An ode to Elfia in 12 costumes

Sterrenduister/Stardark is a few months old! Time enough for me to have visited some fairs with my publisher. First one was Fantasy Fest in Rijswijk, later I visited the Maccnificent Fair in Tilburg. And next weekend it's time for one of my favorite fairs: Elfia in Haarzuilens! It is a fantasy event at Castle De Haar, complete with charming stalls and music, and plenty of visitors dressed in the most beautiful costumes. And then there is the site itself:

I'll be visiting Elfia with mixed feelings, though. This will be the last time the fair takes place in Haarzuilens. Such a bummer. This is the first fantasy event I ever went to, and that was the beginning of an addiction. I haven't missed an edition since 2007. And - except for the first time - I always went in costume. I thought it would be nice to share an overview of all the crazy outfits I created for this event.

2007: Boring muggle.

2008: Gothic elf. I would now consider this daily wear, haha! Sorry, I don't have a picture of this.

2009: Phoenix Lady 1.0. The phoenix has now found its nest on top of the cupboard in the living room.

2010: Celaino the harpy. With lots of down feathers that kept popping up everywhere, ugh..

2011: Cascade the jester. This costume later became Morgan of my writing project 'a State of Equilibrium'.

2012: Golden dragon. Larger wings = better wings.

2013: dragon rider. Parts of the dragon outfit have been reused for this outfit.

2014-15: Unicorn. Those years I learned that white is a pretty brave choice for an outdoor event.

2016-17 (Sunday): Phoenix Lady 2.0. This costume won Elfia's costume contest!

2017 (Saturday): Raven. Honestly, I only made the mask and shoulder pads. We went to Elfia the full weekend that year, and I wanted to have a simpler costume for a day so I could still go shopping.

2018: Starry Dress 1.0. That name is confusing as there is another starry dress that uses the same skirt as a base.

2019: Shaman warrior. Normally, I make a matching costume for my friend, but he had embraced his inner Viking and didn't want to wear anything else any more. So then I made something for myself that matched his outfit.

2020: CORONA :(

2021: MORE CORONA :(

2022-23: Lady Astra (Starry Dress 2.0). This is by far my favourite costume. I am very happy with the astronomy elements incorporated into the costume, and even though the wings are quite gigantic, they weigh almost nothing. And the fact that they are foldable is also nice. This costume also won the Elfia costume competition.

2024: Improvisation outfit, as we had just bought our current house and almost all my costume props were tucked away in moving boxes. I didn't make the dress, but I did make the crown and necklace. And Juul the dragon went with me wearing matching jewellery!

2025: Well, I still have to think about that. After all, I am standing in the stall of Uitgeverij Zilverspoor to sell Sterrenduister the entire weekend. I can't wear anything big and winged, I'll knock my colleagues out of the tent, haha! But I definitely want to wear a nice dress. Maybe a Lady Astra light?

Also, do you want a copy of Sterrenduister, but can't make it to Elfia? You can still get copies from me! Just fill out this form.

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