directly to the Inn on Biltmore.  Shuttle services recommended by Biltmore staff include Elite Limo and Diamond Executive.  Other shared van services can be found online.

2.  Are there direct flights into Asheville?  From our research, it appears that most people who want a direct flight will fly into Charlotte CLT.  It is approximately 2 hours from Charlotte to Asheville and cars can be rented in Charlotte although there are some shuttle services from Charlotte to Asheville and return.

3.  Does the $375.00 include my stay at the Inn on Biltmore?  No, they are separate.  Your reservation for the events includes the 5 special events including tour tickets.  Your reservations at the Inn on Biltmore will be made directly by you using the discount code provided you.

4.  Do I have to stay at the Inn on Biltmore?  No, there are many area hotels near the Biltmore Estate.  The Inn on Biltmore is the only hotel directly on the Estate and when you stay at the Inn you will be provided shuttle service to all areas of the Estate.  If you stay off the Estate you will be responsible for your own transportation to the events.  It is approximately 3 miles from the gate to Biltmore House and not walkable from outside the gate.

5.  Do I have to wear costumes?  This special weekend has been designed specifically for those with a passion for history and experiencing the closeness to it in wearing historical costume.  Many of our attendees will have spent hours researching, designing, and creating the historical and vintage costume they will wear for our special events.  The experience in costume is magical and we hope to create the atmosphere of a time past with our private venues.  If costume is not your passion, these  special events may not provide the experience you are seeking in visiting Biltmore Estate.  Tours, dinners, and the tea are available as regular offerings at Biltmore Estate without the need for historical costume.

6.  What is the cancellation policy?  The Inn on Biltmore will request a one night deposit upon reservation and will inform you of the cancellation policy which is linked here:
Inn on Biltmore Cancelation Policy    For the events package, all monies are paid to Biltmore to reserve the venues and book the food/beverage packages in line with their standard contracts.  A wait list will be maintained and if you have to cancel, your deposit and any other payments will be refunded upon payment by someone from the wait list. 

7.  Do you work for Biltmore Estate?  No, we are just two friends with a passion for historical costume and experiencing history wearing those costumes.  We live in North Carolina and have designed this special weekend with the encouragement of other costumers across the country.  We have signed our own names to the contracts and the financial obligation to create this special weekend.  The total cost is based on current quotes from Biltmore and current prices for the Friday evening choices and then divided by the maximum number of 30 attendees.  We will be purchasing 3 of the 30 available spaces ourselves and are so incredibly excited about the weekend!


Jeanette and Randi at the Winterthur Downton Abbey Costume Exhibit September 2014



 



Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #21 - Re-Do of Challenge #17 Yellow

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”

~ Robert Burns, To A Mouse

(paraphrased in English)

 

Celebrated just a bit too soon, didn't I?  I've had a dream to recreate the beautiful costume in Manet's 1882 painting, Spring.

 

 



I've made the bonnet, gown, and parasol and all that was left were gloves.  Easy!  Or so I thought.  A while back I won a box of gloves at auction.  I mean a BOX of gloves.  In fact there were so many that I kept a few that fit me and mailed the box to friends who then kept a few for themselves before passing it someone else....and so on.  Finally it came back to me and I packed it away.  I was sure there would be a pair of gold/yellow gloves in that box and I would adjust for fit or color as needed.

 

Alas, not one glove was appropriate.  I did try to dye a pair of synthetic gloves and while the color was close, the appearance was blotchy.  After all the work I had put into this project I just couldn't settle for blotchy.  I was so disappointed.

 

So Plan B.  There always has to be a Plan B which sometimes wakes you in the middle of the night whispering in your brain while you are trying to sleep.  But it was a good plan!

In my pattern stash was a reprint of Vogue 7708 from 1952 for gloves in 3 lengths, mittens in 2 lengths, and mitts with pointed extension.  The pattern is my size, 7-1/2.  Some years ago I used some muslin to test the fit.  I sewed everything with an outside stitch and remember thinking it was so difficult that I probably would never use the glove pattern again.  But here I am, needing this very pattern.

Here is a photo of the pattern and my disastrous attempt at coloring gloves:

To recreate the hat and parasol in the Manet painting I used a silk dupioni from the fabric stash.  Although I'm sure the color of the silk is perfect for the gloves, I don't know how to work with a fabric that will fray so badly.  I consider a liquid anti-fray solution but decide against that due to the amount of edging required to be treated.  I look through my interfacing and find a Pellon brand called Easy-Shaper Fusible Nonwoven Interfacing.  It is for light to midweight fabrics - "Dresses, blouses and sportswear keep their soft, supple shape permanently".  It's worth a try!  I cut all my pieces from the silk on the straight of grain, do the same for the interfacing, and iron.    I'm very pleased!  The silk has a nice firm feel similar to a soft leather.  I believe this will work!

 

Life is very full during this time and I have very little continuous time to work on this project although that is exactly what I need.  Every time I figure something out, I have to leave the project, and then forget what I had already worked out.  It is very frustrating and to start with I sew the wrong thumb on the first glove.  Silly me!

After a while I get the idea of what is supposed to be happening since I'm sewing everything by hand and from the inside.  Here is the right hand glove with the pieces sewn for the insides of the fingers.  (one photo with flash and one without flash)

 

By the time I got to the left hand I was getting a little better and developed an easy way to attach the inside pieces.  I'll show those steps here.

Left hand glove, back of hand, inside piece for ring finger and little finger.

Fold inside piece in half, wrong sides together.

Open piece and lay on little finger of glove, right sides together, 90 degree point on end of cut edge.  Pin.

Refold inside piece.

Fold the main glove portion so that the right sides are together for the index finger and insert piece.

When the ring finger edges are aligned, pin.

The pinned insert piece will look like this on the back hand part of the glove.

Sew down one edge to the point.

Sew down the other edge to the point.



This is the finished insert piece.

 

Once all 3 insert pieces are sewn it is much easier to sew all the pieces to create each separate finger.  Finally the index finger and long outside edge are sewn and then the glove hemmed.  While my new gloves are by no means flawless, I'm super excited that they are finished!  They don't fit me perfectly as I have long fingers and the index fingers of the glove are too short.  But they are wearable and with a little adjusting I will have my own custom fitted glove pattern.  I learned so much and am now well prepared to make another pair, although that won't be any time soon.  Haha!

Here they are ready with the other items for the Manet painting photoshoot!  Although it is fall and very close to winter I have some wonderful evergreen ivy and holly bushes that will give us a spring background and I look forward to sharing some finished photos with you soon!

Historical Sew Fortnightly

 

What It Is:  Gloves

The Challenge:  #21 Re-Do of #17 Yellow

Fabric:  Silk dupioni

Pattern:  Vogue 7708

Year:  1882

Notions:  Nonwoven interfacing

How historically accurate is it?  There are references to silk gloves in this time period but the interfacing makes them very non-historical.  They are completely hand sewn so that's a plus!

Hours to complete?  I didn't even try to track.  This was one of the most difficult projects I have done this year.  But now that I know what to do I would say you could make these in 4 hours.

First worn:  Will be worn for the upcoming Manet painting photoshoot.

Total Cost:  Using just 5/8 yard of fabric this pair of gloves would probably also qualify as a Re-Do of Challenge #13 Under $10.

 

Love always,

Jeanette







Historical Sew Fortnightly - Challenge #21- Re-Do of Challenge #7 Tops and Toes

From "Sherlock Holmes" 2009

“And that was how a great scandal threatened to affect the kingdom of Bohemia, and how the best plans of Mr. Sherlock Holmes were beaten by a woman’s wit. He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late. And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia

 

 

If you have been with me through the Historical Sew Fortnightly journey this year you might remember this jacket.  I made it in March and to my surprise and happiness it was loved by many and continues to be a popular post on this blog.  But with such a striking and memorable design, I was unsure about ever finding the perfect hat to top this suit.

 

Until I found this pattern:

The "Irene Adler Hat" by Harlots and Angels.  This pattern is the perfect blend of sophistication and uniqueness that I feel is also in the suit.  Not to mention a whole lot of attitude!  I think wearing this hat and thinking of Irene Adler would bring a knowing smile to any lady's face.  Perfect!

 

I have enough remaining fabric and some vintage ostrich feathers and just know that this will be the right hat.  I'm excited to get started!

 

I've made hats with patterns from many different sources and designed two patterns myself, but I've never seen a pattern or directions quite like this one.  The extreme tilt of the hat is created with darts sewn in the buckram and fabric.  This means that everything will be sewn by hand to follow those beautiful curves.

 

So I trace the pattern to the double-ply buckram and cut the brim, crown tip, and sideband...

 

...gather the tools and materials...

and sew the buckram darts and add millinery wire to the edges.

The curved needle is my favorite for attaching the crown tip to the sideband.

I covered the wired edges with French elastic, but bias tape also works very well.

The directions are great and the design is stunning!  I'm a bit obsessive about my hat planning and I trial fit my fabrics to make sure I really love the final effect as much as I think I will.  Laying out trims is also a trial-and-error process.

 

The first event for this costume was to be the Steampunk unLimited weekend at the end of September.  I attached some wonderful brass globes to the velvet flowers for my Traveler persona and was ready for the weekend.  Our Saturday morning visit to the Downton Abbey Costume Exhibit was wonderfully longer than we planned and this costume went unworn for the weekend.  So today I took the mannequin outside, wrapped her in the jacket, and took these photos for you.  Please enjoy!

 

Historical Sew Fortnightly

 

What It Is:  The Irene Adler Hat

The Challenge:  #21 Re-Do/#7 Tops and Toes

Fabric:  Buckram, cotton matelassé and cotton twill

Pattern:  Harlots and Angels

Year:  1899

Notions:  Millinery wire, millinery thread, French elastic, vintage ostrich feathers, brass globe stampings, 2 velvet roses, coque feathers

How historically accurate is it?  Completely hand sewn and a design illustrative of the era.

Hours to complete?  10 hours

First Worn:  Taken for the Steampunk unLimited event in late September, but not worn.  No immediate plans.

Total Cost:  $40

 

Love always,

Jeanette