I am very, very pleased to announce that I will be co-hosting the Retro Hugos in London with Robert Shearman.
I have been sitting on this news since February, which was not easy. I mean, there’s a live band; we’re incorporating a radio play into the script. I might be singing. Robert Shearman is a delight and a seriously brilliant playwright. Well, I mean, he’s a brilliant writer in general, but I’m a huge geeky fan of his plays.
And I get to wear a pretty, pretty dress.
This is where you come in, because my particular brand of geekery kicked in when the Hugo committee asked me to host and went, “1939! I get to make a dress.” But which dress? That is the question. I can’t decide so… recognizing that the Hugos are awards by and for the fans, I thought that the most appropriate thing would be to ask you to help me make the choice.
Here are four evening gown patterns from 1939. Ignoring the color, which one would you like to see me wear for the night of the Retro Hugos?
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(Here they are in gallery form, for those of you who want to see them bigger. Just click and you’ll get the large form.)
As a guy, I’m not even sure my opinion should count, and since I won’t be there, it counts even less (were that even possible).
However, from an engineering standpoint (elegance, simplicity, form), the blue. I get the white is the same, but still, blue.
I just cannot get over the shoulders on the fourth dress. It’s like the softer, gentler version of a Disney villain’s dramatic shoulder spikes. I have got to see that in Pretty Dress form.
Would the shoulder bits (I believe that’s the technical term?) on the third survey choice really stand up like that? I like (and voted for) that one if it’d really be work. But if it’d be tricky to keep in place, count me for #1.
With enough stuffing, stitching, and shoulder pads, ANYTHING can stand up. Also Mary would look great in it.
(I rilly, rilly hate #2)
It looks like it should be made of lightweight satin or silk so even stiff fusible interfacing might work.
The first one is a beautiful dress, and I totally get why it’s getting so many votes…but it just looks so modern to me.
I think you will be beautiful in any of them.. cause you are a natural beauty. . But if I had to pick one I would go with one of the two on the far right.. I think that the white one would be a great contast to your hawt red hair. ( :
Did you find the patterns for sale somewhere or are you planning to drape them? I somewhat feel like I need number three with a fuller, shorter skirt for a summer dress. :-p
I may be a horrible person but the flouncy winglet shoulders are awesome.
I love the fourth choice, with the shoulders both padded AND ruffled — both retro and somehow 1940s-vintage-futuristic at the same time! The nearly bare back and the mermaid silhouette also help differentiate this period style from Regency, the other costume style we frequently see you wearing. If you can convince your hair to conform temporarily to a marcelled ‘do too, that would be fabulous!
I got so excited about the dress, I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS about hosting the Retro Hugos! I’m sure you’ll be Amazing and Astounding!
The fourth one (the one with the shoulder pads) looks suitably Flash Gordonesque and gets my vote.
Congrats! That sounds like it will be a lot of fun.
You could wear a Victorian dress and claim that you though it was the 1839 Retro Hugos. “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe would be the favorite to win.
Congratulations, Mary! 🙂 I wish I could be there! I also, really badly, want you to make the one with the wings (the fun sleeves!)! It’s not in first right now, but it’s close… Will we get to see the fabric you’ve chosen soon?