Dawn Treader
Mar. 9th, 2004 11:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helenicOn Saturday, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
the_lady_lily, devalmont and I went to the Girton Spring Ball. This was mainly because the theme was "Dawn Treader", and at the end of last term I saw a poster for it in the Classics Faculty and immediately ran to Liz squeeing "A NARNIA BALL!!! WE SO HAVE TO GO!" but I've since been converted to Spring Balls in general. Unlike their May counterparts, the year is still cold, and so rather than being an open air funfair-cum-music-festival they take place for the most part indoors. About twenty different rooms of various sizes and functions were decorated in different ways and with different themes: there was Aslan's Den, which had cushioned nooks in the walls hidden by curtains (for sex or smoking, presumably, although we didn't enter into one ourselves) and laid-back live folk music being played; Nightmare Island, a rave room with flavoured oxygen available instead of alcohol; the Magician's Study where magic tricks and comedy were being performed; a series of rooms decorated as "islands", each with a different theme (a film room, a speed dating room, a games room) and different kinds of drink available accordingly; Dodgems (outside); the Faun's Glen where beautiful topless gold-painted fauns gave massages; a lazer quest (cunningly disguised as "cave quest") and huge amounts of food and drink from salads and fruit to burgers and donuts. There was far more live music than we could ever hope to listen to, but we managed a substantial amount and got a few hours of serious dancing in, which was definitely necessary.
It had long been a Cambridge ambition to go to a ball in drag, and I decided that Girton Spring Ball (being slightly less formal than some of the May Balls) was the place to do it. After abandoning the Prince Rilian plan when I found out it wasn't a costume ball, I decided to hire a suit. This was more complicated than I'd imagined. Firstly, I didn't get served. I don't know whether it was gender discrimination or not - I imagine they simply didn't realise I wanted to be served and assumed I was just waiting for someone - but it took them well over half an hour to get to me. My request to hire a tailcoat was received with some incredulity, and I was beginning to get annoyed, especially when I found out they didn't have a single frock coat available in my size. The smallest jacket they had was a DJ. But oh, when I tried that on - it felt incredible. So comfortable, for a start, and I had pockets, and my breasts weren't really obvious at all, and the trousers fit so much better than stupid tight girly hipster trousers do - in fact they were much more flattering in general. I'd borrowed Catriona's top hat so I decided to wear it anyway - I mean you shouldn't with a DJ, officially, but seeing as I'd already abandoned convention I thought I may as well. I haven't taken the suit back to the hire place yet. I love it so much. I want one of my own.
I wasn't convincing at all, of course - women tended to grin at me (I think they assumed I was a lesbian) but men just felt uncomfortable. A few of them liked the hat, though, and asked to try it on. But the best part about cross-dressing was the dancing. Dancing in a suit is an entirely different skill to dancing in a dress. Different parts of your body are emphasised, your posture is different, and looking good in girl's clothes involves a different type of movement to looking good dressed as a man. You carry yourself differently. It's the same with dancing. I'd never really thought about it before, but as soon I tried it I realised I was going to have to get to grips with an entirely different skill. Dancing like a woman is all about your hands and your hips, where your weight rests; dancing like a man is about your shoulders and your feet. Rather than keeping the beat with your hips, you keep it with your shoulders; you look down rather than up; and instead of using your arms to illustrate the music, you use your feet. It was a fascinating experience, and even if I looked a complete fool I think I got quite good at it - at least, better than most of the other men there, although I probably still looked stupid in comparison to the women. But I've discovered I like man-dancing, and as it would look daft in women's clothes (not because of gender stereotyping, simply because of what different clothes do to your body), I'm obviously going to have to cross-dress more in order to get to do it.
Anyway, photos are here. I need to go and work. What with three hours sleep on Friday night, four on Saturday night, and dress rehearsals and auditions to be a pirate at Robinson May Ball and play performances and a jungle-themed formal hall which I helped organise to raise money for a village in Indonesia, work has been neglected somewhat over the past few days. I have two essays to do in three days, as well as language work and more performances. It's the end of term after that, but I can't afford to think about that quite yet.
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on 2004-03-09 03:16 am (UTC)sounds fantastic.
twas the ceilidh band i sometimes play with... damn should've gone to more rehearsals this term n tried to make it into the ball!!
:)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You dirty rotten swine you...
on 2004-03-09 03:56 am (UTC)Glad you're having fun though. Over here at Warwick we're having the joys of second year Introduction to Software Engineering (transl: 10 weeks documentation and specification paperwork bullshit, 3 days actual coding) and trying not to drown puppies to feel better. A spot of fantasy lightens the mood immensely.
Take care, and no, you can't have a faun of your very own. So there :P
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on 2004-03-09 03:58 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-03-09 04:07 am (UTC)I love the photo of you in the mirror, holding the camera. It's wonderful.
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on 2004-03-09 04:43 am (UTC)*thud*
lots of....pretty things. FAUNS and your lovely constumes and fire poi and ....and.....and...*speechless*
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on 2004-03-09 04:45 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-03-09 04:55 am (UTC)I mean you shouldn't with a DJ, officially
The wing-tips are strictly wrong as well (at some point I may write a rant about the perfidy of suit-hire companies), but the overall effect is charmingly Edwardian. I mean, they certainly had the wing-tips, and they must surely have had the top hats too, because they wouldn't have gone bare-headed and I can't imagine what else they would have worn. Of course, you don't have the black waistcoat, but you can't see that in the icon. The gloominess of the photo also adds to the effect.
In short, I think this may be my new favourite Helen icon.
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on 2004-03-09 05:13 am (UTC)You know what? If I hadn't just finished making my ball dress, I'd go to Newnham in my male frock coat and a waistcoat I could probably cobble together in a couple of days. Hmm. Maybe I could change clothes halfway through in the loo.
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on 2004-03-09 05:18 am (UTC)I still think the photos of me are pants, but there we go :)
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on 2004-03-09 05:44 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-03-09 05:56 am (UTC)I went to my Year 11 formal in a DJ (aged 16), and I looked rather great if I do say so myself, although it freaked other people out, and provided part of the basis for lesbian rumours for the next year or so.
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on 2004-03-09 06:10 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-03-09 06:48 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-03-09 07:30 am (UTC)You clearly looked utterly fantastic and gentlemanly, and as for the Narnia ball itself... *goggles*
I went to four balls in my time at Cambridge and *every year* it was pretty much the wrong one in terms of which I'd have enjoyed most. Never did manage to get to a fully-themed one, for instance.
Yay for your organising a jungle-themed formal hall for village in Indonesia btw. Just the kind of thing I thoroughly approve of. :)
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on 2004-03-09 08:52 am (UTC)I didn't get to Ceilidh dance as much as I'd like, as it was incredibly crowded so it was more a mass of people than any sort of decent rings, and also I didn't have a partner - neither Liz nor Richard were up for dancing much, and it was the end of the evening and people were clinging to their dates rather than letting you partner them randomly. Shame.
What do you play, then? Do you ever go to any sessions in Cambridge? I keep intending to but haven't found any, especially now the Boat Race is closing. xx
Re: You dirty rotten swine you...
on 2004-03-09 08:54 am (UTC)I can't remember when I last saw you in a suit. You probably have a smaller chest size than I do though. I'm on the lookout for miniature dress suits now as I really want one. However, I doubt I'll be able to afford anything other than second hand, so it's really just going to have to be a matter of chance.
And ha, I so WILL have a faun of my very own -
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on 2004-03-09 08:55 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-03-09 08:57 am (UTC)Do you really like that one? I think it looks very posed. I don't usually like self-portraits-in-mirrors. My favourite is the one I made the icon out of. Although the hotel bathroom background gives it a certain atmosphere, I suppose... xxx
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on 2004-03-09 09:03 am (UTC)but yes. I was speechless when I saw the fauns too. I WANT A FAUN DAMNIT. xxx
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on 2004-03-09 09:03 am (UTC)Never heard of "going drag" being used to refer to a female dressing as a male. Interesting. Also odd that it made men feel uncomfortable; i seriously doubt it would have that kind of effect here.
i know nothing at all about dancing, but it is interesting that clothing has an effect on it like that... i wonder which came first... the male looks down/girl looks up bit i take to come from the typical "male should be taller than female" thing...
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on 2004-03-09 09:06 am (UTC)which kind of drag do you go for, anyway? I've been thinking about this. It's actually quite hard to come up with an outfit that's unmistakably masculine without going in the suit direction. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course ;) xxx
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on 2004-03-09 09:09 am (UTC)oooh
*thud*
(which, incidentally, I tend to interpret as meaning knocked speechless/senseless by the gorgeousness of something)
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on 2004-03-09 09:21 am (UTC)So if not wing-tips, what should one wear with a bow tie? I am woefully ignorant. I don't really like bow ties, though - I much prefer a waistcoat/cravat combination. Although I wouldn't know what shirt to wear with that, either :)
and thankyou! Glad you like it. I do, too.
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on 2004-03-09 09:24 am (UTC)Maybe you could go to another ball? Or work at one, and wear the frock coat for your half off. I desperately want a frock coat of my own, but can't afford any new. I'm scouring charity shops in hope.
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on 2004-03-09 09:25 am (UTC)