Flipping through all the beautiful surviving garment photos makes me feel overwhelmed sometimes. SOOO many designs I simply HAVE to make. Have you experienced this too?
Out pops a gorgeous gown that is so stunning it nearly makes you cry for the beauty of it. Ok – that one is definitely going on the list…. Then three more down and Oh! I have to have that one too – but in blue.
For most of us *really* into historical costuming this isn’t usually an issue to add multiple projects to the never-ending to-do list. But what if you are a Casual Costumer? What happens when your conscience starts whispering that even though you love it, it’s stupid to make something that you have no place to wear it to? Well…
I think that’s kind of a lame excuse to squash your creative talent. Really. I mean, who cares if you have no place to wear it! Either create one or leave it for others to make.
As humans we are designed to create. Creativity is in our genes and must be used. It can be the simplest of things like a new way to make coffee (too much sugar??), or as elaborate as engineering a skyscraper (somewhere BESIDES Dubai please). But let’s not dwell on other issues.
You’re here because you love to make historical clothing, costumes, hats, bonnets, or you just love seeing others produce them. You may not sew. You may not have ventured out of your ¼” quilting seams to try your hand at a wearable garment. Or, you are deeply involved in making costumes but only for certain time periods or themes (Steampunk is awesome!).
But there’s always that one dress… that one painting… that one hat that throws you a curve. You dream of what it would feel like hanging in your closet… or wrapped around your shoulders. The feeling of pride when you answer, “Why yes, I did make it!”
Isn’t dreaming fun? Well, yes and no. I believe it’s more fun to bring that vision to life. To funnel your own personality into a piece of fabric to where it becomes this 3-D version of the dream. To say, “Heck with reality!” and charge forward in making that dream come true. Who’s going to stop you making a full-blown copy of an 1890s Worth ball gown just because you have NO place to wear it? Well… that would be YOU.
The Conscience You is going to try and stop the Heart You that’s founded in creativity. Don’t let that happen! Follow your heart and sew what you want to!
Ok. So what if you really don’t have anywhere to wear that 1890s ball gown?
Here are a few ideas:
- Get a friend or two, or even just your spouse, to dress up with you and go to dinner. Go to the tea room you’ve always wanted to try. It’s kind of like high schoolers and prom – only this time you’re an adult and your dress is SO much better. 🙂
- Have a dress-up getaway in the neighboring town. Book that B&B and dress up the whole time you’re “on vacation.”
- Research historical societies in your area and see what kind of events they put on. If they’re public ones, dress up for the occasion.
- Or if you don’t have ANY events in your town, create one! Gather a few friends (you’ll need a few this time and not just one or two others) and schedule a picnic at the local park, or a time to view the latest exhibit at the local museum. Advertise in the Penny Saver, Craigslist, or your church bulletin that you’ll be hosting a Bring Your Own Food Victorian picnic on Saturday. Do this regularly and you’ll have many more friends AND events to wear that dream dress.
Don’t squash your talent simply because you have no place to wear a costume. Dress up at home, take photos, and share with the world online through a blog and social media. We’ll dream along with you (and be inspired too!). 🙂
Where do you wear your historical costumes?
I love making these kinds of dresses, but my problem is that I always expect that it won’t work! And with fancy fabric I think that I’ll mess up and wreck it! Sigh… I can be paranoid like that.
Don’t let fear hold you back! Of course you’ll mess up and it won’t be perfect. It happens to all of us. But DO NOT think that way when you’re actually making it. Go forward with a positive attitude. Getting something done goes a whole lot further than sitting and whimpering over it. Now off to work! 🙂
I love recreating these beautiful historic designs. My limitations are more a matter of space, time, and budget. So, I have discovered another creative outlet… dolls! These miniature models not only allow me to explore historical fashion, design, and sewing techniques, but also serve as wonderful tools to teach my kids about the history behind the designs. Even better, these small projects inspire them to try their hand at recreating history themselves.
I’ve been in a funk for several weeks. I have the Imperial bustle and skirts, but can’t quite bring myself to start. I know it’s temporary, but it’s also depressing. Maybe I can get myself going by telling this story:
During the early years I worked a renaissance festival I made my costumes as cheaply as I could. I wanted more than anything to make a court dress. When I was hired for the entertainment company I had the reason I needed. My husband asked why I was spending so much money on fabric and trim. I told him then that this wasn’t so much a costume as an art project. An artist himself, he never questioned my purchases again.
I throw them parties. Mad Men, Academy Awards red carpet., etc. I also had a friend who threw a period themed Easter every year. She would make foods from a certain Era and we would dress up. Some people would wear thrift store prom dresses and some people..ahem..would go a little bit more out. Them parties bring people together and give everyone something to talk about. It’s nice to have a box of ‘dress up’ clothes for people who are too shy to do something themselves.
I wear mine to work at the Monterey State Historic Park. The outfit I chose depends on which building I will be in that day. It attracts quite a bit of attention when I walk down the street! But my outfits are limited by the interpretive theme of the park, so I will need to find other places to wear other clothes.
My hubby and I had a ‘period glamour’ theme for our wedding. Basically, if at any stage in history your outfit was classy, wear it here!
We had a Marilyn Monroe, hoop skirt and bonnet, bustle dress…couple of top hatted men of various eras, a couple of flapper era…and definitely a few medievalists (one of my dearest friends is a world champion female jouster)
It was fantastic!
(And then someone brought out the light sabres and kazoos – but that’s another story!)
Now that sounds like fun!
I wear my dresses to church and of course reenactments. So far only my 1910’s outfit and my 1860’s dress have appeared in church. I’m not sure if the public is ready for my bustle dress yet. LOL I’d love to find more places to wear my dresses!
“It’s kind of like high schoolers and prom – only this time you’re an adult and your dress is SO much better.”
That is SOOO true! As a homeschool graduate, I never went to a prom, but was introduced to English Country Dancing and Civil War reenacting about 5-6 years ago. I have enjoyed those events (and creating dresses for them) far more than any high school dance or modern formal gown! 😀
And I heartily agree with comments above – just going to the store in costume (and watching peoples’ reactions) can be so entertaining! :mischievous grin:
This is my current quandry! I have always loved the late 1800’s and Edwardian periods but have nowhere to wear it! I’m finally getting skilled enough to make things well(-ish) and have nowhere to wear them.
1500’s Japaneese? no problem! got a place to wear that. 14th c. cotehardie? Early Norse? again- no problem. 19th c. Natural Form?? nope. I’m kinda hoping I can find someone, but Tampa, FL kinda has a total lack of costumers. A whole 3 ppl (incl. me) showed up to the Henry B. Plant museum for a Steampunk thing last year… *sigh*
You might want to check the Heritage Village website – this is in Largo, Florida, and every year they have functions there where quite a few people dress in period clothing.
I’ll also throw out there that you can attend sci-fi/fantasy conventions in period clothing if you’re remotely interested in that sort of thing. There’s often all sorts of panels on a wide range of subjects, so there might be something to interest you. There’s five conventions in the state of Washington alone that I know of (I’m sure there’s more) and anyone of them would be an appropriate place for dressing up!
I just found your site… and love it!
Welcome Dakota! Thanks for the Sci-Fi convention tip!
Scifi is my main outlet for wearng historical outfits…well if your a time traveler you can wear any era. 😉
I wear my more vintage style stuff (1920’s-1950’s) to vintage dance events.
And sometimes I just wear stuff round the house….lol! One day I’ll pluck up enough courage to go busking with my concertina (appropriate to approx 1850s onward) in costume.
Hello Jennifer! I just discovered your site, and I love it. I’m a novelist, and I occasionally wear vintage clothing to book signings and to speeches I give. Thanks to your site, I want to make some reproductions.
Here’s an idea for those of you who aren’t novelists: My friends and I like to dress in vintage clothes for old movies we attend. Recently we all went to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” dressed as Audrey Hepburn’s character, Holly. The rest of the audience was so supportive; most made a point of talking to one of the 5 of us about our dresses, make-up and hairdos.
We have also started wearing vintage clothing, mostly Edwardian, to the Nashville Symphony. The other patrons love it, and the ushers treat us like princesses.
Have fun!
Kay
Fun times! Sometimes it’s feels a bit awkward to dress up and go out with others staring, but I feel it’s a great conversation starter, you get great service (usually), and believe others secretly wish they could do the same thing. Ha!
I wear my dresses to church. I try to limit the amount of train, but most folks are good about avoiding them. I have been know to get dressed to do my grocery shopping, too. My only outlets in my life. 🙂
I’m fortunate to live near the Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village. They have special weekend events throughout the year – Civil War, Ragtime, cars [of course] of various decades , Victorian era “Holiday Nights”, etc.. I love to dress ‘timely’ for these events and stroll through the Village. And there’s a millinery shop where staff trim and sell hats… Never pass up an opportunity to dress up!
People can always do what I and friends in the past have done: dress up and go to the theater or the opera! Opera and Gilbert and Sullivan companies are especially appreciative of people who show up in period attire.
I am in the process of making from the inside out a period dress for the next Dickens on the Strand (believe me, I’m going to need every minute between now and December!), and I had finished the corset, chemise, and drawers, and have been in the frothy thick of my first petticoat, when my hoop skirt arrived in the mail, and I just wanted to cry and throw out the whole project. (sob, sniff!) The shape looked absolutely awful on me! I was so disheartened. One size does NOT fit all in these things. At least not for a girl with a 37″ waist. 🙁 Anyhoo, I’ve pulled myself together a bit, and I’m wondering if the hoop skirt can be altered…? If I can pull it up a bit, maybe add another hoop somewhere near the bottom, I might be able to make it work. Nobody has to see it at the event, right? Anybody have any clever ideas for me? Hmmmm? I literally have never done any of this before, and this is a challenge I refuse to be beaten by. Lol! 🙂
Yes, it can be altered! Your thinking is on the right track. Simply pull out the wires and start playing with an additional row or shortening/lengthing. Best of luck on your detailed project Judy!
Thank you for the encouragement! 😀 It’s a good thing you’re here for us rookies, Lol! 😀 I’m going to get back up on the horse now…
Thank you muchly!
I’m in the process of making a 1870s bustle dress inspired by a cartoon character, that way I can wear it to both anime/game conventions and to any historical events that can pop up.
The key to solving this problem is not to think “I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear it.” but to think “Where CAN I wear this…?”
I get to wear my period dresses at work. I work at a living history site and most of my clothing is 19th c work wear BUT if I can get my dress finished in time I will be in Queen Victoria’s entourage for an event this summer! First I have to make HRH’s dress. Time crunch!
You can always dress up for a photo shoot as well. Then you’ll always have the images to remind you. Why not make it a themed family photo? Where everyone else is also wearing something from the same era, that also gives you another excuse to sew more pretty things!! Hehehe
I love sewing “old-fashioned dresses” but the first 2 I made were very amateur! I’m learning to create the proper look by sewing from the skin out. 🙂 BUT I did teach my sister to sew using this method because she wanted a Civil War dress that she saw. I made her learn by doing the basic garments, then more challenging, before she tackled the dress. Now we can dress up together…as soon as I finish my outfit!
What’s wrong with starting a new fashion trend?
I say we bring back hats & bonnets! …although they wouldn’t really go with my office attire and I can’t wear costume related dresses in my environment. ‘sigh’
Miniature hats can go with office attire!
I am with this “new trend” stuff. Let’s do that. Can we bring back other Victorian things, like having seamstresses to fit me for it?
I would love to bring 19th century fashion back! Hmm… I don’t have very many friends to do it with. I do have a couple that sew!
I’ve seen sites that discuss wearing retro/steampunkish flavored clothes in an office environment – to coworkers’ approbation. If that was my day-job, that would definitely be my trend! 🙂 Even if no one ELSE notices, _I_ would have a smile inside knowing that I look good and stylish! ;-D
I can do the mid-20th C./vintage stuff and want to make some 1960s dresses (think The Help movie) which would work. Otherwise, I work in a professional environment so no funky stuff.
could still do Hats & gloves tho 🙂 and those little hat/bonnets for the 1880s i see pictures of 🙂 could be fun
I don’t sew. Don’t have a sewing machine, but do have a sewing box with all manner of oddities. I can sew basic things, but I”d never be able to do anything like the wonderful assortment of flummery and crisp elegance you recreate. I come here and to your Facebook posts to imagine. Thanks for the little escapes. If you were closer to me, I’d see if you would make me some lovely dress. Every girl should have a pretty dress!
You are more than welcome to come here and dream with us! 🙂
She teaches online classes so you could learn too 🙂 also she teaches at costume college. talk about seeing WONDERFUL things.. perhaps you should go sometime.. last year i went & i didnt dress out and i had a Marvelous time -Jennifer is a great teacher and a gracious sharer of her love of costuming.. i do recommend it and her
I belong to several performing period music groups in order to wear costumes. OK, I admit I do love the music thing but when push comes to shove, more work goes into the costumes, at least for me.
For periods that don’t have a lot of opportunity, I am quietly putting together a group of friends who also have (or want to make) outfits from other time periods besides 18th century and Civil War. We plan to “crash” restaurants, tea rooms, and other similar establishments. Lets face it, one person going out in a bustle dress is a mental case. Three or four is an event!
Hi Laura – if you lived near me i would SO join you 🙂 and i LOVE your definition!!!
I go to Victorian dances. It gives me social time, dancing, and the chance to dress up. A win-win.
I have loads of bustle gowns because I love them and don’t really have a ton of places to wear them. I am going to use a few of the idea that you posted and give myself a reason to make a few more.
Costumes are art and art doesn’t have to be functional! There’s not a lot of costuming going around where I am, but I did wear an Edwardian dress for Easter last year and it was a hit. I’m trying to convince some of my friends to join me in costuming and I have a few learning to sew right now!