I used to say here on Tumblr that I would wear the “Wishing Gown” one day. It didn’t happen the way I originally dreamed, but I found a way.
Hi, Tumblr. It’s been a while.
I haven’t posted here in a very long time. Other apps and interests took up priority, and while I tried to keep my account alive via Insta posts, I’ve hardly been keeping up with that even. But recent events made me want to return for at least one more post.
When I joined Tumblr, I was in high school. My obsession with this blog grew in college, and during that time, I found a very small place within the Phantom of the Opera fandom. Here, I met some amazing people who went on to become true-life friends that I hold dear to this very day. And while I cringe at a lot of the things I posted back in the day, one thing I would always post about was my love for Phantom and Christine Daaé. I used to share my love for this show constantly, talk about my desire to play Christine, and vow to one day wear the stunning costume she wears during ”Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.”
Life had other plans.
I moved to New York and started auditioning. I performed a few things here and there, but I received rejection more often than not. That, along with the struggles of multiple survival jobs, led to depression, leading to weight-gain, leading to halting auditions. I’m not the person I was when I made this blog, and coming to terms with that also meant accepting some hard truths. Some dreams stay dreams, and that’s okay. But not all of them stay that way.
In 2020, after a dream vacation was canceled due to the shut down, I decided to finally take up the challenge and learn how to sew. Over the past years, I found a love for cosplay, but used to tell myself I would never be good at sewing. To be honest, I never really tried. So, I taught myself over quarantine, and while I am no expert, I am very grateful for the skills I acquired. All of this I learned in the hopes of one day making the costume I swore to myself I would one day wear.
2021 came, and I finally did what I set out to do. It took 3 months, and literal blood, sweat, and tears, but I recreated Maria Björnson’s “Wishing” Gown. It’s not perfect, but I couldn’t be more proud of what I made. And now, I have some lovely photos by the amazing CJHCAPTURE (on Insta) to show off.
It may not have happened on stage, or on Broadway, like I had wanted, but at least I can make good on the promise I made here on Tumblr years ago. ”I will wear that dress some day.” And I have.