Dapper G
Unintentionally, I stumbled into a well balanced routine once again...hehehe I had a well tuned routine I established in July that was disrupted by hurricanes, among other things, in September through October. I pretty much gave up on trying to reestablish my preferred routine and started just going with whatever the day would bring. Aside from my major responsibilities such as work, of course.
Well, my California trip seems to have reset me a bit...LOL These past few weeks have been a return of a well tuned and balanced set of tasks that leave me feeling great most days. I hadn't planned on any of it. It all sort of just happened. Yesterday and today, I observed I had been doing the same things every day since my return. Sure, it hasn't been that long. But the fact I've pretty much held to the same schedule and tasks every day was a bit of a surprise.
August of 2023 was when I did my first real cosplay experience. I did the Star Wars Starcruiser trip in a galaxy far, far away...hehehe I created a character named Major Voss (pronounced Boss). I was a former imperial officer until I was trapped on a planet at the fall of the empire and became a scavenger. I eventually met up with and became part of the crew of the Wicked Wench and became a spice smuggler. We had an opportunity to smuggle spice onto the Starcruiser, Halcyon. Lady H as we called her. In a twist of fate, we ended up become smugglers of something far more valuable than spice. Cheese became our bounty. And the galaxy was ours! LOL
It was fun to come up with a few costumes for that experience. Later, in October, I had another opportunity to dress as Major Voss. During my parents' 50th anniversary celebration at WDW, Malachi and I dress in our Star Wars cosplay. He was an officer of the First Order. People at Galaxy's Edge thought we were Cast and I was able to help those guests...LOL Both that Starcruiser experience and my time with Malachi sparked something in me...hehehe
Those experiences led me to last Thanksgiving when I did an Olaf Disney bound outfit for my Friendsgiving at EPCOT. I wore a brown long sleeve (to present Olaf's branch arms), I white shirt over the brown that had three large black coals, and a hat that I made a comical branch coming out of to represent an Olaf head of hair. I also wore black round lens sunglasses to represent Olaf's eyes. But I only wore those in the sun. It was cute and really fun! I got a lot of compliments and my interactions with the princesses at our dining experience was amazing. At the end of the day, I was at the Port Orleans Riverside resort and a family noticed me. The mother pointed over at me and told her small children that I was Olaf. It warmed my heart...hehehe I have since worn this outfit just for fun...LOL Including on Halloween this year.
The joy it brought me to be a Star Wars character and bounding as Olaf led to me joining in on the fun at this year's Spring Dapper Day at EPCOT in April. I was on the fence about it leading up to the day. But I remembered how fun it was being Major Voss and Olaf. I didn't bound as a character. But dressing up for a day at the park was just as exciting as doing a Disney bound. It was as if I had stepped back in time when everyone would dress up for a day out. People use to dress up for things like amusement parks and sporting events. I felt like I was character again. Someone thought I was Cast that day too...LOL Which felt odd considering there were so many other people also dressed up that day. But that's all part of the fun for me!
Quick side note: my last wedding was at Disney. We all dressed up dapper that day too. Even our guests decided to dress up. It was amazing. A few of us fielded questions from other Disney guests throughout the day because people kept thinking we were Cast. We all knew so much about Disney that we were able to answer all of the questions. But in a way, we were Cast that day. The wedding coordinator treated us like VIPs the entire experience. So much fun...hehehe
When Cherie and I planned our Disney day, we decided to do matching dapper outfits. When we figured out the day we were going, I thought about doing an extra day at the parks by myself. I wanted to have two days to take it all in with this being my first visit to Disneyland Resort. I was going to dress up both days because it just brings so much joy to me. And then I found out that one of the days I was going to be in California was an official Dapper Day...hehehe So, that's the other day that I went. It was great to be able to do a Dapper Day in WDW in Spring and then again in DLR in the Fall.
Which brings me to my latest adventures...hehehe I've decided I'll be doing Disney for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. I'll also be doing the Holiday Outing Dapper Days on Dec 7 & 8. I plan to dress dapper for all of these events. Unexpectedly, I'll now be having five new dapper experiences to finish off my year. How fun is that?!?
For Thanksgiving, I'll spend most of the day at Hollywood Studios. I've designed a 1920's era outfit. The roaring 20's as it was called. Now, 100 years later, I'm stepping back in time for a holiday experience I'm unlikely to forget. The colors are browns and tans mostly. I'll have a red and white bow tie with red and white garters for my arms. I'll have a pocket watch to adorn the vest. I'm currently planning to have lunch and dinner there. Lunch is a The Brown Derby. Dinner at 50's Prime Time Café. Dining plans may change. I'd rather have lunch at Prime Time. But it's a tough one to get in anyway. I was barely able to snag dinner...hehehe I'll likely ride many of the attractions and I do hope to get several PhotoPass photos throughout the day.
I'd like to get PhotoPass photos every time I dress up...hehehe
The Holiday Outing Dapper Day on Dec 7 will be at Hollywood Studios. For that day, I'll be in Olaf themed dapper attire. White shoes, pants, and vest with an orange neck tie, orange and white garters for my arms, a brown dress shirt, and a dapper straw hat with a red and green ribbon. I'll also have a wooden cane. I may add some holiday cheer to the cane as well. There is a meetup at 5pm that night that I'm currently planning to attend. I'm on the fence about going to the Jollywood event that night. I'd love to do it. But then I'd have to get a room to stay the night as it goes pretty late. I'll think about it...hehehe
The Holiday Outing Dapper Day on Dec 8 will be at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I still need to make final decisions about my attire for that day. I have enough stuff already. I just need to finalize my theme. I'm either going to be an explorer or a cowboy. The explorer seems to fit DAK pretty well. But I really like my cowboy hat...LOL Either way, it'll be another amazing experience. I'll also be picking up the latest Annual Passholder gifts that day. One is at DAK and the other at EPCOT. There is a meetup at 5pm that day as well. I won't be able to make it to that one, though.
Before I continue, I thought I'd mention something. I had sworn off meetups. Hanging out with one or two people is amazing. Groups, not so much. However, I realized that the meetups I had been a part of have been drinking groups; which really isn't my thing. The Dapper Day meetups are people who love to dress up. So, the common interest is sophisticated attire. Not alcohol. Some of them might be drinking that day. I haven't a clue. But I'm certain none of them will get drunk. No one wants to mess up their outfits they spend so much effort, time, and money on, right?!? I'll find out on Dec 7 if a dapper meetup is a higher class event...LOL I'm not judging...just something I'm more likely to prefer...hehehe
For Christmas, I haven't started my outfit yet. It will be Christmas themed for sure. I still have time. I've reserved Magic Kingdom for that day. I'll not end my day at MK, though. It is historically the busiest day to go to WDW. Especially at the end of the day at MK. That might be a four park day for me. I wanted to start at MK to get it out of the way. I'll not experience it after dark. I may end my day at EPCOT. It is so beautiful at night during the holidays.
On New Year's Eve, I'll be doing EPCOT again this year. Last year, I did it to experience it. I loved it. This year, I'll plan on dressing up. I haven't yet decided if I'll do elegant or obnoxiously loud...LOL Elegant is more my style. But it might also be fun to have a really shiny gold vest or something. I might even get a top hat...hehehe I really don't know yet. I could also do my dapper Olaf again, perhaps.
In regards to this dapper thing, I told a few people the other day I'm tapping into a whole new side of myself and love it. I've since realized this isn't anything new. What is happening is I'm finally truly tapping into who I have always been. I just hadn't discovered this side of my personality until August last year. It didn't start with dapper, and it won't end there. Dapper is by far my favorite way to enjoy the parks. But I'll have to explore other ways of themed attire in the times of the year when fancy is way to hot to wear in this climate. I'm sure there is a summer version of dapper, perhaps? Plus, I'm not sure I want to limit this to Disney...hehehe
I believe this hobby will grow in 2025. And I look forward to what Dapper G will be wearing...hehehe