1) Where is a good source of costuming information?
Description
This article is from the Historical Costuming FAQ, by Lara Fabans lfabans@adobe.com with numerous contributions by others.
1) Where is a good source of costuming information?
A good source for costuming information is the SCA, Society of Creative
Anachronism. The avowed purpose of the SCA is the study and recreation
of the European Middle Ages, its crafts, sciences, arts, traditions,
literature, etc. The SCA "period" is defined to be 600 AD to 1600 AD,
concentrating on the Western European High Middle Ages. Some members
extend the period from 450 AD to about 1650 AD. More or less officially
the purpose of the SCA is "The study and re-creation of the Middle Ages
and Renaissance, not as they were, but as they should have been".
Most members of the SCA make and wear period costumes. Furthermore,
most Kingdoms have active costumers guilds. The SCA also host collegia
(classes) on all aspects of the historical period, including costume.
You can find SCA members in the newsgroup rec.org.sca. If you post
there, be sure to mention your city and state so that those who respond
can suggest local SCA groups and sources. If you wish to contact the SCA
national headquarters you can write to:
The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
Office of the Registry
P.O. Box 360789
Milpitas, CA 95036-0789
And
http://www.sca.org
Publications of the Society from the national office include "The Knowne
Worlde Handboke" and "The Complete Anachronist". The Handboke is a
general information book about all aspects of the Society's activities.
It has a few sections on costume, and has some patterns drawn on a graph
paper grid that can be blown up. The Anachronist is a bi-monthly series
of pamphlets on a single subject each. The national newsletter,
Tournaments Illuminated, has occasional articles on specific aspects of
costume.
Note: The third edition of The Knowne Worlde Handboke is available as of
January 1993 for $12. Membership in the SCA includes a subscription to
Tournaments Illuminated.
There are two regular SCA postings, one posted by Wilson Heydt
(whheydt@PacBell.COM) and the other written by Arval Benicoeur
(joshua@paul.rutgers.edu or mittle@watson.ibm.com) and Siobhan Medhbh
O'Roarke (smor@um.cc.umich.edu).
Another excellent source is the National Costumers Guild. Their address is:
P.O. Bog 94538
Pasadena, Ca. 91109.
They sponser shows all year long, and also run "Costume College" which
teaches classes on all aspects of costuming from all periods. They have a
panel of specialists which offer free assistance to members needing assistance
with a project.
1.1) Costuming Information: Mailing Lists
Historic Costume Maillist:
Contact: listserv@brownvm.brown.edu
Send an email to the above contact with
subscribe h-costume your-first-name your-last-name
in the body of the message.
Purpose: This list concentrates on recreating period clothing, from
the Bronze age to the mid-20th Century. Its emphasis is on accurate
historical reproduction of clothing, historical techniques for
garment construction, and the application of those techniques in
modern clothing design. Other topics appropriate for discussion
include adapting historical clothing for the modern figure, clothing
evolution, theatrical costumes, patterns, materials, books, and
sources for supplies.
Vintage Clothing And Costume Jewelry Maillist:
Contact: majordomo@world.std.com
Purpose: The purpose of this list is to discuss existing vintage
clothing and vintage costume jewelry, of all eras. "Existing" is
the key word here, and conversations concentrate on how to find such
clothing and jewelry, where to buy it, how to judge its quality, how
much to pay for it, how to wear it, etc. Some restoration topics,
such as how to use parts of damaged goods in other garments or jewelry
settings are suitable topics, too. Announcements for estate sales,
advertisements for sale or wanted, and pointers to shops are all
welcome on this list.
Subscribing to vintage:
Mail majordomo@world.std.com with the following message in the body:
info vintage
and then follow the directions
Vintage page on the WWW:
Unknown: Please email me if you know where it moved to.
Fantasy Costume Maillist:
Contact: majordomo@world.std.com
Purpose: This list concentrates on the creation of fantasy costume
of all eras: past, present and future. The imagination is your only
limitation. Discussions concentrate on design, motivation and
execution of fantasy clothing, costume, or wearable art. Suitable
topics include techniques of abstraction, theatrical costumes,
serious Halloween and Mardi Gras costumes, mythological and other
non-factual historic-type costumes, incorporating mixed media,
creative and motivational forces, using and finding patterns,
materials, books, and other sources for supplies.
French and Indian War Enactment:
Contact Bryan John Maloney (bjm10@cornell.edu) for more information,
including info on:
Forces of Montcalm and Wolfe
Fraser's 78th Highland Scottish Regiment of Foot
Gage's Light Infantry
The second and third groups are units within the Forces of Montcalm and
Wolfe. M&W is dedicated to recreating the 1740-1760 period in North
America for educational and entertainment purposes (educate the public,
entertain ourselves). It includes groups that portray military units of
the French, English, and Spanish armies of the period in North America,
groups that portray the Amerinds, groups that portray many aspects of
civilian society in North America 1740-1760CE.
1.2) Costuming Information: Other Groups
Other groups that may be of interest include:
National Civil War Association (NCWA)
taped message (+1 408 927 7651)
Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild ("Dreamers of Decadence")
5214-F Diamond Heights, Suite 320
San Francisco, CA 94131
415/974-9333 (VoiceMail)
Membership: $20/year (includes ICG membership)
Subscription to monthly newsletter: $10/year
Friends of the English Regency
Newsletter "Haut Ton" $8/year, contact Elayne Pelz
15931 Kalisher Street, Granada Hills, CA 91344-3951
(818) 366-3827
NOTE: Haut Ton is no longer being published due to lack of interest.
Update: From 10/30/96:
Re: Friends of the English Regency, this mostly So. Calif entity which
has generally eschewed organization exists in that it puts on monthly dances
(actually about 9 or 10 a year) an Autumn Ball and an Assembly in the spring.
Those wishing more information may contact Sue Haseltine sueh@netcom.com
FIRES, the Florida Indian Re-Enactment Society.
c/o Chris Kimball (Okahumpkee)
okhmpke1@ix.netcom.com
http://www.GeoCities.com/Yosemite/1743/
Seminole War re-enactments. $/year Send email to get info.
California Independent Renaissance Guilds Association (CIRGA )
http://www.cirga.com
(Can anyone provide pointers to other historical recreation groups?)
1.3) Costuming Information: Books
There are also a couple of books that you might find interesting.
"Sewing and Collecting Vintage Fashions" by Eileen MacIntosh:
This should be available or orderable from your local sewing shop or
bookstore. A good look at many aspects of vintage clothing. Includes
sections for sewers and timid sewers. Tries to cover both "you want a
certain look, what era might it be" and "you want a certain era, what
styles were in vogue". Also has a good chapter on "How accurate does
this have to be?" There is also a good section in the back listing
various resources, Groups, and references coded by period and what they
supply.
"The American Historical Supply Catalogue: A Nineteenth-Century
Sourcebook" By Alan Wellikoff:
I found this in a used bookstore, but it should still be in print. This
covers a wide range of items. Not much on patterns, but if you are
looking for items to round out a costume, it may be helpful.
Norris, Herbert. "Church vestments: their origin & development." New
York: E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc., 1950.
This discusses vestments from the early church through the 15th c. It
describes the materials and colors likely to have been used with each
style, and often gives simple diagrams of the garments laid flat,
indicating angles where appropriate and sometimes measurements. A bit of
attention is given to trim, embroidery, hats, shoes, and other such stuff.
There seem to be plenty of libraries out there with copies of this book,
so most folks should be able to get it through interlibrary loan if they
badger their local librarian long enough!
(thanks to Tiffany Severns!)
Note: These volumes are highly recommended by the NetReaders.
Another recommended series is "Costume and Fashion". v. 1 is
Classical to Byzantine; v.2 is fall of Rome to 1485; v.3 is
Tudors & Elizabethan, v.4 may be Stuart & Jacobean; then he
skipped to Georgian or something. I don't think he completed
the series before his death. He was a Victorian stage costumer,
writing after he retired. (Any more information on these??)
And here's a newcomer:
"Period Patterns" by Doris Edson with text by Lucy Barton
published 1942. The author (Ms. Edson) has taken costumes on display at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and, I believe, a few other museums, and
broken them down into chart/pattern format on grids "for the serious
student of costume." It contains photos of actual garments and some
created from cotton to represent what garments no longer exist. Garments
date from 1500's to early 1900's. This book claims to be a supplement to
"Historic Costume for the Stage" which I have as yet been unable to
find.
1.4) Costuming Periodicals
There is a new quarterly journal specializing in reviews of books on
historic costume, clothing, wearable art, textiles, etc.
Rags
R. L. Shep
Box 668
Mendocino, CA 95460
USA
Subscriptions will start in January, but a preliminary issue is scheduled
for October. For one year, the cost is $14 for US subscriptions, $15 for
Canadian, 12 pounds 75 pence for the UK, and $20 US for anywhere else in the
world.
1.5) Costuming Web Sites
California Ren Faire's home page on the Web:
http://www.resort.com/~banshee/Faire/index.html
Medieval/Renaissance Wedding Page
http://paul.spu.edu/~kst/bib/bib.html
The Costume Site
http://www.milieux.com/costume/index.html
Costume Shop
http://www2.cybernex.net/~carrier/costumes.html
Costume Page
http://members.aol.com/nebula5/costume.html
Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion
http://www.songsmyth.com/costumerscompanion.html
Museum Replicas
http://www.mindspring.com/~atlcut/mr.html
(you can request a catelog by emailing musrep@mindspring.com)
A Theatrical Combat Group
http://maniac.deathstar.org/groups/ros/
Evermore Clothiers
http://www.evermore-clothiers.com
Has a nice photo gallery for renaissance and fantasy clothing.
Ukraine Costumes
http://pages.prodigy.com/ukraine
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