ROCHESTER DICKENS FESTIVAL |
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Festival News and
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Could you be a Dickensian Character?
Would you like to be a Dickensian character? We are often asked 'What do you have to do if you want to be come to the Festival in costume?'. The simple answer is 'Just do it!' There is no registration and anything goes, but as you will see at the Festivals, most 'characters' put a lot of effort into either portraying an easily identified character from a Dickens story, or dressing in the style of a fashionable early Victorian on a day out. Victorian Steampunk fashion can also look stunning. If your sewing skills are limited all is not lost. You might find what you want at the annual costume sale held each year in Rochester in May and November - the details are posted on our News page as soon as we have them. . You will find specialist suppliers on the internet, often selling through Ebay or the Amazon market place, often direct from China, and often quite cheap. Occasionally you will find a charity shop outfit that you can adapt. There are some useful internet shopping links on our Resources page. If you are doing an internet search, good search terms include 'Victorian steampunk dress' and 'Victorian fancy dress', but be prepared to sift through a lot of results!
If your costume is home-made you might like to enter one of the 'best costume' competitions at the summer Festival. These are very informal, and you just have to turn up, but it is advisable to read the categories and rules in the Festival brochure. More on our Festival highlights page |
If you want to go the extra mile you may decide to wear a Victorian corset (in Victorian times this could include the gentlemen, especially in military circles!). This is by no means required, but it helps enormously in giving an outfit the Victorian narrow waist and upright stance.
A 'proper'
corset will
have steel stays. The 'off the
shelf' style will do a good job without costing a fortune, while a 'made to measure' corset will achieve a more dramatic profile without being too uncomfortable. If you want to make your own it isn't easy but the materials are out there. Whatever decision you make, it needs to be taken before choosing your outfit, as some corsets can reduce your waist by four inches (10 cm) or more. There are links on our