Nordens Minerva, 1762 ball

Yesterday (June 8th) it was finally time for Nordens Minerva, the 1762 ball that I had prepared Lady Poe for and one of my main costuming goals for the year.

Lady Poe got finished (well at least in a wearable state) and I had great fun. I didn't take a lot of photos during the evening, it simply felt wrong to have the mobile up too much when we were there to experience a proper time travel to 1762.

Just like with Celebration I will give you my schedule for the day, so you can see what goes into an event like this.

6 am - wake up and finish the last bit of rushed trim on the robe (I had been up until 3 am)
9:30 - take the train to Stockholm
12:15 - arrive in Stockholm. I had lunch at the railway station  and strolled around the shops there to pick up some flower decorations for the hair and a brush for my hair powder.
13:30 - check in at the hotel, thankfully my room was finished so I could get access to it early. I started straight away with the hair, since I figured that would take the most time, having never worked with hair powder before.

I really had a tiny room, the bathroom was bigger than the rest of the room. It was comfy with a good AC, but it was a bit complicated getting dressed in historical costume.
15:30 - I added the last stitches by attaching my sleeve ruffles to the robe. I switched my regular shoe buckles to the more fancier ones and put on shoes, stockings, shift and stays.  I always try to wear the stays/corsets for 30 minutes before I do the final tightening of it. That way the body has adjusted to it, and it's not just about being able to cinch it more it has to do with it not getting too loose and thus uncomfortable after a while.
16:00 - Put on make up and finished the hair with flowers and and some final powder
16:20 - put on the pocket hoops, petticoats and robe. I was ready to go.

My gown almost takes up the whole room

17:00 I was at the bus stop waiting for the chartered bus to arrive. I was lucky in that they had decided to have the chartered bus make a stop in the part of Stockholm where I had booked my hotel, otherwise I would have been more stressed about getting ready in time and getting through the subway in full 18th century costume.

18:00 The bus arrived at the place of the ball, Svartsjö slott.

I couldn't help myself and was even more excited about the ruins of the 16th century castle.

Some of the people I knew started to arrive after a while as well. Including Johanna in her robe trimmed with beautiful fly fringe.

That fly fringe was a quest on its own, she had lost all her fly fringe that she had been working on for months, but decided to simply start over and have it all finished by the ball anyway. There were a lot of us who were really happy for her.

After a while the ball proper started, with an appearance by the "king" and "queen" (the whole set-up for the ball was that it was a surprise party for queen Lovisa Ulrika who was designated as Minerva of the North). There was a live trio playing on authentic instruments, a poetry reading and ballet performance by a ballerna - all in period style.

Then there was dinner, and it was sooooo good. A lot of courses, and it even included a big showpiece in the middle. There was so much food that I was really full afterwards.

It tasted really good as well

The royal couple and their closest attendants.

Then there was dancing. This ball is organised by one of the really good dance groups, so I could only take part in the first dance. They did instruct it very quickly, and Johanna led me through it (I got confused when we had to switch and go the other way after half the dance).

The rest of the evening I mostly spent watching the dancers. The evening was warm and it was magical to sit on the veranda outside and watch a full ballroom in period dress dancing some quite complicated dances. By now my feet were tired, and I was tired from lack of sleep the nights before as well.

At midnight there was again some entertainment, with an opera singer singing Händel. Then the dancers finished with a dance by torchlight in the garden before the bus went home at 0:45.

I was back in my hotel room and in my bed at around 2. It was nice to get out of the stays after that many hours. It's not that they are too tight, it's more that when I get sweaty my skin starts to itch and after a while the shift doesn't really help.

It was a wonderful evening, and I am definitely going to keep my eyes out for when/if the organisers make another ball. Last year they did a 1680s event, so it can also be a challenge if they pick a time period that I haven't done before.