Five Reasons to Check Out Dark Garden's Edwardian Workshop

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

The San Francisco Edwardian Ball is the first major event on the costuming year calendar, and it's one of the more intimidating spectacles for first-timers. For starters, there's the general confusion surrounding which years constitute the Edwardian period. (According to the Internet, that would be 1901-1910). Even when you settle on a time period, you still have to figure out what to wear. (This isn't like the Roaring 20s, which offers the comfort of de facto flapper fringe.) To ease you into the Edwardian experience, Dark Garden in Hayes Valley is offering a free Edwardian Ball styling party on Saturday, January 3rd from 3 to 8 pm. Here are five reasons you should stop by.

1. Historic costuming is Autumn Adamme's jam.
Dark Garden owner Autumn Adamme turned to corsetry as a way to build a career out of her background in historic costuming. "Once I was done with school I realized that there wasn't much of a customer base for highly-detailed, historically-accurate costumes, and people were responding to the corsets that I was making for myself," she tells Racked. Since Dark Garden presents its latest collection each year at the Edwardian Ball, you know she takes this period seriously.

2. You can snag an unbelievable outfit while you're there.
Some of you will want to shop the store's selection of gorgeous corsets, jewelry, and accompanying garments. Others may have a limited budget after the holidays. Either way, Dark Garden has you covered. The store has select outfits from previous fashion shows available for rental or purchase. If you don't want to buy an Edwardian ensemble, you can borrow one.

3. There will be accessories, too.
Accessories designer Kalico Delafay "will be bringing in delightful lace crowns, curious fascinators, and whimsies created especially for ball attendees." Pop Antique has also designed some hats. If you already have a dress for the ball, this will be a great opportunity to accessorize.

4. There will be drinks and snacks.
Drinking + corseting = Winning Saturday.

5. Have you seen Dark Garden? It's lovely.
You don't have to commit to the Edwardian Ball; spending an afternoon playing dress-up in this gorgeous little shop is reason enough to go to the party. And if you decide you want to attend, you can buy tickets (cash only) at the shop.

· Edwardian Ball Styling Party [Dark Garden]
· Custom Corsets Are a Cinch at This Hayes Valley Boutique [Racked]