Rivertown Revival

the gorgeous and dashing Mr. Eccentric - i swoon!

 A couple of weekends ago Mr. E and i attended the Rivertown Revival in Petaluma. RR is a family-friendly, local festival which takes place on a slough in the middle of the city and river of Petaluma. On the surface it's similar to lots of festivals - live music at several stages, food, art boat races, crafts and art for sale. But the Rivertown Revival is exceedingly local and community oriented, it reflects the creativity of Petaluma in such a strong way that it would be impossible to mistake Rivertown Revival for any other festival in any other town.

at the Heebe Jeebe booth

 First, they have volunteer meetings a couple of months beforehand so people can help to set up the crafts booths for the kids(i saw dijeridoos and dreamcatchers), help with signage, etc. The kid's games are small and extra fun - they had a dunk tank where you could dunk your dad, for instance. All of the food vendors were from Petaluma, as were most of the craft and art vendors. In fact, we attend many of these festivals and at least 90% of the vendors were new to me. While i appreciate seeing old favorites at craft fairs, it was a real treat to see so many new faces!

One part that was a lot of fun for me was the way people dressed for the event. Many people 'made an effort', which added to the festive atmosphere. But i saw very few elaborate, expensive costumes. Instead, it looked like most folks took a look in their closet, ran down to the Goodwill, rolled up their pants and grabbed a pair of striped socks. No big competition about who has the most expensive, historically accurate duds like you can see happening at Renaissance or Dicken's Faires. The motto here? Just get in the mood and have some fun!

When we arrived, around noon, the temperature on the local bank's sign was 100F. Fortunately the river brought in cooling winds and by late afternoon the temperature had fallen to the mid '80's. Still, sun protection was the order of the day - even guys sported parasols and hats.

I so admire the way this lady brought a vintage vibe to a very modern shape and palette - black and grey. Rompers were very popular with all ages of ladies. The tattooed lady towards the top of this post told me that the year before she'd worn a corset, bustle, long skirts - "The whole deal!". But she was so hot she decided on a romper this year and was very happy she did! She looked amazing - she wore deep violet fake eyelashes as well.

Guys got into the spirit just as much as the gals.  These two embody the vibe of the day - use what's at hand, toss on a fancy piece or two and it's all in how you wear it. I couldn't help but notice how pushing up your sleeves, rolling up your pants, combining pieces you generally wouldn't (because they're all kind of old-fashioned-y) creates such an effect.

It brought home to me that, scrumptious as individual pieces can be, what other people see us wear is outfits. Put some thought and creativity into what items you choose to wear together, and how you wear them, to make sure everything is working towards your intended effect.

What type of festivals do they have in your area, and do people dress up at all? I loved the way this festival allowed such leeway in dress, you could have fun with the vintage/old-timey vibe while at the same time using a lot from our current style palette. At some historical faires i've gotten some very disapproving looks when i dressed in the 'wrong' decade, or wasn't 'accurate' enough. It can be intimidating and kind of wrecks the fun mood. This place felt much more fun and lighthearted.

Next up - more Rivertown Revival pictures with even more stripes.