Party Like A Vanderbilt - Season 2

 

 

Party Like A Vanderbilt - Season 2

April 29 - May 1, 2016

Biltmore Estate

Asheville, North Carolina

 

Party Like A Vanderbilt in April 2015 was a glorious event!  It was to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience where costumers could indulge their passion in the beautiful and historic surroundings of Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  It turned out to be perfect with the Downton Abbey Costume Exhibit and the Biltmore Blooms events coinciding with our costume weekend.  I took this photo as I was walking from the Biltmore Gardens back to Biltmore House on my final day and had already been approached about a repeat event.  With 30 people from 8 states attending in 2015 and a wait list for another event, the decision was made and, yes!, there will be a Party Like A Vanderbilt - Season 2!

 

Your Invitation

 

You are cordially invited to join those who share your love and enjoyment of wearing historic costume in both an elegant and fantasy setting for a spectacular weekend of fun!

 

Your Accommodations

 

 

The Inn on Biltmore Estate is our luxurious home for the weekend.  George Vanderbilt's dream was to built a place where friends and family could stay together to experience the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Inn has fulfilled Mr. Vanderbilt's dream and our dream as well.  We have reserved a block of rooms especially for our group at a negotiated rate of $359 per night for a King or Double Deluxe for Friday and Saturday nights and $239 for Sunday night plus taxes.  There is a $30 charge for triple occupancy and $60 charge for quad occupancy per room per night.  Reservations and room charge will be separate from the weekend event charge.  Upon receiving your paid reservation deposit you will be emailed the password to make your reservations at the Inn on Biltmore Estate.  As guests at the Inn on Biltmore Estate we will receive complimentary shuttle service to all of our events as well as service during your free time to explore and enjoy Biltmore Estate.

 

 

 Our Events

Friday - April 29 - Costume Theme:  Vanderbilt Era 1890s thru 1930s - Biltmore Estate is world-renowned for its wine, food, and service and we will experience all of that in the elegance of the Champagne Cellar at The Winery.  A walk through the hallway....

...and into the dining room....

 



...where we will be served our first sumptuous meal of the weekend.

 

First Course

 

Risotto Carbonara, Crisp Bacon Lardons, English Peas,

Shaved Pecorino Cheese, Poached Quail Egg

 

Second Course with Biltmore Wine Pairing

 

Baby Arugula Salad, Shaved Fennel, Ricotta Salata, Salted Pecans,

Lavender Honey Vinaigrette

 

Intermezzo

 

Lemon Basil Sorbet

 

Entrée with Biltmore Wine Pairing

(Guests will choose one entrée table side)

 

Roasted Scottish Salmon, Toasted Pinenuts, Preserved Lemon Beurre Blanc

 

Pan Roasted NY Strip and Natural Breast of Chicken, Braised

Swiss Chard, Bordelaise

 

Sage Brined Pork Tenderloin, Buttermilk Fried Shallots, Apple Cider Gastrique

 

Dessert

 

Chef's Dessert Sampler

 

Homemade Breads with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Biltmore Blend Coffee or Tea

 

Saturday - April 30 - Costume Theme: Vanderbilt Era 1890s thru 1930s - Today is all about Biltmore House and Gardens!  Your weekend event package will include a length-of-stay pass to all Biltmore Estate areas including the Biltmore House and Gardens, The Winery, and Antler Village attractions.

 

 

 

  We will begin our day at Biltmore House where a special exhibition entitled "Fashionable Romance - Wedding Gowns In Film" will be in progress.  In addition to the display of wedding gowns beginning with the Regency period films, we will see the newly recreated version of Cornelia Vanderbilt's wedding gown.

 

 

Biltmore House and Gardens always has something new to offer as rooms as continuously renovated and opened to the public.

 

 

 

Our weekend in April will be during the Biltmore Blooms season where the gardens and Conservatory are a special treat.

 

Saturday, April 30 Evening - Costume Theme :"Moguls and Movie Stars of the 1920s and 1930s" - Saturday evening has been arranged as a private and special event for our weekend - a Guided Tour and Rooftop Reception.  Yes!!  You read that correctly!!  Our tour will showcase un-restored areas of the house not open to the public, including the attic, and provides stunning views of the estate from various balconies and rooftops.  Following our tour we will be escorted via a circular staircase to a rooftop deck for a private reception.

 

 

 

Reception Menu

 

House Tasso Ham and Pimiento Cheese on Toast

Salmon Tartare with Preserved Lemon

Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream and Crispy Leeks

Brie and Raspberry Tart with Almonds

Smoked Trout Mousse on Brioche

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Brochette

 

Beverages

 

Biltmore Reserve Chardonnay North Carolina

Biltmore Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley

Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blanc Brut

Bottle Water

Sparkling Water

 



Biltmore Estate has been the setting for 14 major movies and in that theme we will enjoy our reception paying tribute to the ladies and gentlemen who entertained the Vanderbilt's from the silent movies to the "talkies".  Costume as your favorite movie star:  Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Jacqueline Logan, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow.  Or your favorite movie mogul:  Cecil B DeMille, Jack Warner, Louis Mayer, or Samuel Goldwyn.  Glamour and style are the words for the evening!

 

 

 

 

Sunday, May 1 - Day - Sunday is a day of your choosing!  You may choose to sleep in, return to the Biltmore House and Gardens, hike the trail, take tea at the Inn, or explore The Winery or other areas and exhibits in Antler Village.  You may also choose from some optional scheduled costume events that will be organized for us by the Biltmore Estate staff.  Those events include:

 

                            1.  Carriage Rides

                            2.  Equestrian Trail Rides

                            3.  Sporting Clays

                            4.  Falconry

 

After you have made your reservation deposit you will receive a personal email asking for interest in any of these events.  Once we have determined potential interest, the Biltmore Estate staff will give us times and costs for varying size groups and that information will be forwarded to you and you may choose based on that information.

 

 

 

 

Sunday - May 1 - May Day Courtyard Feast and Masquerade Ball - Costume Theme:  Vanderbilt Fancy Dress/Masquerade 1890s thru 1930s

 

A Fancy Dress/Masquerade event was held at Biltmore House on Cornelia Vanderbilt's 21st birthday in 1921.  The event was covered in the local paper and Cornelia's costume is on display in Antler Village today.

 

Cornelia on pillow lower left, Edith Vanderbilt seated next to Cornelia.

On Sunday evening we will gather at Deerpark Lodge on Biltmore Estate for a May Day Courtyard Feast.

 

Weather permitting, the Feast will be held under the twinkling lights of the Courtyard.  Weather not permitting we will be served in the glass enclosure facing the Courtyard.

 

May Day Feast Menu

 

Appetizer

 

Beef Short Ribs, Pumpernikel Gnocchi, Peas, Brown Butter,

Arugula, Warm Carrot Vinaigrette

 

Salad

 

Strawberry and Parmigiano - Leaf Lettuce, Strawberries,

Shaved Parmigiano, Marcona Almonds, White Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

Combination Entrée

 

Seared Salmon, Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Pearl Onions, Porcini Truffle Butter

 

Dessert

 

Chef's Seasonal Selection

 

Served with Chef's vegetable and starch

Biltmore Blend coffee, iced tea, and bread service

 

Cash Bar Available during Feast and Ball

 

 

And now....

 

The Grand Finale - The May Day Masquerade Ball!

 

In April 2015 the San Diego Vintage Dance Society scheduled their Vintage Dance Week following our Party Like A Vanderbilt weekend event.  They introduced Asheville to the music of Spare Parts, an extraordinary group specializing in music from the Regency Era and into the 1920s.  Spare Parts will be brought to our event from their home in Massachusetts for our evening ball!

 

Spare Parts Website

 

 

Sharon Guli, our Dance Mistress for our May Day Masquerade Ball has the magical ability to take a ballroom of novice and experienced dancers and lead them into the perfectly coordinated movements of a true historic event.  Sharon Guli has led dancers of all ages and abilities on her Victorian Dance Cruises, and numerous events both in the United States and Europe.  We are bringing her from her home in Colorado and with the music of Spare Parts at her side, our dance promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event on the beautiful wood dancefloor of Deerpark Lodge.

 





 

Be inspired!

 

 

 

The Details

 

1.  As of this writing, 8/29/2015, the final times for our separate events are still being set.  Not to worry!  When you purchase your reservation and provide your personal email, updates will be sent to you well in advance.

 

2.  The total cost for the Friday evening Champagne Cellar dinner, Saturday daytime tour and length-of-stay pass for Biltmore House and Gardens and Estate, Saturday evening private Guided Tour and Rooftop Reception, and Sunday evening May Day Courtyard Feast and Masquerade Ball is $544 per person.  An initial deposit of $136 will be taken through the Brown Paper Tickets website beginning 9/1/2015 at 12:00PM EDT.  There are 30 full weekend openings, with 70 additional openings for the Sunday evening Feast ($108 per person)  and Ball ($85 per person).  Feast and/or Ball only tickets are payable immediately.  The full weekend tickets will have 3 more payments due on 11/01/2015, 2/01/2016, and 4/01/2016.  Refunds (less the handling charge if credit card is used) will be given providing the ticket is resold.

 

Summary

 

Party Like A Vanderbilt - Season 2

April 29 - May 1, 2016

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

 

$544 per person payable in 4 payments:

includes Friday evening dinner in the Champagne Cellar,

Saturday Biltmore House and Gardens tour,

length-of-stay pass to Biltmore Estate,

Saturday evening Private Guided Tour

and Rooftop Reception,

Sunday evening May Day Courtyard Feast

and Masquerade Ball

 

May Day Courtyard Feast only - $108 per person

 

May Day Masquerade Ball only - $85 per person

 

 

Tickets available here:

 

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2189126

 

Looking forward to seeing you in April 2016 when we Party Like A Vanderbilt!

Jeanette



 

















Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award

Right there in the middle of so much chaos and so little time was the most wonderful surprise!  Crystal nominated my tiny corner of Blogdom for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award!

I'm stunned, I'm happy!  I see all the stats that show that people from all over the world are reading my tiny blog, but I don't really know who most of them are or what they think of my little stories.  And then there is Crystal reading my blog and I'm happy!  I love her blog and what she shares is wonderful so please get a cup of tea and give her blog a read. 

Adventures in Bias Tape

The Official Award Rules are:

1.  Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
2.  Put the Award logo on your blog.
3.  Answer the ten questions sent to you.
4.  Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
5.  Nominate ten blogs.

With the first two rules finished, here are my answers to Crystal's questions:

1.  Why is your blog named what it is?     My blog is named The Perfect Touch because I believe that accessories and details are what make any costume or creation unique and beautiful.  The perfect little hairpiece, the perfect shoes, the perfect trim....the perfect touch.  And you know it when you see/create it because it makes your heart happy and brings a smile to your eyes.

2.  What made you decide to start blogging?  As a self-taught costumer I wanted to share and hopefully inspire others to dive in and go where their imagination could take them.  I share my failures and tears as much as I share my successes and smiles because it takes both to learn.

3.  What do you enjoy most about blogging?  I consider the costume/project finished when I have written and shared the final result in the blog.  I love feeling that I am always connected to those who read the blog and share this hobby/passion.

4.  On average, how much time do you spend sewing?  The sewing takes the least amount of time and I probably spend double the sewing time in ironing.  Truly!  I'm a stickler about pressing every seam as I sew.  Over the past year I've sewn a lot of projects and tried to spend at least an hour a day in the sewing room.  Now how much time do I spend daydreaming or researching?  A lot!

5.  Of your favourite eras, do you prefer having patterns pre-made or making your own?  I'm fortunate to be an average size and that most pre-made patterns fit me well.  I don't yet know how to draft my own pattern but I've become good at customizing and designing so that I'm happy that my final costume in unique.

6.  Speaking of favourite eras, which one is yours and why?  Without a doubt my favourite era is the early bustle period of the Victorian era.  The trims!!  The trims!!

7.  What is the most unconventional object used in a previous project?  (Either in the making of, or actually in the item.)  The parts to a vintage Singer sewing machine.  Yes!  It was a Steampunk costume called Steamstress No. 1 and this crazy assortment of parts became pieces on the hat, a necklace, and a corselette and the flywheel became part of the bustle.  Very fun!

8.  Describe your ideal sewing area.  Absolutely has to have easy access to hot water and teabags.  Otherwise I can sew anywhere.

9.  Care to share your favourite sewing tip/trick?  Chopsticks.  They are amazing for creating those beautiful points of a collar.

10.  Coffee of tea?  Plain or doctored?  I'm simple in that I love Starbucks Columbian coffee for the morning and Lady Grey Tea for the afternoon.  Nothing added.  Well, except a chocolate bar.


Here are my 10 questions for the blogs I nominate for this award:

1.  What is your favorite fabric?
2.  What era would you most like to visit?
3.  Does anyone else in your family share your hobby/hobbies?
4.  What part of the world have you not seen and would love to visit?
5.  Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?  Or neither?
6.  Have you ever ridden a horse?
7.  Do you have your blog printed?
8.  Are you a morning person?
9.  Have you invented something?
10.  Do you use Pinterest?  If so, how many pins do you have?

My nominees are:

1.  Trudy @ D'Nalof Design
2.  Gretchen @ Part Time Lion Tamer
3.  Loretta and Isabella @ Two Nerdy History Girls
4.  Juniesy @ The Serial Hobbyist Girl
5.  Leimomi @ The Dreamstress
6.  Lauren @ Wearing History
7.  Val @ Time Traveling in Costume
8.  Cindy @ Broke Costumer
9.  Black Tulip @ Black Tulip Sewing
10.  Kat @ Madame Modiste

All these bloggers have inspired me in my passion and I thank every one!

Love always,

Jeanette

Secrets!!

You know that I share everything I sew!!  Where I've been very neglect is in sharing photos when I wear the things I sew.  I haven't posted photos from Steampunk unLimited last fall, the SASS Convention, the Victorian Dance Cruise, or even a nice write-up of Party Like A Vanderbilt at Biltmore Estate this past April. 

Promise, promise, promise I will catch up in August!  Why, August?  Because it's after Costume College and everything I've been sewing is a secret.  For once I'm going to surprise everyone!  I'm teaching 2 Ribbon Flowers classes at Costume College and got an email that both are full!  Yay! I've just finished the handouts and kits for the classes and while I get butterflies thinking about teaching, I'm so excited to share this fun craft with other costumers!

Life has been hectic for the past 3 months as I've been asked to come out of retirement and when I'm on assignment it means days or weeks away from home.  Then an amazing opportunity presented itself and I've just finished a move back to the home I sold 10 years ago.  So as I sit in my new (and extremely disorganized) sewing space and prepare for another 9 day assignment out of town, I feel content and blessed that while my blog posts are way behind, my life is right on schedule.

And the great news is that I've just signed contracts for another Party Like A Vanderbilt costume weekend at Biltmore Estate in April 2016!  All the details in September!!!

My new/old house:

The sewing space before I hauled the mess up to the loft:

Love always,

Jeanette

Historical Sew Monthly Challenge #4 - War and Peace - or - Champagne, Bee Stings, and Tears of Happiness

The Edwardian Era in the United Kingdom covers the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.  Sometimes that era is extended beyond King Edward's death to include the years leading up to World War I in 1914.  The Edwardian Era stands out as a time of peace and plenty for Britain with widespread prosperity and no severe depressions.

King Edward was the leader of a fashionable elite whose style was influenced by the art and fashions of Continental Europe.  The fashion is characterized by a rich and exotic opulence in the first half of the decade 1910 to 1919 in contrast with the somber practicality of garments worn during the Great War.

One of the most influential designers of the time was a French designer, Jacque Doucet.  Pastel colors and elaborate gossamery dresses with fluid lines and flimsy diaphanous materials were a trademark of the House of Doucet.

It was this period of peace and the influence of Doucet's design that inspired my gown for an upcoming special occasion.

As I gathered my supplies from my stash I realized this gown could have qualified for the Historical Sew Monthly Challenge #3 - Stashbusting.  This is a pattern I've wanted to sew for a while and it fit nicely with my plan for a 1912 evening/dinner gown.

At Costume College 2014 I took the tour of the fabric district and a beautiful piece of silk called my name.  Honest!  I bought 4 yards (my budget limit) and just knew that someday this would be the base of a beautiful gown.  That someday had come!

Also in my stash was a beautiful piece of unknown content but it was exactly the right color for the underskirt.  It has tiny silver threads and shimmers when the light hits it even underneath the silk overdress.  $3.56!

For the Stashbusting Challenge I had used a crinkled cotton and still have yards left to use, so that will be the base for this gown.  I have a stash of beaded appliques and beaded trim and even if I have to use a combination of trims, I'm certain I have enough for the gown.  Time to get started.

The pattern view is deceptively simple, but the actual construction is not.  A boned corset bodice is first made with hook and eye closures.  The basic skirt is a simple construction, however.


Corset bodice with straps and planned trim.

 

Skirt with simple overlap opening which will be closed with snaps.



The skirt will eventually attach to the corset bodice above the waistline.

 

The underskirt with small train.

 

The overbodice with sleeves attached.

The back of the overbodice overlaps for closure.

 

The silk overskirt pieces cut and ready to be attached.



The silk overbodice is attached to a waistband.  Then the skirt, overskirt and sheer overskirt are attached to the waistband.  The entire piece is then attached above the waistline to the corset bodice.

 

I sew bias tape or strips of hem lace to the edges of the sleeves and overskirt for a solid foundation for the beaded trim.

Using a beaded belt I had in my stash, I add a beaded applique and lace tails.

I hand sew the beaded trim to the edges of the overskirt and bodice sleeves and add a beaded applique to the lower center of the skirt.

The 1912 evening/dinner gown is finished!

Most of the time when I finish sewing for a Historical Sew Monthly challenge I have to wait to include a photo of the gown being worn for an event.  But not this time!  The gown is finished on April 19th and on April 24th I leave for Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  I've organized a costumer's dream weekend with 6 costume events and I will be wearing this gown for the Saturday evening Downton Dinner in the Champagne Cellar at The Winery.  I'm excited!

But my excitement is a bit clouded by a bee sting in the Biltmore Gardens in the afternoon which leaves me feeling a bit off in the evening and the gown reveals the red streaks across my back as my body reacts to the sting.  But I manage to finish the banquet favors to be placed at the 30 seats for the dinner and make my way to the lobby for our shuttle to take us to The Winery.


Randi, me, and Lonna ready for a fabulous dinner!  Not a very vintage basket, is it?

I've treated the guests to a champagne toast and Patrick and I toast George Vanderbilt and his dream of bringing friends and family together in beautiful surroundings, and all the dreamers in the room!

And then the most amazing thing happens!  Everyone has gotten together in secret and treated me to a tea setting of Vanderbilt service for four!  I am so happy that the happiness brings on the tears!  It is a wonderful gift and I will always treasure the gift and this moment!

So I'm tearful with happiness again as I write this and there is a beautiful peace in finishing this gown and the beautiful weekend we all had together at Biltmore Estate.  But those details are for another post!

Love always,

Jeanette

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!

Whether you recognize the quote (and often misquote) from Treasure of the Sierra Madre, from the movie Blazing Saddles, or from the parody done by The Monkees, you will probably disagree.  Once you see badges in historic portrait and photos you will understand that we absolutely need stinkin' badges!  Okay, not stinkin' badges, but beautiful sparkling beribboned badges!

Later this month I have organized and will participate in a Biltmore Estate costume weekend in Asheville, North Carolina.  The attendees are coming from many different parts of the United States and some don't know each other.  I thought it might be fun to create a way of recognizing each other by a beribboned badge with the North Carolina State Flower, the dogwood blossom, in its center.  I found the perfect piece online, found a beautiful two-sided brown/aqua satin ribbon in my stash, and made 30 pin-backed ribbons which will be in the welcome bags for the attendees.

Two finished, 28 more to sew!

30 badges finished to be placed in organza bags.

Beautiful sparkle with a Swarovski crystal center.

For Costume College 2014 a small group of us had decided we would wear Edwardian court gowns to the Saturday evening gala.  I found a nice set of badges on ebay and some blue moire ribbon similar to that worn by the Royals in my grandmother's home country of Sweden.  While I didn't wear my badges and sash last year, I have another event coming up where that costume will be appropriate and since it was apparently Badge Making Week in my sewing room, I decided to finish my other badges as well.

With inspiration from some wonderful costumers (thank you Gina White!) I made several Royal Family Order and fantasy badges from various buttons and findings from craft stores, some crystals and glue, ribbon, and pin backs.

The top photo is my husband who is the most important member of my personal family, the second portrait is Swedish Count Axel von Fersen, 1755-1810, friend of Marie Antoinette, and the lower jewel is beautiful as it is and I was afraid I was going to break it by trying to take it apart.

Here is my colorful and fun collection of badges!

In bright sunlight.

In very low light.

 The camera flash brightens every little crystal!

We'll call this one the "Order of the Dogwood" badge.  You're right!  It's the badge I made for the Biltmore Estate weekend later this month!

 

Love,

Jeanette