Well done just like always!

Your ability to find these kind of ballgowns is impressive. I'd love to do something in one like hers but it's been forever since I've seen that style in thrift stores. Everything they have is from this side of 2000 so it's all more normal looking.

Thank you!


I think there's a difference between UK charity shops and US thrift shops. When we arrived in Vegas in 2018, one of the first things Friday and I did was google the locations of some local-to-our-hotel thrift shops and went shopping, but while there was plenty of choice, by and large it all seemed to be very much "stuff donated by better off working people to help poorer working people", it was all fairly plain ordinary wear, rather than fancy gowns, etc. One had absolutely acres of blue denim, and lots of sturdy work boots and shoes. They did have some cool swimsuits though, which we bought several of. I don't know how typical Vegas is of the rest of the US but it was definitely a different charity shop experience.

Over here, many charity shops are full of stuff donated by middle class people clearing wardrobe space or getting rid of things they've had for 30 years in the hope of eventually slimming down enough to fit back into them, but finally admiting it's never happening and donating. Some charity shops here are set up more like boutiques than anything else, and a few have dedicated "wedding rooms" full of gowns, bridesmaid's dresses, etc, there's a hospice one in a town not too far from the Hall like that, which is where many of the formal outfits in our older scenes came from, and of course supporting a hospice is always a good thing to do.

We still have most of the dresses we bought in the early days in our collection, it's amazing how much messy punishment a nice dress can take and still come up like new after a couple of runs through the washing machine, other than things delibaretely destroyed in cutting scenes, the number of items actually wrecked by getting messy is still in single figures, and weirtdly the worst was a waterproof rainwear coat, which no matter how many times we washed it absolutely reeked of sour custard, until Felicity unceremoniously binned it as beyond saving.

I would have bought it from you and worn it!

Now that would have been fragrant.

Back to this scene though, interestingly the most popular of the previews are the main shot of all three girls all clean and dry, and the still of Scarlet having the very first of the mess, a jar of syrup, poured into her dress by completely clean and dry Morgana. I'm always surprised by what's most popular, you imagine it'll be the "completely drenched in goo" ones, but I must admit those "first moments" shots, when you know the point of no return has been passed, but the mess isn't yet showing, are among my personal favourites. A lot of pleasure is to be had just imagining what's going to happen, and how the girls will be feeling, wearing the outfits they know are about to be engulfed in gloop, during their last few moments all clean and dry.

There is something truly magical about willing gunge recipients who know, accept, and are going to enjoy, the messy fate that awaits them.