Ahoy There Sailor!!!

Here I am, sitting in a hot and humid Missouri home that happens to not have air conditioning. While you sit around and sweat it is only natural that one would dream of swimming and thus swimming suits.

Ahh... the fear and trepidation that strikes us as some think about swimsuit season.

The battle to get into (what most see as) swimsuit shape as they try to get rid of a few extra pounds that crept up over the winter.

The endless search for the perfect swimsuit, when we all know that it doesn't exist.

Either there is not enough swimsuit there (who's great idea was it to invent the bikini anyhow?), or there is too much that is not constructed to be flattering.

That pretty much sums it up for me. I will not wear a bikini because of the lack of cloth, and most swimsuits meant to be more modest do not exactly appeal to a young adult with fashion sense.

I have been looking for the perfect swimsuit just as everyone else has.

I made a list of all the characteristics that I would love to see in a suit and then spent time shopping online.

I wanted something with a vintage look.

I really like the nautical look.

I wanted modest, and yet cute.

I looked, and looked on all of the sites I could think of.

What I found wasn't what I was wanting.

So I finally decided to look no more and just design something myself.

I was able to incorporate all of the elements that I wanted.

I have now drawn up the design for the perfect swimsuit. (In my humble opinion at least.)

It has a vintage touch and appeal.

It is definitely nautical.

Finally, no doubt about it, it is modest.

I now have my new swimsuit. At least the design.

I shall just have to keep an eye out for the perfect swimwear fabrics to make it with.

I want to make the shorts out of a navy blue with six buttons and an attached white belt. I want to make the top with Americana red and white striped fabric and trimmed with white with the blue accents. The whole swimsuit will be lined and ideally have built in bra cups. We shall see.

I cannot wait till I find the right fabrics and actually make this suit.

It shall be an adventure to make my own swimsuit.

Well, what do you think of the design? Would you wear a vintage inspired nautical swimsuit like this?

Please, give me some input.

Oh, and final note. The "inventor" of the bikini as we know it today was a French engineer named Louis Reard. I suppose it is only fitting...

More Shakespearean Stuff

Some of you may or may not remember my previous post on Twelfth Night. The post was on my costume that I developed to wear as Viola/Cesario. I made a remark at the end about how I was trying to choose the next Shakespearean female that I wanted to do.

Well, as a follow up to that post I wish to fill you in with what took place a week ago.

I participated in a Shakespeare drama camp. We meet five times over two weeks and rehearsed and then preformed one-act versions of some of the Bard's plays. The group I was in did Much Ado About Nothing.

Thus what Shakespearean female I would do next was chosen for me. I was Beatrice.

I enjoyed it. The biggest problem I had was that I had memorized Beatrice's entire part when I was in 10th grade. However, we were doing a shortened and slightly more modern adaption. So for some of my lines I had a bit of a challenge not reverting back to the old English and the iambic pentameter. But I got it under control.

I never saw myself as an actress. I still don't. I really prefer being backstage and doing the tech stuff. However, I could potentially be persuaded to go onstage again for a Shakespeare.

Here as a few pictures of me. We really did not do anything much for costuming. Just found what we could in closets and from old costume supplies. I am afraid that there were not many good pictures of me. I do not photograph well.

Beatrice easedropping

Beatrice and Benedick

So I could not help but share this one last photo. Here is Dogberry with the darling watch.

It was fun acting Shakespeare, but I still think I prefer watching others do the acting and just studying it myself. As I said before, I am no actress.