Historical Fashion Review

Fashion Show November 2009

"Wow"! seemed to be the reaction from all the audience at the Historical Fashion Review at TORM last weekend. We've had lots of e-mails all ready. C.B wrote
 "My friends and I ALL forgot to bring our cameras with us, which was very annoying.   It was a marvellous parade and it was great to be able to talk to people and to see the costumes at close hand and pick up some tips.   You are all so talented!"  Even the participants  had a great time, which is lovely as they all donate their time and expertise gratis. Some of the ensembles in the review were truly amazing and we  thank all the other costumiers for their efforts. Debbie Lough Costumes, My Lady's Wardrobe, Harman Hay, Prior Attire, Sarah Gilkes, Cloak'd & Dagger'd, Anne Laverick, Janes' Wardrobe, Amourclass,  Jo Badger Historic Costumes and Dressing History. Other organisations helped as well, Chris Bruce from Plantaganet Events, Ian Pyecroft from Black Knight Historical, Kirsty Sherwood and Rachel  Wanklin from Tamworth Castle,  Lin from Birmingham Museum and a big thank you to all the costumiers customers and models, who 'strutted their stuff' (but VERY elegantly!). Thanks to all the 'dressers', stage managers, sound and light technicians who helped put some extra features into the show.
Apart from the fashion show, we met some of our 'mail order' customers from abroad for the first time. It was lovely to meet you all and we hope you enjoyed your stay in England. This show is getting very cosmopolitan and the number of visitors from other countries is astounding!

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

A Town criers' clothing from the early part of the 18th Century. The client is the crier for Castle Donnington, a town in the midlands, which has had a town crier since the late 1200's!
 This position going back so far, Terry decided that he ought to have an earlier costume than most town criers, who usually decide on a  coachmans  coat  from the regency or early victorian - and because he liked the style!

I am aware that this blog is read in over 20 countries, so I'd better explain what a 'crier' did.
Really, he was  a town officer who made public proclamations, normally using a trumpet or bell to gain the attention of the crowd, before bellowing the news or public notices as loudly as he possibly could! Usually announcing his presence by shouting 'Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! (or similar, it seems nobody can decide or find out what was originally done)!


Competitions are held throughout Britain for the loudest and best dressed crier - We think that Terry is in with a shout - for both categories!

French Hood & Feedback

We got some feedback on our first French hood kit this week :-
"Hi Gini, I think overall it took me about 10 hours. I had to hand sew nearly all including the French seams as my machine died whilst tackling the buckram early doors!. I really enjoyed making it, and it was fantastic value. I only added some more billaments from a local fantastic craft shop I found in Retford. The one really tricky part was the sewing of the final linen lining in the finished coif. Thanks for all your help it was a great experience bringing history alive; I cannot stop looking at it! Many thanks again, Sian".
Really nice to know when something works first time! The picture on the left shows the finished hood and we really think Sian did incredibly well for her first piece of historical clothing!

It's not the only nice feedback we've had lately. L wrote:-
"Btw, I went on to your website it's even better than ever - wow! The blog is fab & as for the gallery...that calash is to die for, & as for the passementerie buttons...I was salivating! The heralds coat for Kp is sooo cute! It brightened my day up, that's for sure... "

N. Left us a lovely comment here.
A. A textile designer from Italy, thinks we're the best E.C.W supplier he's seen and hopefully he's going to come to The Original Re-enactors Market this year to meet us......
Simon wrote:- The costume is absolutely fantastic. I'm not lying when I say that it has exceeded all of my expectations!I love the close firm fit of the doublet. I appear to have lost around a stone in weight when I wear it! As soon as I can I'll get some photos sent up to you to add to your porfolio, if you wish.
(Yes, please Simon)!
I also ended up on Uberbrum (of all places!), while having a break at 'Talk like a pirate day'!

Thank you one and all, but be sure that we're not going to rest on our laurels and that there will be some new and exciting ensembles ready soon!
We are also working on the Fashion show for T.O.R.M in November. All ready, we have a spectacular show in prospect and we'll keep tweaking the show until it squeaks!

P.S Congratulations to Birmingham on getting TWO gold awards at 'Britain in bloom'! (See Here) One award is brilliant, two is outstanding!

'Anne Boleyn' French Hood

If people approach us at a show and their shopping list goes something on the lines of "Do you have any buckram, domette, black velvet, pearls...?" We could probably finish the list for them, as the chances are that they are looking to make a 'french hood'. Our first question is usually,"Have you made one before?" - as these can be tricky! If the customer is new to milinery we then try and explain what is required. "Do you have any white silk, millinery wire?".... and the list goes on.
We have decided to produce these in kit form and the kit will contain everything needed to make an 'Ann Boleyn style french hood'. All you need to add is needles, thread and have a day or two to spare! Full instructions will be included and we've put up a hidden step by step pictorial guide on picasa - that you will have access to - 50 photographs showing every step from the basic pieces to fitting the bilaments (ornaments).
Available in two sizes, Child (and small adults) and Adult.
Hopefully, these will save you running from one haberdashery shop to another to find what you need and discovering you have to buy far more than the quantity required - when you find it!
The only question left is, are you going to pluck the hair out on your forehead, as the tudors did, when you wear it?!
We made this one with a gold crescent so it would show up better in the photographs and the bilaments will be pearls only as in the original.

A Dressing up Gown..........

Built on a strict budget, this Elizabethan (tudor) gown is based on a 1580-1590 gown in the Nurnberg Museum. The front panel and sleeves of the Kirtle are of silk taffeta. A corded diamond pattern of linen has been applied and overlaid on this are 2,800 pearls and black bugle beads. The Kirtle sleeves are detachable. It is fully lined and has a heavy guard of linen at the hem.
The outer velvet gown has decorated 'guards' of black satin couched with black silk cord. The same decoration is applied over the shoulders and down the back, sleeves and collar.
The sleeves are possibly one of the most complicated patterns as it contains a heavy padded roll at the head and over this a boned skeletal structure which gives the shape. The outer velvet is
made up of many shaped panels, following the form given by the structure beneath. The Ruff is held up, by the collar, to frame the face.

This Ensemble has a dedicated web album
here

A Coat of many stitches....

This one is a 'fair copy' of the boys red wool suit in the V.&.A (Ref:- No. T.327&A-1982)
The coat is made from the finest superfine melton wool and is raw edged at fronts, hems & cuffs. It is embroidered down the front, the centre back vents, the cuff tops and edges and the pockets in gold. It is fully lined and the fronts and cuffs are interfaced and then faced the same wool as the
outer. The neckedge is bound with 1/4" binding of the wool. All the linings, interfacings and facings are stitched in by hand in the same way as the originals were.
The Breeches are made from the same wool and lined in linen. They are also embroidered down the front outside leg to match the coat.

Before work could proceed, a sample of the embroidery was produced so that decisions about the buttons could be made. After a great deal of research on passementerie buttons 1690 -1720 and a fruitless worldwide search for an acceptable button of the right size [1"], we decided that reproduction passementerie buttons were the only solution. Starting with finding or producing a workable button mould, which was a feat in itself, we ended up producing our own wooden moulds in house and with several samples to show our client, one of which took two hours to make!

The entire suit took 105 hours to produce, 20 of which were spent on the 39 buttons, 23 on designing and embroidery programming, 21 on actual embroidery and the rest on cut and makeup.

This outfit has its' own web album here

Handing out Bouquets.......

I was in Birmingham this week as a 'costumed character' for the 'Britain in Bloom' competition.
The reactions of the everyday public to someone in costume proceeding from one venue to another seemed to amaze my 'handler', a lovely lady, who probably had never accompanied an 18th Century gentleman through the streets of central Birmingham before!
Having done this sort of thing for a few years, I find the responses are far less than they used to be. People are more used to seeing interpreters, fancy dress parties, costumed weddings and they find the appearance of someone in costume far less remarkable.
Probably the best reaction I ever got, was walking into a petrol station on the A40 a few years ago, at about 6 a.m, in full Cavalier outfit. The attendant was fast asleep with his head on the desk. He took a bit of waking and upon seeing me, he took off from his stool both horizontally and vertically for about 9 feet! The look on his face was picture! I wonder if he still has nightmares?............ Anyway, good luck to Birmingham in the competition. If they are looking for ideas for next year, I can't help but think of the Regency pleasure gardens.

For beauty of situation and variety of elegant scenes, these gardens [presumably Vauxhall] cannot be surpassed by any pleasure-ground in the Kingdom. It contains about sixteen acres with a great number of small, delightful groves, and charming lawns, intersected by serpentine walks, which at every turn meet with sweet, shady bowers, furnished with handsome seats, some canopied by nature, others by art.

It is also decorated with waterfalls, stone and thatched pavilions, a canal running through with two elegant cast-iron bridges thrown over it, after the manner of the Chinese. A sham castle planted with several pieces of cannon, bowling greens, swings, thatched umbrellas as a shelter from sudden rains and storms.

From the pavilions and bridges, an enlightened observer may fascinate his senses with the enchanting view of hills, vales, dales and magnificent structures that surround this Elysian Field.

Customising

We love the fact that a lot of our customers nowadays have done far more research than in the past. We remember the days when desert boots were 'de rigeur' for portraying the ECW! It's a lot different now and many people go to great lengths to get the look correct. As we supply all sorts of costume from Museum and 'Walking portrait' to LRP and Renfair, we are frequently asked if we can supply an item from our standard range, "But I need it to have such & such as I'm playing a ........." The answer is nearly always "Yes, of course!"
The question of customising also arises when we are providing items for export. Our main area of expertise has always been historical clothing worn in the UK, with the additions of other European and Oriental fashions that influenced what was worn here. Now we are as likely to be asked to provide an 18th C Swedish wedding suit or a 17th C Italian Soldiers coat as anything else. This also means the research library here at Chimera costumes, grows at an ever increasing rate! I wondered whether it was just the weakness in sterling that caused this influx in export orders, then we had an e-mail from a customer in the U.S stating that his suit was of 'Exceptional quality'
I think that may be the reason.....

Comparing the Market....

We make historical clothing, not 'fancy dress', we are not high fashion, 'collection changing twice a year' catwalk gurus. All these things though are interrelated. Fashion designers have always looked to the past for inspiration, the most famous probably being Vivian Westwood. Whatever colours and/or patterns are in fashion affect the materials available to us, - unless we have them made - so we too, have to look ahead to what will be in High street fashion 3 years ahead. We also get a lot clients who want items that go a 'step further' than those they can buy from normal outlets. This makes prediction of future trends quite important to us.
At the moment we have a lot of people visiting our site from www.wgsn.com who are trend forecasters for the fashion industry.They seem to think that one of our photos has possibilities for future silhouette outlines. We will see. You can almost guarantee that one of them will be, but which one?
I said at the beginning of this that we don't make 'fancy dress', but try telling that to 'dmoz' supposedly the most comprehensive human-reviewed directory of the web. Which of course is the problem. I've now spent two years trying to get them to recategorise us with no luck, as different editors move on and there's no continuity. I'd love them to remove us altogether as we spend hours answering queries that are not relevant to us -and other directories pick up the listings and include us as well! Making even more people land on the wrong web site! Talk about 'compare the meerkat!

With the appearance of what are realistically 'fall-front breeches' in the shops,'Out of Fashion' seems a bit of a misnomer. Will I have to change the name of the blog to 'Future Fashion', perhaps? Simples!

Degrees of Competence

We were contacted by yet another organisation today. The normal phone call goes something on the lines of "We're looking for work experience for our students", but this one was a little different. "Have you thought of taking on an apprentice?" An interesting idea and a path that we've gone down in the past. "An apprentice in what?" I asked. "Well, that would be up to you" came the reply. Which sort of got me thinking. Are there that many people wanting to do an apprenticeship in historical costume? In the past, we've had people working here who have gone on to do some great things, running their own business or working in prestigious establishments, graduating from good colleges - with good degrees - and they make us rather proud!
We have an intern with us this summer. Something we try to do, to give something back but yes, we are looking for a genius! Someone who can live on very little, who can hand sew like an angel (when necessary) and quickly, someone who can follow instruction, someone who can use an industrial flat bed or overlocker competently and safely (or has the capability to learn), who can fit in seamlessly,(sorry!) Who can work a CAD P.C without it falling over, who's got both the 'eye' and the passion for the subject and the innate ability to carry it forward. Now where can we find someone like that? They don't exist? Ah, but we've got one,- what we really need is TWO!