The Prototype Peasant Shoot

Having completed my Gabwhacker I decided to do an impromptu photo shoot in a local nature reserve. Some minor elements of the costume still needed to be perfected - I wanted to source a looser weave fabric for the blue part of the sash, and I hadn't yet had time to add the lacing to the front of the blouse - but it was nice to have so many crucial elements in place and I had a handy photographer for half a day!

It wasn't quite perfect, but it is motivating to have some nice photos to show of the look so far, and to test the wig and makeup.

I'd chosen a mid-quality fashion wig modelled on Taylor Swift of all people! It was simple, about the right colour, and had the distinctive heavy season one fringe. There was, I felt a bit too much of a curl to the tips but on closer inspection I noticed that Gab's hair does indeed have a wave to it in season one, so with just a little bit of taming Taylor wasn't far off.

For makeup I'd found this reference shot of Gab with her eyes closed showing a good level of detail. It is, let's face it, very nineties! A combination of browns and silvers on the eyelids, bit of shading over heavily plucked brows, minimal blusher, and shimmery but neutral lipstick. I had most of these in supply except for the shimmery lipstick, so I improvised with a dusky colour and then layered a paler gloss over the top.

The hardest part in the whole process, to be honest, was being able to pin the wig in place and arrange the fringe in such a way that my hairline (and roots!) didn't show though!

The overall look was definitely fairly convincing, although I did find myself scanning through the photographs and thinking my eyes looked too dark. I stupidly pondered how this had happened - I had used minimal mascara and a pale silver eyeliner - and then remembered that unlike Renee's, my eyes are actually brown. I think some pale blue coloured contacts may be on the cards to complete the look.

My perfectionist elements are also emerging as I find myself looking at the blouse and thinking the sleeves are still a tad too voluminous, especially at the shoulders, and the neckline isn't quite right. I have bought myself another peasant blouse pattern with a different neckline so may remake the long-sleeved blouse at a later date if I find suitable fabric and perhaps butcher this one to create a short sleeved variant!

All in all I like the look of the photos though. It's reassuring that I can pull off Gab and get the character across. There was a lot of playing about at this shoot, including the "hitting self in face with staff" a la "Hooves and Harlots". And yes in the interests of authenticity I really did hit myself in the face and it hurt! The aim was to have some nice pictures to show off the progress and check whether I could pull off the character. And for the most part I think we achieved that!

Click the link below to check out the shots!

Peasant Dress Shoot #1