The Italian Showcase Submission Process

1. Download and complete the booking form, then send it to me at the address on the form. Please DO NOT send me a booking form unless your plans are certain. In other words, please do not book simply to hold a place. Download it here: Word 2000 and Plain Text.  Once I have received a booking form, your spot is tentatively booked.

2. Read the Italian Showcase Checklist (below), or download it in either Word or Plain Text formats - it lists everything that you need to send me for your feature.

3.  Send me your complete entry, that is, your write-up and pics. You can submit this at any time. Once I have received this I will then let you know your definite Showcase booking slot. This means that a secure showcase spot is very much a first-come, first-served thing - others that send in a booking form after you may actually leap-frog ahead of you if they send in their write-up and pics first. 

I will be Showcasing up to 2 costumers/costumes each month - on the 1st and 15th of every month - except for December, in which there will be no showcase. That is a total of up to 22 costumes per year, provided there are enough of you out there wanting to be Showcased. So don't be shy!

Showcase Checklist

For the Showcase please send me:

·        A short bio noting such things as how long you've been making historical costume; if you are a costumer in the SCA, Ren Fairs, or just for yourself, etc. This can be in the form of the introductory paragraph of your write-up.

·        The write-up for your costume/outfit. This will be a why/where/how of the creation of your costume. This can include information on what portrait/s inspired you, step-by-step description, what you were happy with and what you weren't, etc. You can send me as much or as little information as you want - it is totally up to you – however the more information you share with people the more you ‘teach’ and the more information people have to go by when it comes time for the Rose Awards. (Please send as either a plain text or MSWord attachment or in the body of an e-mail message).

·          Photos - as many as you want, but a minimum of three, full-length: a. the front, b. the back, and c. a side-on shot. As a general guideline, the more written information you send me, the more pics I will be able to use. It's no use sending me three paragraphs and thirty pics and expecting me to use them all. I'd like to, but it's just not possible. So if you have lots and lots of great pics, send me a nice long, detailed, write-up. The best showcases are those that are filled with great information and lots of pics to match!

Photos are to be a minimum of 800x600 pixels please. I prefer jpgs attached to the e-mail, but a maximum of ten per e-mail please. You can send me large images up to a maximum of 500kb per image. If you have smaller copies you can send them along too, or if not I will make smaller copies from the larger ones you send. Cropping of extraneous background, etc, is always appreciated, but not expected nor required.

·        The last thing I need is to know if you have a web page/web log (blog), and if you would like me to link to it.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME IMAGES EMBEDDED IN A WORD DOCUMENT – THIS PERMANENTLY CHANGES THE IMAGES AND MAKES THEM UNUSABLE

About the Showcase

Why would I make a gallery for other people's Italian garb I hear you ask? Because I can! I love to look at others' beautiful gowns, and I know I'm not the only one. Besides, what better way to encourage the creation of beautiful late period Italian gowns than to provide a forum for display? I am greatly indebted to Jen of Festive Attyre for her inspiring 'Featured Attyre'.

The Showcase will feature Italian historical fashions of the late fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. If you've made an historically-inspired Italian outfit, I want to showcase it! I will endeavour to have a new costume to showcase for your pleasure on the 1st and 15th of every month.

The year 2003/4 saw the inaugural Italian Showcase of the Year/Rose Awards - a "people's choice" competition to choose your favourite costumer/outfit from all the entries. I received so much positive feedback that I will endeavour to run one every year. In January of each year you will be able to vote for your favourite Italian creation of the previous year.

Want to be part of The Realm of Venus? If you've made Venetian or Italian clothing of the late 15th/16th century and would like to showcase it, just send fill out and send me the above Booking Form, along with a photo (optional). If your submission fits my criteria I'll put you on the "Italian Showcase" pages.

Submission Criteria: Since going to twice-monthly, the submission criteria for the Italian Showcase has altered. There are now two types of costume that will be featured - historically-based 'Italian' and film/fantasy-based Italian.

In the first case the outfit or item of clothing must be a re-creation of an authentic item from the Italian city-states preferably from the period 1480-1600 (earlier periods will also be considered) OR be authentic in look and feel to this time and place.

In the second case I will accept film/theatre inspired gowns provided they are of Italianate and late fifteenth/sixteenth-century style.

You must be the one who made the outfit/item, for yourself or for someone else. If the garment is being worn by someone else, I will require his/her permission to publish the photo/s. If the photographer is someone other than yourself or the model, I will also require the permission of the photographer. Send me only one photo to begin with for approval, once approved send me as many pics as you'd like. It's that easy!