Way Back When: Getting your interpreters on board with more accurate historical dress.

Getting your older, full time interpretive staff to wear new, and possibly more accurate historical costume while at work is the bane of every historical costumer. We all come up against those who are perfectly happy, and *comfortable*, wearing the stuff they have worn since they started in their interpreter's position. It often doesn't matter to them that these clothing items might be wrong, it's what they've always worn.
The problem is, that since I've graduated alone, the progress made in the research of historic dress has made epic leaps and bounds. What is being shared today, was simply a pipe dream of those of us who started our careers back in the late 80s. The internet has helped, because we have access to information that would have required extensive research road trips even ten years ago. And this is a good thing. Social medial has also become a valuable tool for helping us all better our impressions. Sites are sharing how they are tackling the situation of 'Best Practices' standards, photographs of other living historians are being shared so that we can prove that improvement is a good thing, and can be done, no matter what the excuse might be.

So why do we still have hold outs?

We have hold-outs because we allow them to come out. Sites are sometimes relaxed because they don't realize that things can be done better. They aren't seeing that better impression. Other living historians are just too nice, in allowing the inaccuracies to pop up at events, too nice to police their fellow interpreter. And as site costumers, we allow folks to hold on to those old, badly constructed clothing items instead of issuing new kit.

How can we fight this?

Well, it's the end of the season. The winter season often means having make and make-do weekends, where new kit can be made. If we started off the winter season by fixing the old kit, then many of us would start next season off on the right foot with very little cash layout. Start by removing buttons and replacing with proper ones. Altering gear to better fit on the body...most folks are wearing clothing that is miles too large. If gear is too small, pass those items down to young people who might be smaller than you. We all have gear we no longer wear. Fix it and pass it on.
Historic site wardrobes often have a month or so of returns of kit where we launder and return to stores for the winter. This is a perfect time to get rid of the stuff that is just too bad to be repaired or altered. If the kit isn't there, then it can't be issued out in the spring again. Take the stuff apart, use the fabrics for other things. Make it so those old items just aren't around anymore. Back when I was working as a head of wardrobe, my own infectious passion for wearing proper clothing rubbed off on the interpreters. I started off with the young people, who might have been starting out as a summer hire. I taught them how to properly dress and wear their clothes. And I spoke to them about their 'clothes', never referring to the items as costumes, so that they would never compare them to stuff worn for fun at Halloween. Once the young people were dressed properly, the older staff wanted to look just as good, so it was an easier way to coerce them over to my way of thinking. Making the older staff new clothes, that suited their bodies and work lives helped them to better do the jobs they had done for so long. Reminding them that they looked good while properly dressed helped too. It's nice to go and visit site websites and see things that I made still being worn, and properly worn, 20 and 30 years later. These items are cared for, because I took the time to care about the interpreters wearing them. That care and passion is then passed down to the next generation.

Everyone should be using the winter months as opportunity to read those best practices standards and getting on board with the way things are being done at sites across North America. If you need help, ask. There are tonnes of people in just about every community ready to help out their fellow interpreter to get a leg up.

If there is one thing I can take away from the Saratoga project, it is that it doesn't have to cost the interpreter or site an arm and a leg to get geared up. I managed to outfit two people for next to nothing in a very short time frame. Working together really helps. It also builds camaraderie between living historians. That passion can be infectious, spread that stuff everywhere!

That, and those 'best practices' guidelines can also save you money, if you read them and follow along. They help to guide you towards better kit right from the get go, so you don't make costly mistakes, buying the wrong things.

ok, back to the studio I go. Have a great winter season everyone!