In her opening chapter, Joanne Entwistle informs us that
“human bodies are dressed bodies, no culture leaves the body unadorned,” she
reminds us that the “very personal act of getting dressed is an act of
preparing the body for the social world, and that dress is both an intimate
experience of the body and a public presentation of it” (Entwistle
6-7) .
OK, so what’s the point?
Recently there was a meme going around the progressive
living history community with before and after images. Your first event, and
your most recent, with the title, ‘we all start somewhere!’ They were images of
folks in cobbled together loaner gear, mis-mashed with modern clothing items,
and big grins on their faces because they were finally at a living history
event, dressed. It didn’t matter really, what they looked like, it was their
first event, and they were having fun. The thought was, getting out is a major
hurdle, but what you do with your experiences afterwards is up to you, how far
you want to push the accuracy envelope.
Next weekend will see three living history events, if the
weather holds. Two major mainstream events in the south east, and a progressive
event in New York. The progressive event aims to push the envelope of accuracy
in kit, impression, and interpretation. We had strict guidelines to follow, and
anyone who wished to participate had to undergo a vetting process. We would
send in photos of our gear, and receive back critique from the committee. It
was a good challenge for us old-timers who may have let some of our standards
slip, to fine tune our game play.
I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to bring a
couple of brand new people to the event.
We had guidelines to follow, and a few months to prepare. I
could work on interpretation development, and hone teaching points as I guided
my small group through the process of garment construction. It would be fun for
everyone involved. My original plan was to put Zac in ‘hand-me-downs from
Pierre, and focus mostly on Alison, as she would require items that she
couldn’t simply borrow from me…mainly stays and a gown that fit her properly. I
also chose to try and build as many items from stash fabrics as possible, so
that it wouldn’t cost anyone anything. I found a piece of natural toned striped
fabric for her gown, and her stays literally came into being from the cabbage
bucket. I cut them so closely, I was worried I’d have to piece the fashion
layer. Alison did the bulk of the gown construction on her own, through a two
day intensive workshop where I fine-tuned my construction notes. I pulled two
old petticoats from my wardrobe that I no longer wore, and be-built the
waistbands to fit her better…she is a bit smaller than I am.
We finished everyone’s clothes last week. Zac also got new
clothing items from stash fabrics, breeches in green linen and a drab coloured
workman’s coatee from cabbage from our other friend Trudyann’s stash. Clothing items that suit his personality and age. I then
set to organizing accessories.
This is where my brain started going into high gear. It’s
all well and good for people to turn out to their first event in mis-mashed,
borrowed gear. But Zac and Alison would be in their own clothes, save for a
shirt and shift…and shoes for Zac. Their accessories needed to reflect their
own selves. Another of my main objectives was to make them both feel
comfortable in their clothes, so they would fit in as much as possible. Zac was
easier, a new neckcloth, another borrowed item - a hat, but one that would be
re-blocked to his head and have a new liner in it.
Alison was a bit more complex. I pulled a fluffy linen cap,
and a pink floral neckerchief. Then, I cut some white linen mitts, and lined them
with a cotton print that I will eventually use to make myself a gown. I used
pink silk floss to do all the fancy work in sewing them together. Alison’s
accessories were decidedly pink. This would go nicely with the natural tones in
her gown and petticoats. Alison is younger than I am, and very blonde. She is
also very feminine. Her visual narrative was coming together. The last item she
would need is a hat.
Remember, she is younger than I am, and blonde. Borrowing
one of my hats would have been ok, but not quite right, as I am much darker in
complexion, and can pull off different colours than she can. She would need a
new hat. I don’t have a straw that I could press into service, and so thought
about making a new sun bonnet for her. Back to Trudyann’s stash of leftover bit
of fabric gifted to me, and I pulled out some pink silk taffeta.
Bonnet colours in the period have a pronounced leaning
towards black. If you look though, there are a few instances where lighter
colours turn up. After an afternoon of looking at art, I decided to make the
anomaly, a pink bonnet.
There are still a few items that we need to make, like
cooler weather gear, shirts, shifts, stockings, and such. But we now have two
new living history people, excited to turn out to their first event. Completely
in their own clothes. And no farby-ness in sight. We all start somewhere, and I
am happy to have been able to help get them started on the right foot.
Bibliography
Entwistle, Joanne. The Fashioned Body: Fashion,
Dress, and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge UK and Maiden MA, USA: Polity
Press, 2000.
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