“Put
on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out
Strut down the street and have your picture took
Dressed like a dream your spirits seem to turn about
That Sunday shine is a certain sign
That you feel as fine as you look!”
-Lyrics from Hello Dolly
How we dress gives others a peek into who we are or even who we want to be. Whether it is a pair of denim jeans with a t-shirt or historically inspired fashion- our clothes speak volumes. When we choose our clothing, it gives us an opportunity to say something and make a choice about what parts of ourselves we share. I have recently been going through a seemingly slow transition in the way I dress. I am now taking the next steps to owning the wardrobe I have in mind.
At first, I contemplated going all out when it comes to wearing fashions inspired by history. As I searched and planned, it became clearer that for daily wear, I was unsure about dedicating my entire wardrobe to a specific period in history. I briefly considered giving up on the prospect. Then a costumer by the name of Morgan Donner came to the rescue. She posted a video on her YouTube channel explaining the concept of history bounding- a method of blending the fashions of history with the present day with as much or as little historical inspiration as one desires. This concept stemmed from the idea that became popular at Disney resorts called Disney Bounding. (Adults are not allowed to dress in the full costumes of the characters in the park, so a movement was born that takes color schemes and translates them into “normal” outfits.) I began to wonder if this might be a more reasonable route to including the fashions and even silhouettes of the past allowing them to exist in the present day.
Over the past several years, I have ceased wearing trousers and the like. The only exception was breaking out my borrowed woolen military trousers, which were a part of a previous project no longer in progress, to wear this winter in about a foot and a half of snow. At this point in time, my typical daily dress has consisted of blouse and skirt combinations with Victorian underpinnings concealed underneath. This style has served me well- and has even become a signature for me. Most of what I have been planning includes this.
With a clearer vision, I started dreaming up ideas for this new concept. I knew I wanted to have a mix of historically based pieces which could be mixed and matched to create daily outfits. Some of the styles will be made a bit more modern simply by the fabric choices. I knew I would need patterns for some of the pieces. I had previously purchased mid-Victorian patterns including several bodice styles, skirts/petticoats, a winter jacket (known as a paletot), and the underpinnings. I am also trying my hand at doing some pattern drafting- eek! In addition to the patterns, I have spent a fair number of hours perusing the internet for ideas- extant dresses, publications from various 19th and early 20th century decades and looking through the library of research books I inherited from my mother. I was privileged to be able to purchase a 12-month, bound copy of Godey’s Lady’s Magazine from the year 1861. I will continue to do research and apply it to the conceptual side of my wardrobe.
In addition to making wearable clothing pieces inspired by history, I will also be including a few snippets of my making period outfits for living history purposes. These outfits will include aspects that are as period correct as possible for the eras I need and pieces that can also translate into my daily wardrobe. I will not be calling them costumes since they are simply the clothes I wear.
As I embark on this little adventure, I will be documenting it in an ongoing blog series which I have labeled as {Threads}. The posts in this series will cover everything from sewing achievements & mishaps, construction updates, design progress, to finished pieces. I will also be sharing some of my research throughout the series as well. If you are interested in seeing some of my inspiration, you can view my {Threads} Pinterest board here. I hope you will join me on this adventure dear friend.
~B
