2025 Port Townsend Victorian Festival & Fashion Show

This was our group photo from the 2025 Port Townsend (WA) Victorian Festival. 

This was a busy month for me finishing two dresses and being in two fashion shows within a week of each other, and at opposite ends of the country. My first one was in Port Townsend (WA) where I wrote all 16 model's descriptions and modeled in it myself. This was my 12^th year being in it and my 9^th year writing it and it’s always been a labor of love for me. The main theme of the 2025 Festival was “The Spirit of Innovation” and our show theme was “Innovations in Fashion”. Originally our outfits were supposed to relate to inventions and technology but in continuing discussions, it was agreed we would go back to just being a fashion show with some information given in the opening narration, which helped us stay in our one-hour window. But I did manage to add a bit of history to each model’s outfit following the theme.

This year I think many of us all struggled to get our outfits done, right up to the last minute. Which is about normal for many of us getting ready for any other event. But when you’re trying to encourage your troupe to get those outfits done and send me details on a deadline, without being rude, you can see why we refer to this as herding cats. But you really have to be a cat owner to truly understand that.

Drawing by Louis Wain (Hey, that middle kitty is wearing  a dress similar to the one I wore in my next show!)

The models weren’t the only ones trying to finish last minute. I was also trying to finish mine in between getting those narratives written. But I did finish my dress with a few days to spare.

Each year I fly up to Washington from San Diego to attend the Festival. In the past, when my Mom lived in Sequim, I would stay with her and drive the 45 mins over to Port Townsend each day. Now I stay at the Swan Hotel in Port Townsend that has cute cottage rooms.

If you read my last blog post on my dress, you’ll know this was one I started in 2020 for the event but was cancelled during the Pandemic. So at least I didn’t have to start from scratch. There’s nothing like an upcoming event to get a fire going under you. Even though it’s “finished” I still want to make some adjustments to the lower overskirt portion to pull it up more to the sides. I wished I’d had enough fabric to add something to the skirt hem too. “sigh”

As per my usual pattern, I like taking candid photos backstage as we’re all waiting to go on. This helps if we don’t get any of ourselves during the show, which has been a struggle in the past. But last year and this year, we had a photographer, and this year my friend, Marilyn, attended, and took some for us also. We received lots of compliments on our show this year, and many are excited for next year’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were taken during our show by Marilyn &  another photographer.

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

The organizers are already coming up with ideas and planning for next year’s event with it being the 30^th anniversary of the Victorian Festival and the 175^th birthday of Port Townsend. I’m working on my own ideas too for it. Planning, plotting, and shopping have to be the best part of making new gowns.

I had also put out some flyers on the entrance table to the fashion show that we were looking for a couple new models interested in being in our future shows, and I’ve had some responses already.

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Earlier in the day, I had attended the Lacemakers presentation, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The two ladies took us time traveling to earlier lace-making, and shared photos and samples of antique lace pieces. The Irish lady lace maker told us tales of her Irish grandmother teaching her along with their own lace-making, all the while working on her own bobbin lace piece.

 

 

 

As I was walking down the street I ran into these two ladies and really admired the polonaise the one had made from a Chinese brocade. I forgot to get a back photo but it was gorgeous. We all three had a photo taken by a roving photographer so I hope to come across those soon.

 

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The following day, my friend Agnes and I met up with some of our ladies for a fundraiser tea at the historic Starrett House, which is also a B&B. We were welcomed by the docent who told us the history of the house and the work they’ve done preserving it to its original appearance. Plans are to restore the exterior back to its white paint and trim someday. 

 

Every room inside was amazing and the wall colors and borders were gorgeous. I had to remember to keep looking up at the ceilings too, which were so beautiful. 

 

 

 

(Apparently there was a memo going around that blue striped dresses were required today so quite a few of us accidentally wore them. It was hilarious.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ceilings and circular staircase looking up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a little wood house about 6 inches high that was painted to look exactly like the Starrett House. If there weren’t stairs, I’d love to stay here sometime.  https://www.starretthouse.com/