Guide to the Fetes Galantes
By HCC Cosplay Editor’s Note: This article is republished with permission from HCC Cosplay. Les Fêtes Galantes at the Palace of Versailles in France is an annual costume-required event that started in 2014. It’s a formal ball styled to mimic the grand events held during the height of the French monarchy. Typically held the last Monday of May a “quality […]
Pleasure and Beauty in La Belle Epoque
by Sally Norton. Published in the September/October 2016 issue of Finery. In the late 19th century Paris was a large, urbane city, but the neighborhood of Montmartre retained a village atmosphere; festivities and artists mixed, with pleasure and beauty as their values. In 1886, Edouard Marchand conceived a new entertainment for the Follies Bergere, the music hall revue. On 6 […]
History of the Cancan
by Cybele A. Baker. Published in the September/October 2016 issue of Finery. While it may be surprising, there is not much to be found about the exact origin of the Cancan. Where it started is, of course, in France, but who first choreographed and danced it is a bit of a mystery. It is supposed that the Cancan came from […]
Adventures in Costuming
by Lisa VandenBerghe, First published for the January/February 2010 issue of Finery Bonjour from Paris, France! A year ago my husband started a new job in Europe, and I packed up our three teenagers and dog to join him. While the move literally turned our lives upside down, we saw it as a unique opportunity that simply had to be […]
