Blog Party and More

Fantasia Fair: Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Shaved, showered, makeup applied, I was dressed and downstairs for breakfast by 8:30 AM. I ate a full breakfast and chatted with which ever of my Chicago House sister(s) were also breakfasting (sorry - I can't remember who – I actually know who, but I cannot sort out which days I chatted with which who). That was the routine for the entire week, so I will not repeat it again in the remainder of my Fantasia Fair memories. The weather looked bleak, so I wore black leggings from Macy's, gold cropped sweater from Fashion Bug, and since I had to walk a half-mile to the Boatslip Resort, I wore my 1-1/2-inch black Payless wedges and carried my black Payless heels. My blue trench coat from Fashion to Figure topped my ensemble.

Pink is not my color! Photo shot by Diana (I think)

Due to an error in the printed schedule, I was the only person to show up for Heather Verdui's “Guided Vocal Warm-up Exercises.” One-on-one, Heather provided excellent guidance and I went away knowing how to warm-up my voice, which is key to speaking as a woman though male.

Next, I attended Luna Maria's presentation titled "Style Your Wigs." Luna is a proponent of wearing wigs made of real hair. The proof is in the pudding; her hair is gorgeous and looks authentic.

Most of the attendees wore synthetic wigs and Luna graciously styled every wig in the room. She pointed out two things that were wrong with my presentation.

• My wig sat too low on my forehead and should be seated higher to match my hairline (before it receded).
• The combination of my blonde wig and gold sweater was a wash-out and she recommended wearing a top in a color that contrasted with my wig color.

For the rest of the week, I made sure my wig sat higher on my forehead. Also, I never wore the gold sweater again.

Lunch was at a new venue, the Post Office Cafe. The meal was excellent and I regretted not choosing the Cafe for other lunches during the upcoming week.

After lunch, I returned to my B&B to change and get psyched-up for the Femulate Blog Party at 3 PM. My party outfit consisted of a black sweater dress from DressBarn, black tights from Hue, and silver jewelry from Napier. Again, I wore  my 1-1/2-inch black Payless wedges and carried my black Payless heels to the Boatslip.

I was so nervous that I forgot to switch from my wedges to my heels when I arrived at the Boatslip. I also forgot to have photos taken at the event. I don't recall anyone taking photos, but if you were there and did take photos, I would appreciate it if you would e-mail me copies.

There were about a dozen people in attendance  —  most were Femulate readers, a few were not, but may be now. I talked about the blog, answered questions and listened to the comments and suggestions from the attendees. In general, people were pleased with the blog, admitted that the blog had helped them get out of the closet and urged me to "keep up the good work."

A party would not be a party without gifts, so I brought along a shopping bag full of Avon samples (lipsticks, scents, foundations, eye shadows) for the attendees to enjoy.

The 90 minutes flew by and after I said my goodbyes. I hurried back to my B&B to get ready for the The Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award Banquet with its Wizard of Oz theme.

I am not a big fan of the Wizard of Oz. I liked the film as a child, but have not watched it since my own child viewed it over 20 years ago. As a result, I considered not wearing a costume, but at the last minute I decided to get into the spirit of things and bought a Glinda (the "good") witch costume online.

To increase my enthusiasm for the costume, I ordered the "sexy" version of the costume instead of the "straight" version of the costume   —  the main difference being that the sexy version revealed more skin (especially leg) than the straight version.

It is very difficult ordering Halloween costumes online because of the sizing; order on the high side to be safe and that is what I did. The problem is that when the costume arrived, I discovered it was about one size too big, but it was too late to exchange it for a smaller size.

I was also unhappy with the crown that was bundled with the costume. It was a cheap foam concoction that I would not be caught dead in. So I purchased a tiara at a local party store to wear in place of the foam crown.

Shoes were another issue. I had a pair of silver strappy sandals that I had purchased to wear in the fashion show the first time I attended Fantasia Fair in 2008. They were comfortable six years ago and I assumed they would be comfortable now, so I just packed them in my luggage without trying them on.

Something happened to my feet and or those sandals during the ensuing six years! After about 30 minutes, the sandals hurt like heck, so I tried to sit whenever possible to give my feet a break

Dinner was a buffet and being a lady, I will not say anything more about Tuesday evening's fare.

Jamison Green and Mariette Pathy Allen were this year's recipients of the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award. They deserved the award and I was very happy for them.

The event ended at about 10 PM and I walked slowly back to the Chicago House,

Back at the B&B, I discovered that my black high heel pumps were missing! After searching my room, it occurred to me that I probably left them at the Boatslip after the Femulate Blog Party. As I mentioned, I never switched from my wedges to my heels at the party, so I forgot about them and literally forgot them after the party!

I was upset that they may be lost because they and their nude sister are the most comfortable high heel pumps that I own. I would hate losing them, so I phoned the Boatslip to see if anyone had found them.

No one had, but the gent who took my call said that mine was the last presentation of the day in that room and the room was locked up and alarmed after we were done. So he felt that my heels were probably still in that room.

I was not so sure.

 

 

 

Wearing French Connection.

 

 

 

Karl Allott femulates in the Birdwell Academy (UK) production of La Cage aux Folles.