'OUT OF FASHION'

2011-12-12T16:40:00.000Z

Chimera Costumes regrets to announce that we have ceased trading as of 12 December 2011.This is mainly due to changes in trading conditions brought on by the recession. We find we are no longer able to provide the breadth of service which was our aim from the beginning & which our customers have come to enjoy and sadly, circumstances have forced our hand.

For any correspondence relating to Chimera Costumes, please contact the Official Receivers Office on 01142 212700

We would like to take this opportunity of thanking all our customers for their continued support over the past 13 years and wish you all the compliments of the season.

By Popular Request!

2011-09-03T00:13:00.002+01:00

So....it's been awhile and apparently, people have noticed. This is for those of you who have been kind enough to offer lots of encouragement and the occasional gentle nudge in the last year, when life overtook other plans.

That's not to say that we haven't been working - far from it! So many projects undertaken and completed in the intervening year and over the coming months, I will review some of those.

So where to begin? Let's dive in with the most recent project, a replica of an 18th C ribbonwork Needlecase held in Gawthorpe Hall. I first noticed this in the wonderful book,18th Century Embroidery Techniques by Gail Marsh when I first got the book a few years ago and at that time, I concentrated on aerophane work, using it to trim my 18thC Bergere hat for the Williamsburg wedding. .

I have a very long list of projects I want to complete for personal satisfaction at some point and this little needlecase kept nagging, often at the most inappropriate time.

Whilst dandelion the tubby cat snored and dreamed of catching unmentionable things, [like ribbon, perhaps?] I created a card template and drafted the embroidery onto that, then punched out small holes at the start and end points of each ribbon stitch. Then I marked up on the silk, using a pencil through the holes to accurately mark the design onto the silk surface.

Next, to embroidering the stems in backstich uisng silk floss as in the original and then selected narrow ribbons between 2 & 6mm wide from my 'stash' in white, red, brown, gold, acid yellow and green. The modern duchesse is denser than it's 18th C counterpart, so I found that I needed to work the start & end holes of each petal & leaf with a larger needle first, but the work went smoothly from there.

And voila, a hungry cat, 5 hours & 3 petals later, the embroidery is complete.

In the next post, I'll post the completed needlecase.

Happy Stitching!

Gini

Material matters!.....

2010-08-13T10:50:00.000+01:00

It's been on my mind lately that while we don't watch T.V very much here, usually documentaries- and occasionally a series that looks promising - we aren't enjoying them a lot. If any of the broadcasting companies have the brief 'To educate end entertain', they are falling far short of their objectives.
Do you think it would be worth putting a petition together? Perhaps something on the following lines?

'We the undersigned, have an attention span of more than two minutes, we do not need to be told what is coming after the break, if your programme is interesting enough, we'll be here to see it. After the interval we do not need to be told what happened before the break. It smacks of not having enough material. If you do not have the material to fill the time slot - don't make the B.......y programme! We are not children, please do not dumb down your programme or show us what is going on through the 'round' window. We get it. (Hint to the History channel - If you make the battle scenes 'fuzzy' It shows that you couldn't get the right people - and your costumes are up to 50 years out of date). Plan ahead. It is no good going to suppliers at the last minute to provide stuff for your programme - all the good ones are busy and you end up with second best - again. Most of us do not care about so called celebrities who are famous for being famous - we'd rather see someone with talent. So, BBC - repeat after me, "Monty Don is a good presenter"!
Now would you like me to run through that all again to make sure you understand and remember it? No, well don't do it to us either - we're not stupid!

This is of course a first draft and suggestions would be welcome. To give it more effect, I'm thinking it should be handed in - in person - by Katie Price perhaps? ;-)

The Case for Needles

2010-07-16T11:13:00.002+01:00

By the time you read this we should be at the Festival of History, which is one of the biggest shows in Britain. There you can see all the newest & best productions of the old - if you see what I mean! It features some the best in 'costumed interpretation', that this country has. We call it costumed, but it really means 'clothed'. The vast majority of the interpreters there are professionals and the demands on the clothing they wear is legendary. It has to be well made to stand up to the rigours of being worn constantly, maintainable within the confines of history, and to instantly give an impression of status and purpose. We try to build clothing that stands the test of time and we have lots of clients who come back to us and say "The one you made for me in 1998 is still going strong, but I'd like a change...."! I wonder if much modern clothing lasts as well?
The picture shows a needle case made when Gini was 5 years old - and it's still used everyday - O.K it may not be the best needlework ever seen on here, but even at that age - Gini built to last!

Haberdashery & Textiles

2010-06-23T13:57:00.000+01:00

All over England haberdashery shops are closing down and it's getting harder and harder to find things that are 'right for period', whatever that period happens to be! This sort of thing seems to be a continuing theme on this blog, sorry, but it does affect a lot of our customers! We've been adding items to our haberdashery shop - Here.- and we've managed to find a good linen range at last. With an excellent drape, this linen pleats & gathers beautifully, making it suitable for shirts, chemises, petticoats, ruffs, collars, cuffs & linings. 58"/147cm wide 7 oz per metre square/10.5 oz per linear metre. O.K, it may be a little more expensive than buying from traders at fairs, etc., but there are a couple of advantages. We are not talking 'ends' here which are, of course, 'ends' for a reason, but a fully repeatable range that will be available 24 hours a day - not just when they happen to be 'on sale'. We are going to try and add good wool and velvet ranges soon - we're in negotiations at the moment, so watch this space! Meanwhile, lace, braid, pewter buttons and much more are available for you to look at and hopefully, drool over!
If you're looking for certain items there, use the pull down menus and hit 'search'. If you still can't find what you're looking for, contact us. If we don't supply it, we usually know who can....... and we're always looking for ideas of things you'd like us to stock.
Have a look, go on, you know you want to!

Film & T.V

2010-05-28T10:24:00.000+01:00

We were asked lately, if we did Film or T.V costume dramas. The answer is no, not a lot! In the past we have been involved in special pieces for a few shows, 'The Prairie House', 'Elizabeth' and the upcoming 'Edwardian Farm' among them, but it's not quite that easy. To be able to do our best Gini has either to be the designer, or to be really in tune with the designer and to be 'reading from the same hymn sheet', so to speak. Imagine, a great friend of ours was 'historical adviser' on a certain film. The designer wanted a British Napoleonic Infantry officer to wear black, because he didn't like red! Now, while there was a certain leeway in officers' dress, if you want to give a decent impression of 'Infantry officer' of the time, red is the only choice. Another problem is time scale, throwing 20 -30 characters into the mix, on what is always a very tight schedule, is not an easy option. - and sometimes a leading actor or actress hasn't been confirmed, so the size to make to is academic until the last minute.

I'm not saying we don't consider some, indeed, we have an enquiry at the moment for a film out of L.A and we certainly see our garments being worn on T.V (about twice a day, on average!). Sometimes it's an actor or re-enactor who specialises in a particular period, sometimes the wardrobe department who has ordered in bulk, sometimes we've clothed a regiment. - even our wedding was televised for Yorkshire T.V (2 x 30 min. programmes for the series 'I Thee Wed'). Just to prove how deadlines work, we had 13 weeks to put on a spectacular wedding, make sure that everyone was costumed, find an historical venue, find 3 chefs,13 serving staff, dress them as well, devise a 'timelined' historical banquet - 11 courses starting with Roman then saxon and ending 9 courses later in Victorian. The web album, if you're interested is here. All this while being filmed and having Claire and Michaels' wedding clothes to produce as they were getting married on the same day!(See photo).

So unless we have a little time to plan, Gini would much rather be 'consultant'!

Wool Trade-off!

2010-05-21T10:59:00.001+01:00

Most of the materials used in historical clothing are getting harder and harder to find. Decent wools and linens, can nowadays be more expensive than a good silk! How different from most periods in history when wool and linen were the staples of the garment trade.
The make-up of wool has also changed in the last 150 years. Before this time when wool was hand woven, the thread was usually a lot thinner and the thread count, per inch, was a lot greater. Most coats and uniforms would be made 'raw edged' because this sort of material is far less likely to fray. I wonder what sort of demand there would be for this type of wool today - £150.00 per metre anyone?
That is not the only change in wool through the ages. One of the difficulties in making medieval 'hose' is due to the weave of the wool available. Medieval Hose are cut on the bias and wool today stretches at very different rates than that available in the past. This would mean making a new pattern for every type of wool used. The original wool made with a mixture of 's' and 'z' ply (in other words, one of the threads was twisted the opposite way), this gave the material incredible stretch - almost as good as lycra! You will notice when you look at medieval paintings that most 'hose' look like they are 'painted on' and that's the reason. Nowadays wool is woven with 's' ply only giving significantly less stretch meaning that it is almost impossible to give a smooth fit that will not tear in movement. This is why Re-enactment is littered with baggy, saggy ill fitting hose.
So, we could have it made. The last time we asked, we worked it out it would cost an investment of £12,500 for a medieval colour palette, - too large an investment when you consider that these are just one of the garments out of the hundreds we produce!
Or we could use material that had a small percentage of lycra. There are two reasons that won't happen.
1. It is dangerous near fires.
2. We expect our clothing to last a decent period of time. Once the hose had been washed a few times the lycra would be washed out and you'd be back to the baggy, saggy, old cloth look again.
Ah well, back to the drawing board!
The picture shows some decent melton wool!

Ahhh, Cute!

2010-04-30T18:02:00.005+01:00

The tiniest shirt we have so far had to make. In the picture you'll see an original taken from 'Clothes & the Child' by Ann Buck. (ISBN 0-903585-29-4). The other picture is the copy. After the inevitable Oooohs! and ahhhs! from the staff at break, it got me to thinking about just what is it about miniature clothes that induces that reaction in women (and female costumiers in particular!). Most little girls like dressing dolls. We think it's a sort of 'hardwired' thing, where nature is way ahead of nuture and as they grow older only the style of 'doll' changes. On seeing a small child's clothing, most ladies will not remark on the style or materials and instead will say "Isn't it tiny!" or "Isn't it cute!"
Apprentices in the furniture workshops of the world often turned out exquisite 'apprentice pieces' to show their mastery of the craft and in some cases they are now worth more than the full size alternatives. Miniaturisation also happened in fashion history, where dolls were made as 'fashion messengers' or 'fashion envoys', if you will, being sent out by makers to clients and even to the courts around Europe.

In a 'pot luck' survey, a lot of costumier's dressed dolls in their childhood, especially those that work in the historical field. Were they subconsciously starting out on apprentice pieces? If so, then why aren't 'samplers' still popular?

Some think that, by definition, children's clothing should be cheaper than adults.We can quite see why people arrive at that belief. Clearly there is a cost saving on fabric, but the cutting is more demanding as there is less tolerance, so any imperfections in stitching will glare and extra time could be needed to make up. Small, nimble fingers are required, which, in history, children were employed for. Ahhh, Not so cute!

Re-Sizing.

2010-04-18T20:52:00.004+01:00

One of our friends was remarking the other day that he'd been into a popular store to get some shoes and the assistant had some bad news for him when he requested his size - 10
(English)
"You want a size that is outside the ordinary, and of course, they sell out first!" he was told.
The same applied when he contacted someone 'on line' for regency boots. "I'm sorry we don't stock boots with that calf size, but we get a lot of requests for them!" the voice on the phone said.
Clearly, there is something wrong here!

The question also came up yesterday in a discussion we were having about tailors' dummies and dress forms. It seems to us that those on sale at the moment do not reflect the 'modern' body and haven't done for a few years. Now notwithstanding the possibility that all of our customers are unusual in some way, (we don't think so!) this tends to suggest the industry supporting the fashion & clothing world, are out of step with changes in national body shape for men women and children. If this is true, it beggars belief, given the sheer volume of published surveys documenting these very changes. For the longest time Britons have suffered the lack of any standardised sizing in the shops, when we are told by a client that they usually take a dress size 14 (English again!) for example, we have to ask where they are shopping! Marks & Spencer have very different sizes to Monsoon for instance

Nape to waist measures, particularly in men are elongating. Our male dummies are permanently extended to their maximum length and we are noting this is is not enough, on average by 1 1/2" ! We are talking adjustable tailors forms here, but display forms are also seriously 'out of kilter'.
Four to five years ago this did not seem to be an issue. We would be be VERY interested if others are finding the same thing.

As Alfred Pearlman once wrote "After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years look at it with suspicion....and after ten - throw it away and start all over again!"

So to those that make tailors dummies. Your ten years are now up!

The Picture shows a modern display dummy, reformed to give a 1660 corseted shape

Primary Source

2010-04-12T12:51:00.001+01:00

An entry in my Diary for Thursday reads 'Fit in Bath'. It wasn't to remind me to change our hygiene facilities, but to remind me that a couple of our customers from Luxembourg were having a holiday there and we had to meet them for a fitting. While we were there we had a few other appointments but managed to do a couple of other things and played at being tourists for a change. We visited the Jane Austen centre and found that Dave Baldock and his team had changed the mannequin of Captain Francis Austen. We also visited the Bath Fashion Museum, as collections like that always have something to teach us.
Using extant garments, the actual original garment is what we call 'Primary Evidence' or 'Primary Source'. Writings of the time, woodcuts and portraits we call 'Secondary Evidence'. Modern writings, Tertiary evidence. This differs from the way that most modern researchers classify, but it suits us.
The first thing to mention is that everything must be checked. Even original garments could have been changed, in fit or in purpose or even in colour!
Secondary & Tertiary evidence can be even worse as each step away from the original can bring bias, perspective and the sometimes, limited knowledge of the writer into play.

Most costumiers out there will have made something following the patterns of Janet Arnold - who was one of the best researchers of historical costume.
Don't get us wrong we think that she was one of the best ever and we use her books all the time - here's the 'but'!
We have done the same, but if you see the original garment after studying Janet's patterns, you will notice the odd detail not included or that you interpreted a detail quite differently from the original even though it was notated.

Even if the garment you're making is not meant to be accurate, surely, as an historical costumier you should know the differences!

The pictures show a couple of amusing fashion plates from the many, many hundreds of 'Secondary source' plates we have here.

Zeitgeist

2010-03-31T16:54:00.003+01:00

Have you noticed how fashionable 'traditional crafts' are at the moment? At the beginning of the last recession, one of the only businesses with an increase in turnover was sewing machine manufacturers! So whether people are making for themselves or looking for an outlet, this seems to be the upcoming thing. 'How-to's' abound. That is a lovely thing, people can find out methods & techniques that before would have taken years of research.
Lately, I think even the B.B.C were amazed at the success of a couple of their programs.
'Mastercrafts'. Monty Don with his erudite and understanding view of craftspeople and their problems - he was in the business for a while - his light touch and instinctive empathy made this a stunning production.
Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands & Peter Gill, on 'Tales from the Green Valley', 'Victorian Farm' (and the upcoming 'Edwardian Farm'), have gone from strength to strength. Having known Ruth for a while, we were not exactly surprised at the plaudits the programs have received, but the number of them.

So is it their passion for the subject that makes them so inspirational to others? When Gini & I went to school we had teachers that had, after their names, more letters than the Royal Mail can deliver in week. - (but that's another blog)! The point is that most could not teach. We just wonder what we'd be, if all our teachers had been 'inspiring'?
Even a picture can inspire. Gini has been wanting to make the dress on the left since the publication of the book "Nineteenth Century Fashion in Detail"- Lucy Johnston in 2005 - Five years later and that's been done - but there's plenty more pictures out there!

Firm Foundations

2010-03-03T14:45:00.000Z

A long time ago I was told that when designing, "Form follows function". This was coined by Louis Sullivan in 1896. What he actually said was "form ever follows function" and he was talking about architecture. It really doesn't apply in costuming where the clients' choice, the purpose and the status of the garment means that 'function follows form'!
Still, any garment has to be built on firm foundations and the 'architecture' will not be right unless you work from inside out, building the undergarments layer upon layer to give the correct shape.
The stays in the picture are from the last quarter of the 18th Century, made in silk and hand made from start to finish taking over 40 hours.You may well ask why we've made something by hand when it will hardly ever be seen. I suppose there are a few answers to that.

It is difficult to know the feel of a garment until you have worn it, the restrictions and posture it gives you, helps inform us for other work.
It could be that they end up on display for educational purposes somewhere, where the stitching and construction can be seen in great detail.

You know, I was once in a design studio, when one of the creative people shouted "It will do!" about one of the jobs they were working on. I walked out. If you're not giving of your best, you're not doing your job.
Gini once said that "good design costs no more than bad design".
What I'm really saying is the stays are for when "That will do!" - just won't cut it.

'In Camera'

2010-02-28T13:16:00.000Z

Rather a busy month, as we had 9 Regency outfits to produce, including a repro of this one on the left, which I think is stunning - Lady Worsley, by Joshua Reynolds. We turned up at the venue hoping to get some good shots of the costumes in action. Guess what? The camera decides to have a 'hissy-fit' and refuses to work! So if anyone has good photos of the weekend? - I'm Begging!
We hope to include this outfit in the next fashion show- along with others.

I said in the last post that I'd put up links to the rest of the fashion show 'highlights' videos, so here they are in order.
Part 1 overture
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7 Finale

Fashion Shows

2010-02-24T18:32:00.003Z

At last I got the video from the last Fashion show and even putting up edited highlights is going to be a 'part work'! There's about 90 minutes worth to edit downThe first part is here. I KNOW it's called part two, but the first one is Gini doing the opening musical number and a lot of costume people won't want to see it. (if you do, go here)! I'll put up the rest as they get finished.The videos were taken on a domestic camera, but I think Gabi & her husband have done very well!
We are all ready in the process of writing the show for March and have ideas for November, which is the 20th Anniversary of T.O.R.M, so that one has to be spectacular! Well, even more spectacular!

Fashion Forensics ©

2010-01-28T15:16:00.000Z

It has long been an ambition of Ginis' to let others see what she is privileged to investigate. In her work, a lot of access is granted to 'touch and handle' extant garments in the archives of museums and it does seem a shame not to let others see them. If people are lucky enough to see these they are usually in glossy 'coffee table' books with maybe two pictures! Museums unfortunately are working with limited display space and only a few of pieces in a collection are ever on view to the public at one time. The Kyoto Institute is a good example where they have about 60,000 photographs of their collection and have produced wonderful books of what some of our friends call 'frock porn'(!). If you ever go there you will find about half a dozen outfits on display - the rest are 'in the archive'! The V.&A. Museum are at the moment trying to close down the musical instrument section to give more room to the textile collection, which does seem a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. (Gets off high horse - and back to the subject)!
We have an idea of making videos of some of the initial inspections, which will show the materials, structure, construction, previous conservation, alterations - almost the C.S.I of clothing!
They will be of interesting pieces in the lesser known collections. Did you know that Bassetlaw Museum has about 5,000 costume pieces, for instance? In the meantime, we have a web album of the one one the left A victorian ensemble of 1872. The staff and indeed, the public were fascinated at the detail that came out. I'll try and put the captions up very soon - when the phone stops ringing!

The Music Lesson

2010-01-13T15:56:00.001Z

Well, A Happy New Year to you all! I hope all our British & European readers aren't suffering too much in the truly awful weather conditions. We actually didn't get stuck in the snow, but our car had a little problem and refused to start.
It took our Automobile Association, 6 days to get it sorted! ( I would have written A.A. there but that would look like we had a different problem! -"My name is Tony and I haven't had car trouble for six months"!) Anyway, the snow stopped customers getting to us, suppliers delivering to us and us delivering to customers, which caused a few headaches.

A break in the weather did give Gini a chance to get to Birmingham Museum to deliver and set up the display shown on the left, which is a copy of the ensemble shown in the painting "The Music Lesson" by Jacob Ochtervelt (1634-1682). Both gown and painting are on show at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

Deeper analysis of this portrait raised some questions about the bodice/jacket and its construction - particularly the back. Looking at other portraits by Ochtervelt and his contemporaries, working in the low countries at this time period and examining other extant garments, did not resolve the questions and it may be that either the jacket/bodice is somewhat anomalous, or that we have discovered a style for the period previously unrecorded. With only one painting pointing towards this style of bodice back we still cannot be sure.

Historical Fashion Review

2009-11-24T12:17:00.072Z

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!

2009-11-01T11:34:00.001Z

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

2009-10-07T13:46:00.011+01:00

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

2009-09-21T10:58:00.006+01:00

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..........

2009-09-06T14:31:00.007+01:00

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....

2009-08-18T10:10:00.009+01:00

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.......

2009-08-09T13:40:00.007+01:00

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

2009-07-21T13:25:00.010+01:00

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....

2009-07-06T09:24:00.012+01:00

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

2009-06-17T13:21:00.004+01:00

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!

A World Wide Web

2009-05-24T18:22:00.012+01:00

I suppose I should be used to it by now, but I'm still astonished by how our customers find us. The web means that your work can be seen by anybody, anywhere, anytime which is just mind-blowing , if you think about it! I came to this technology fairly late and took to it like, well, a duck to petrol! Still, I'm learning.
Our web albums are now the favourites of people from Minnesota to Munich and Korea to Clapham. We're getting some nice comments from people worldwide. At the moment, we have orders on the books from America, Italy, Poland, Australia and on the list goes. If it wasn't for Captain Arthur Phillip (see above), I don't think that Australia would be on the list, or perhaps it would be a Dutch uniform, as the dutch were very interested in the area and it was only a matter of time - who got there first. Phillip was the first Governor of New South Wales, lead the first colonisation of Australia and founded the city of Sydney.
Quite a difficult commission this as we had to work to a mannequin - without having access to it - which made things rather strange, as most mannequins don't have normal human standard sizes! There are bumps where there shouldn't be - and 'bits' missing where there should! You also have to build differently as you don't need 'ease', but you do want it to look good in the decided 'stance'. Research was also intensive, there being no extant 'Admirals undress uniform 1814' to work from.
Must go, got to answer an e-mail from Berlin!

Shades & Tones

2009-04-30T15:26:00.006+01:00

It is really difficult to describe a shade. Let's take these 'stays'. Teal? Petrol? Powder? Bright? Baby? All these descriptions are subjective and it depends on which part you are looking at! I've worked with colour for roughly thirty years and I still wouldn't count on trying to memorize one. A picture would help - but even that has its limitations as printers still have difficulty duplicating shades and printing onto different mediums. Computer monitors are even worse at portraying what you want to show, using CYMK, RGB, etc is O.K, but when different monitors are not set the same, you are back to square one. Where you put things, ( RED or BLUE), can make it even worse!
In the past, 'Rich' colours meant exactly what it said. You were wealthy enough to have the cloth put twice through the dye bath OR had enough to afford expensive dyes. Presuming, of course, that you could ignore 'sumptuary laws', which were enforced in certain periods of history. What we call 'Sad' shades were worn by the poorer sections of society and were usually duller and more easily available from local sources. How people went on the past with dyes, pigments and paint is still a subject of much debate, conjecture and experimentation. I tell you all this because Jorge has revived his blog on medieval colour & painting here. and his web album is here. Both, well worth a visit.
His lovely work, I think, helps to prove that the world in past times wasn't quite as dull as some people imagine.

The Devil is in the Detail......

2009-04-28T10:31:00.005+01:00

I saw a good sign yesterday outside a shop. It read 'Nearly Organic Rhubarb', which had me quite confused. It was almost as good as one I saw some time ago which said 'Crocuses - Last Week!'
It is so easy to get it wrong, to make signs confusing - and at worst misleading. We spend a lot of time trying to get the text on our website right and it bothers us if anyone misreads it. It makes us spend a lot of time checking the wording and saying to ourselves "O.K, what's it not saying that it should"? or "What's it saying that could be misinterpreted?"
Try these:-
95th Rifleman officers Dolman, rifle green cloth, black worsted braid, and silver metal buttons, made in your size, and using the standard frogging, lined with black cotton.
Seems to be O.K? We see a lot like this and for the price, they can be fairly good. What's it not saying? Well I don't see any interlining, which may cause the weight of the buttons/braid to drag down. How much braid? Is it wool? What's 'standard frogging' anyway? How many buttons? Are they Ball, Half ball or flat? Where are the velvet collar and cuffs? Any Austrian knots? We call this sort of thing 'Weasel words' - because if you ask for it made properly, the price suddenly doubles!
Here's an alternative;-
Made from the finest grade, Rifle Green, melton wool, it is interlined internally to support the extravagant amount of wool worsted russia braid and 80 silver plated, ball buttons. The collar and cuffs are of black velvet. Braided round shoulders. Bespoke made. Austrian knots to side back. Braided all round hem, cuffs and front of collar. Lined in good quality linen. Buttons embedded into main cloth.
This actually goes too far the other way. If someone is very short, or young, the chances are that 80 buttons won't be used as the braiding would be too close together. But which one would you read? Which one would you want? In the past, I have ordered things that were what I wanted them to be - not what was on offer. The Devil is in the detail. What I can say is that here you get what you ask for. We go the extra mile, (that's 1.609343994 kilometres), to get it right!

BTW. The above is just an example. The only misreading we've had lately, was on shoe buckles!

For that Windy Old Weather.....

2009-04-23T11:15:00.015+01:00

CALASH
Dictionary: ca·lash (kə-lăsh') pronunciation also ca·lèche (-lĕsh')n.
1. A light carriage with two or four low wheels and a collapsible top.
2. A top for this or a similar carriage.
3. A woman's folding bonnet of the late 18th century.
[French calèche, from German Kalesche, from Czech kolesa, from pl. of kolo, koles-, wheel, from Old Church Slavonic.]

As you can tell from the pictures it's not a light carriage with four wheels and a collapsible top but it WAS named after this.
The bow at the top front unties and forms 2 strings which the lady would hold onto to pull the hat forward and keep it in place in windy weather. This one has been reproduced from a late 18th C original found in America and is entirely hand made. The outer is made from silk taffeta and is drawn over canes to form the ridges. The inside is lined with white twill silk. I'd also have a slight quibble with the dates as the Calash went out of use about 1830, making it an 18th AND 19th Century bonnet. This makes it a problem where to put it in the web albums. The solution we normally take is to place it in the album where it makes its first appearance, so you'll find this in 'Various(1700-1820)'. There are now 25 Albums and it's becoming a bit of a drag to keep splitting them up to make them faster at downloading. Nevertheless, it is giving us a good reference file (!) and if we weren't so successful, I suppose it wouldn't be a problem....
Come to think of it - I'd rather have the problem!

Not a Standard Tabard!..

2009-04-07T09:30:00.017+01:00

Heralds Tabard (Child size)

We've just completed a tiny order for Kensington Palace in London. I say a tiny order because it was only 15" across and made for a six/seven year old, though it certainly took some time to complete.
When I first saw the photos of the original, I thought it was a bit odd and the lions on it were not the sleek lion/leopard beasts that you're used to seeing on Royal Standards and Tabards, but more like 'pug dogs' with a mane! The Irish harp was also very different to the normal interpretation. Never the less, we were requested to copy the original and we did - after requesting 'flat' photos to take away perspective issues.
Then there were the scaling problems to overcome. Getting a Lion Rampant to fit in a 3" space and still look like same and NOT like a red blob is not an easy task.
It was completed with a mixed technique of applique and embroidery on to quartered silk panels and took over a quarter of a million stitches. Someone in the office said that one of the panels should be bright red. "Why?" we asked innocently. "Because it has a quarter of vermillion stitches"! Groans - and a quick exit!
Anyway click on the picture to see more photos.

When was the original made? Well, it's not that clear. Gini has suggested about 1900, due to the sewing techniques. What was it for? They didn't have educational 'try-on' then. Perhaps Royal children played 'Heralds and Pursuivants' instead of 'Cowboys and Indians'?

Fashion shows.....

2009-03-22T15:15:00.007Z

It's that time of year again and T.O.R.M crept up on us, well, like an express train! The fashion show with it's theme of "Noble Passions" went very well indeed. Our thanks go out to all those makers, models and backroom staff involved. (The next theme will be "A Night at the Movies").
The highlight for me was the 5 minute improvised argument between The Empress of Austria and The Czarina of Russia played respectively by Sue Lee and Alison Ryder-Hill of U.K Freeforms. Ladies you have my respect and admiration - for an hilarious and consummate performance.
Unfortunately, we don't have photos of the Sunday show but the Saturday show is below- and thanks to Ina Martin for the Photos.

Fashion Show March 2009

Cloning the clothing....

2009-02-27T14:11:00.005Z

On occasion we are asked to replicate something that has been lost, damaged or God forbid, stolen. If the damage is light, we can usually discern its materials, manufacture and processes and do a good job on duplication. It becomes a little more problematic when the original item is not there to copy and you end up with a sort of 'identikit' picture of what you are trying to do - never an ideal solution.
So, (and I will say this only once)! If you have an item that you love, PHOTOGRAPH IT! and I don't just mean a picture of you dancing with someone else, at a distance, where the only relevant piece that can be seen is a shoulder. I mean the whole thing, front, back and sides. sleeves, linings, facings, embroidery, stitch lines, buttons and fastenings, notions - and then do it again in close-up! It would also help if you can identify any of the materials used, in other words, make notes of sizes and sketches. It will also help any insurance claims!
Another point. We like watching things like the Antiques Roadshow, (one of the few programmes that hasn't suffered from the 'dumbing down syndrome' and interminable advert breaks)! We do spot the odd uniform or similar and we are struck by the fact that the experts, even for insurance valuation, consistently undervalue them. Lets take one example. If a 95th Rifle officers Dolmen came up, (and it won't - shame!) the material costs alone would not be covered by the valuation. 45 metres of Russia braid, 80 odd silver plated ball buttons, wool good enough to carry the weight of all that. Linings, facings etc.- and going by past performance I suspect the valuation they would give to be about £450.00. So check your insurance!- and get out that camera!

Quotations and Enquiries

2009-02-10T15:14:00.002Z

This month has been quite a busy one on the enquiries front and we've had many interesting items to quote for including 'strapwork' (making the body of material from interwoven and crossed flat tubes of material or leather) and very complicated embroidery and applique items. Tudor and Victorian outfits do tend to be high on the agenda, which, I suppose, reflects the power of the national curriculum.
It seems that organisations are now looking to spend on fewer, higher quality items that will stand the rigours of heavy use, instead of having to replace them annually. We can only applaud their foresight!

Gone for a Soldier...

2009-01-25T13:23:00.007Z

Quite a difficult project this, as Nikolaus wanted to portray the 37th Regiment of Foot (North Hampshire Regiment), as at the Battle of Long Island in 1776. We normally give a little extra time on uniform to enable us to research properly, but in this case, we had a very short lead time, so it's was all hands to the libraries!

British Soldier (37th Regiment) 1776

We had our work cut out on this one! We have given it it's own album. (Click on the picture) and you'll see most of the process of dressing. We've also added a few Comments by Cuthbertson - who really knew what he was talking about!
Now the Uniform, and Nikolaus, are on their way to Singapore, so Nikolaus can take up a new job there. Good Luck, Nick.

BTW. Do you approve of the Colour change on this site?

Layouts & Dressing

2009-01-14T17:50:00.007Z

Tudor Dress

It seems a few educational establishments are using the 'Tudor Dress' album as a resource, to show the stages in the way an early Tudor lady was dressed. There are very few things on the net that show this.
Dressing & layouts has been on my mind a lot lately and we're making changes to the website. The first one being that we've given 'Music' it's own sites. If you're interested, the music workshops are here and the ceilidhe band is here .
This is going to give us more space to show you what you want to see.

A Nice Warm Coat...

2009-01-08T14:46:00.007Z

I really can't believe that it's been six weeks since I last posted on here! The time has just flown.
First there was the 'Christmas rush' and trying to get all the orders out on time. These included a new outfit for Mr White who was appearing in a 'Dickens' production over Christmas - at Williamsburg! We made him a nice warm outfit as it normally snows in Virginia at this time of year, unfortunately the weather had other ideas - and delivered 70 degrees of warm sunshine!
Then I came down with flu' and recovered just in time for us to fly to Spain for the holidays.
Now in the campo (countryside) it has cold nights but in the daytime reached about 20, which was very comfortable. -A little better than an outdoor event I did in Peterborough, in November, where it was minus 6!

Now back in Britain where the new year spreads before us like virgin snow, or should that be Virginia snow?

Blood, Guts and Gores

2008-11-26T10:24:00.001Z

I've been toying with the idea of adding videos to this blog, or another suitable host. I have but one problem, what would you like to see? Each period seems to have it's own bugbear. On the living history forum here in the U.K, the thing that gets medievalists 'punching the wall' , is the problem of inlaying gores into skirts. For E.C.W. the thing that makes you furious, seems to be tassets. The 18th C 'quandaries of note' are Frock coat tails and stays. A lot of people tell us that they have project that is stalled for the lack of someone to say "try doing this or that". Well here's your chance, to save your sanity! How about a video on measuring to fit? Toiling? What would you like to see? Or, more relevantly, what would be useful?

Lethal Beauty

2008-11-17T19:06:00.007Z

The fashion shows at T.O.R.M were a great success. We were trying to get away from the 'same old, same old' format and instead, concentrated on characters from history. The theme this time was 'Lethal Beauty' bringing in, among others, Elizabeth Woodville, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Caravaggio, Lady Ferrars, Dick Turpin, Black Bart, Anne Bonney and Mary Anne Cotton. A lethal collection indeed! The picture shows Rachel from Tamworth Castle trying on her new Medieval Hennin - after her appearance as Typhoid Mary!
The show finished with a WWI soldier going through the actions of the poem 'The Naming of Parts" by Henry Reed. He then presented arms while the 'Last Post' was played. Very moving.
How many people does it take to put on a fashion show? The answer is LOTS - and we'd like to thank every single one of them.

Portrait of a Black Knight

2008-10-24T12:42:00.009+01:00

Splitting the web albums wasn't that successful as there were still too many shots in the 1700-1920's one, making it a devil to load! So I've done it again, splitting that in to two and making a new album for Victorian and Edwardian - All the albums are here. Ten of costume.

We've also had a couple of good shots sent us, John White provided three pics of his Henry VIII clothing in action
Ian Pycroft of "Black Knight Historical" also sent us the picture shown, wearing his new 18th C. outfit for the first time. He was also kind enough to say that he "Received many compliments - it was worn with much grinning and that he felt like a millionaire..".
Ian runs a lot of Historical events, normally in the East of England. His last event at Mannington was said by someone to be "the best multi-period show ever". Shame we missed it. Still, if you're in the area, Ian is running the Historic Christmas Fair in the cloisters of Norwich Cathedral 12-14th December.

Pictures & Dynasties

2008-10-06T11:03:00.007+01:00

Various (1700-1820)

It is generally accepted that the medieval period finished at 1485 and this was the start of the Tudor dynasty. It is not so easy to do so in historic 'fashion', as people did not throw away all their clothes just because there was a new king on the throne!
A long time ago we decided to split the time periods like this in our slideshow and so far it's worked reasonably well, except for those customers who are on the cusp of changing periods.
I mention this as I've had to split one of the web albums into two as it was just taking too long to load. Now we have 9 albums that may be of interest to 'the costume conscious' . If you would like to see them all go here.
The pictures will take you to the one I've split. Previously called 'Various', they are now called Various(1000-1700) and Various (1700-1920's).We hope you like them.

Various (1000-1700)

Tudor Royalty

2008-09-24T11:08:00.014+01:00

Elizabeth I

It does seem to be Tudor month here at Chimera, and Tudor Royalty at that. First we had Henry VIII for Mr. White, made from the customers' own materials - with two pairs of breeches, one with codpiece and one without, for audiences of a 'nervous disposition'-or schools! John is a consummate performer and with the anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne next year, we think he will be very busy.Three weeks in production,this outfit!
Next, a costume inspired by the portrait of Mrs. Elizabeth Buxton, in Norwich museum. The outfit consists of ten pieces, chemise, bumroll, stays, (see 'Tudor Bodies' posting) wheel, petticoat, skirt, bodice, Embroidered stomacher, ruff and supportass.This one took one month to complete!
Kirsty does look very regal - and very like Elizabeth I.

King Henry VIII

Leading Characters

2008-09-16T13:38:00.013+01:00

The theme for the fashion show at T.O.R.M this year is 'Lethal Beauty'- in all it's aspects - from dangerous people to weapons and even to make-up. As you will probably know the 'white face' make-up used for hundreds of years contained copious amounts of lead which lead (forgive the pun!), to skin diseases and even worse. One of the best methods of duplicating the 'white face' effect is to use Titanium dioxide and talc. It is best to avoid modern cosmetics as a) They don't give the right 'look' and b) although they won't kill you, they will cost you an arm and a leg!
I must admit I find the only people with white faces that really annoy me are clowns!
If you go to T.O.R.M this year expect to meet up with Henry VIII -and possibly 'Good Queen Bess'
Leading characters if ever there was.

Trades and Guildworkers

2008-08-28T15:04:00.014+01:00

A couple of posts ago, I showed you a picture of 'Tudor paned hose" in the process of being made. Originally, a lot of different craftspeople/ guildworkers would have been involved in the making process of certain items. At various periods, Silk workers, Dyers, Weavers, Voiderers, Clothworkers, Fullers, Broiderers, Tailors, Gold smiths, Leatherworkers, Girdlers, Buttonmakers, Hosiers, Hatters, Cappers, Milliners, Lacemakers, Narroware makers, Cordwainers and Ruff makers could all be part of the workforce to put together a single outfit - and what each did changed over the centuries. There are still small numbers of people carrying out these very specialised skills. Nowadays, it is more likely that you'd buy your shoes and belt from elsewhere and your tailors' role has magnified to absorb all those skills that are less available. Traditionally the tailor worked solely for men and the ladies were garbed by competent seamstresses - again, this has changed and most tailors, historical or contemporary, will undertake commissions for either gender. Indeed your tailor may not be a man!
The picture shows the final finished hose - and thanks to the invisible man for modelling them for us!

Rifleman Harris

2008-08-27T10:44:00.017+01:00

We just got back from the Military Odyssey at Detling in Kent. Lots of visitors came to the stand and we had quite a few people collecting finished items including that wonderful actor Jason Salkey and his wife.
Jason was in the cast of 'The Memphis Belle' & 'The Turn of the Screw', but you'll probably remember him better as 'Rifleman Harris' in the Sharpe series. Jason sells a series of marvellous DVDs covering the making of the shows. If you're interested in 'Sharpe', or an hilarious look 'behind the scenes', I highly recommend them.
Anyway, we'd made a new shirt for Jason and he was kind enough to give us an autographed photo saying "as good as the original!".
Gini spent a while repairing his rifle jacket, so the sleeves are now reattached to the body -and it fits over his new shirt nicely.
Sometimes it's not the glamorous items that put the smile on someone's face but it's the simple things - like a new shirt.

Dressmaking & Tailoring.......

2008-08-20T09:59:00.007+01:00

I was having on of those moments, as you do, thinking about the words 'dressmaker', 'tailor','corset maker','costumier'etc., I do feel that these don't adequately describe what is sometimes involved in the production of a garment. A Victorian corsetier, in modern parlance, would probably be a 'textile stress engineer and constructor'- and I don't use the word 'engineer' lightly. Making various textiles and other materials work together, in the right way, in the right size, giving the right look, the right feel, giving the right impression and the right wear is engineering. - And precision engineering at that. The Tudor paned hose in the photo are a good example. Getting all the panes to hang in the correct place and manner isn't for the fainthearted. So, would 'Structural Textile Engineer' cover all the bases.. Well no, because that leaves out the design aspect..........
I was brought back to earth when Gini said "I'm just going upstairs to wrestle with a ten pound embroidered octopus......"

A Groom with a View......

2008-08-07T14:03:00.009+01:00

I was told yesterday that my previous post was leaving out that poor disregarded person at weddings 'The Groom'. O.K, let's put that right...
You and your bride have agreed on a wedding with a difference - Great, the photographs will never look 'out of date', for a start! Now you're either experienced at this 'dressing up' or you aren't. If you are, you probably know what you want, - if you aren't, you are probably very close to someone who does know what you want! The main thing is relax, this journey can be fun. Once you have your 'theme' sorted, the main question is - are all your guests going to be costumed, or just the main wedding party? Hint- the more are costumed, the more your guests feel 'involved' and the more memorable your wedding becomes.
The picture shows Christian in his 'posh tudor' actually, not at his wedding , but at ours! We had a multi-period wedding where most of the guests were Re-enactors, Interpreters, Historians, Authors, Archaeologists, Musicians etc., so we settled on a wedding that let them all pick their favourite period. No-one let us down and didn't come in costume, but the fact that we were being filmed for T.V could have helped! (The one chap we were worried about, got really into it and spent all day doing '1st person')! So don't worry. Try and get everything in place for your guests to enjoy themselves, then leave them to it. Any glitches are the long suffering Best man's problem. The day is for you and your bride.
Still think you can't come up with an outfit?
You mean that there are grooms out there who don't want to be Mr Darcy???.......

Brides & Weddings

2008-08-05T12:40:00.010+01:00

We are regularly asked to create bridal wear, historical and contemporary. In our experience, some Brides know exactly what they want down to the last spangle*, because it is the dress they've dreamed of since childhood. Others, though, can need some help with the creative process and this can only begin with information - and plenty of it! If you need information, then the most obvious way to get it is to ask and thus the process begins with an informal 'getting to know you' conversation, where Gini may often be heard to ask some pretty strange questions, that may seem have nothing whatsoever to do with wedding dresses……..
Before a bride comes to the first consultation, we ask her to put together a storyboard. This can take the form of a book, a large folder - in fact, it can be as creative as you like and should be visual. Collect images and items that appeal to you - a piece of cloth, an autumn leaf, pictures of landscapes, cars, colours that express mood. And of course pictures of dresses you like from magazines, weblinks…….you get the picture, but more to the point, this helps Gini to get a visual feeling about who you are and what you like. We keep the storyboard from our own wedding on permanent display in sewing room - covering Bride, Groom, Best Man, Bridesmaid & Pageboy.
At a first meeting, a good designer will assess your size and take a really good look at you from all angles [don't forget, your guests will spend a fair bit of time looking at the back of you too!]. They will be able to advise on colours and styles that will suit you and play up to your best features whilst drawing the eye away from any areas that you don't like - and we all have at least one of those! That's really what it's all about, you see…..Finding THE dress for YOUR day. Whether you are choosing an authentic period style, an historically influenced style or a contemporary style, the day is ultimately about Romance and adding those little extra touches which will make you feel so special and your day a dream come true.
* (Spangle -A sequin of our forebears )

Carriage and Stature.......

2008-07-29T11:04:00.005+01:00

An actor once said "It's only when I first put on the costume that the character comes together". We know exactly what he meant. Each period and different status that you wear informs your carriage, mannerisms and abilities. Male, 15th Century wear fits close all over. Tudor paned hose seem very loose, although with a girdlestead, all the weight is carried on the shoulders. The weight of the back pleats in an 18th C. Frock coat forces you to lean back and give the 'pigeon chest', so reminiscent of the period. Victorian gents' clothing just makes you stand upright! The addition of wigs, (no, you can't bend down) Canes, (Learning to bow, with a cane, in the different periods deserves an article on its own!) Kerchiefs, Hats, gloves and other sundries all help the character come to life. Spending a little time on these is well worth the investment. The photo was taken at the 'Festival of History', where we met lots of nice people, including Gina B
who has featured on here before - and there's a lady that likes 'fine details'!

Temporal Fugue

2008-07-13T11:13:00.008+01:00

If we were a contemporary tailor, or if we specialised in one small section of history, it would never happen. Clients would just say "I need a new outfit (or in the latest case 35 outfits!), in wool, dull colours". and that would be it. No problem, sorted.

Ah, would that it were. It normally happens late on a Sunday afternoon at shows, when you've seen a few hundred people in 'civvies', or when you've been concentrating on a particularly difficult project for hours. The truis in the picture, for example. Then it happens. You can almost see it coming..

1st Customer "Hi, I'm after a Victorian Gents' outfit".
" Yes Sir, which date in particular?"........(and it's starting)
2nd Customer " Hello, have you any Elizabethan Ruffs?"...
" Of course Sir, plain, figure of eight, lace?".....(definitely on the way)
3rd Customer " Good afternoon, I'm re-enacting the Battle of Neringapatam".
"Err....... "(Temporal Fugue achieved!)

Just for a couple of seconds it kicks in. The Temporal fugue...which is the utter inability to remember dates, whole periods of History or even your own name.

So if you ever contact or meet us, give us a couple of seconds for our brain to 'get in gear'. You may just be witnessing a 'displacement'. It doesn't happen all the time, promise! ;-)
By the way, Neringapatam was a Naval battle off India in 1858, but I knew that, - didn't - I?.....

Regency

2008-06-13T17:12:00.010+01:00

We have here Mr.John White of "Select Society" collecting his new Regency outfit. The first shot is of the silk waistcoat.Lined and backed with silk. The horizontal stripe (at this date), usually shows that the clothes are being worn as'livery'.

With the coat added, the 'character building' seems to be progressing! The coat is a copy of one in the Victoria & Albert Museum, made by the same methods.

It is rather apt that that the coat is a V.& A. copy, as it was due to make an appearance there 6 hours later!

I'm sure you'll agree, very stylish!

New Team Member

2008-06-13T15:08:00.003+01:00

Things have been so busy here, that it's been a while since I managed to post. So first of all, let me introduce you to our new team member, Ms Fiona Dowler B.A.. Fiona, although young, (well by the standards of the rest of us here..!), has an honours degree in woven textile design and is an award winning designer, as well as being an experienced art & design teacher. Most importantly, Gini has said that she has a 'fine hand' at sewing.
Seen working here on a tudor kirtle for Loseley Hall, Fiona has a lot of talent and we hope that she will enjoy working with us.

Tudor 'Bodies'......

2008-03-21T09:41:00.012Z

There a lots of pictures on here of things that that have been finished. So I thought, for a change, I'd show you something that has hardly been started! The commission is for a high status Elizabethan and the portrait chosen is one in the Norwich Castle museum & Art gallery of Elizabeth Buxton, by Robert Peake, dated 1588-90. As in nearly all periods, you have to build from the inside out, starting in this instance with shift, 'pair of bodies' and wheel. Over this you build the toile (a canvas 'mock -up')
and then you are actually ready to commence on the gown!

The design for the bodies was taken from the 'effigy' pair in Westminster Abbey (dated 1603),well there are only a few extant samples available to choose from!

The last picture shows the toile in place and it fits well! Now we just have to plan the embroidery, execute it - and make the gown!

Fashion Shows...

2008-03-17T12:19:00.009Z

Wow,what a busy time we had at 'The Original Re-enactors Market' last weekend. This was on top of Gini being asked to produce the fashion show - at very short notice! Visitors from all over the E.U, Canada, America and even New Zealand attended. The theme at this show was 'Costume and the Media' bringing in items from Film and T.V etc., and hopefully, a good time was had by all.

The pictures show Lynne Osbourne, wearing her 'Regency' pelisse and bonnet,just before her 'exit'. The pelisse has a couple of 'secrets' one being that the skirts can be removed leaving a 'spencer jacket' for warmer weather! The other is that the jacket actually closes with hooks & eyes - not 'frogs'.

The next Fashion show, in the Autumn, is on the theme of "Lethal Beauty", so I am expecting to see Lucretia Borgia or Mata Hari perhaps?

A Portmanteau Gown.....

2008-02-17T16:14:00.004Z

For a certain part she's playing, Sue needed to look 'outrageous and over the top '.
The discussion began with Sue saying "Well, there's that super purple one in the V&A publication , 19th Century Fashion in Detail" and Gini replied "Yes. And then of course, there's that fabulous magenta pink ensemble by Madame Vignon, 1870".

And so the dye was cast. Much "Oh Yes!" and "we could do this and that" later, a design was agreed on. Certain details from the original were kept, other details were added in [as if it wasn't OTT enough to begin with!].

Over 130 hours in production, including over 83 feet of scalloping and 80 feet of 'box' pleating! The materials used were fushia pink silk taffeta, black taffeta, fushia pink crepe backed satin and black chantilly lace. Each part of the outfit is lined with white twilled silk.

It has now been collected along with its' rather weighty technical instruction manual -'Fit tab A into slit B' etc!
Why? She also needed to be able to convert her outfit to fit any date from 1860 - 1900. And to be able to customise it to wear it for any time of day , from morning, to promenading, afternoon tea and ball gown. A tall order and not quite possible, given the evolving shapes through that period, but we managed to satisfy most by:-

* creating a skirt that can be worn over an 1860's crinoline looking fairly plain, worn with the day bodice
* Add in the lace overskirt, change to the evening bodice and it becomes full evening gown.
* Change the crinoline for a 'bustle' petticoat, pull up the hidden drawstrings within and it changes to 1880.
* Add the scallop frilled apron and tailed bustle pad it becomes a day dress
* Release draw strings and it develops a 'train'
* Change the bustle to a frilled 1890's petticoat, let out the drawstring, pull in the back ties underneath and it becomes 1890 evening gown.
* There are many more permutations - discussions are already in hand as to the adding of other bodices and accessories for 'other looks'!

We normally call this a portmanteau gown, but with the sheer amount of frills & 'Frockage' (Sues' word), I suspect it will take a couple of suitcases...........

These photos were taken at a 'try-on' so no wig, no tiara and the wrong corset, but I'll replace them soon as hopefully, we're getting proper pics done next week.

Finest detail......

2008-01-22T13:52:00.000Z

We do have our favourite historical films here, things like "Dangerous Liaisons", "Restoration" and "Master and Commander"- the costuming in these is excellent.Unfortunately, Television is mostly at the other end of the scale, with a few notable exceptions lately.
With the introduction of HD television, will a higher standard of costuming be found on the worlds' T.V.screens? In the past, most costumes dramas had a certain leeway in as much as you couldn't see the 'fine detail' and it was only a problem to those like Gini who could spot a machined cuff at a hundred paces or even the hidden bits like "she's wearing the wrong period corset under that dress"!(and speaking of hidden bits - the photo is of Alices' petticoats). Hopefully, in the future, more care will be taken with costume and other details on T.V and while I've no problem with 'entertainment' as such, if you're in education, educate.

With all the trimmings.....

2008-01-15T14:49:00.000Z

'With all the trimmings' seems to have carried on since Christmas dinner all the way through January, with Victorian and regency gowns taking up a lot of this months production. Gini will often try and work a new piece or new designs just for fun and you can almost guarantee that they will be requested within a year, which is what happened with these trimming sample techniques - they are now being applied to this 1880's Victorian gown.(Isn't it a glorious colour)? We are also producing a shocking pink 'portmanteau gown' for the same event at the end of the month and by this time we also have to complete 4 Regency outfits,1 childs' christening robe and various petticoats and underpinnings. Doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself?....

Fashion roundabout

2007-12-14T11:08:00.000Z

Fashion is cyclic. There are very few things out there that haven't been around before and come back into season. The probable exceptions are 'Ruffs' and leg warmers! Even the engineered jeans that were around a while ago, (You remember, the seams wrapped around the legs)? - these were almost a straight copy of saxon 'trews'. Though it's not our business to project future trends in modern fashion, it is quite easy to do. Some trend appears, it tends toward its extreme, then disappears. The mini skirt is a good example of this. The difficulty is that you cannot predict what we call 'design point breakthrough' - which doesn't necessarily appear on the catwalk. I wonder if this scenario actually happened?
"The last delivery from China of 200,000 pairs of jeans have all got the wrong size labels in, Mr Makuza"! "Nonsense lad, they're just err, um, aah, OVERSIZED jeans, new design and all that, Yes, that's what they are"!

Someone once said "Fashion is where you love something today that you didn't like yesterday - and will hate tomorrow"! and one thing is certain, fashions may go round and round - but true style goes on forever.

Local Resources

2007-12-01T12:33:00.000Z

It strikes me that wherever we live, we ignore local attractions. They slip to the back of our minds and though we make special trips to the Victoria and Albert Museum or similar, we forget local resources. This week we spent a whole day at Tamworth Castle measuring the interpreters for new costume. Kirsty Sherwood and her team are doing a brilliant job at raising the standards and the castles' overall profile. They came in at 4th place in the 'UKTV Historys'' poll of Best Historical Sites and have won prestigious 'Tourist Board' and other awards.
Now, we must have visited the castle about half-a dozen times and still have never had time to actually explore. This time I made a concerted effort and spent a hour looking round this wonderful, though compact site. I was stunned by the artefacts I found and now have a research list for future projects.
I remember Gini once finding a victorian gown at Cusworth Hall with unusual features,which just goes to show. So, A new years resolution for us all in this 'searching-for-knowledge' industry should be, go and see!

Patterns of the past......

2007-11-20T13:33:00.000Z

Some people are amazed when they learn that we keep peoples' bespoke patterns forever. Like any good tailor we are able to put our hands on patterns that were made when we first started in the business. We have patterns and toiles all neatly filed away, awaiting the time they are needed. But doesn't the body change over time? Well, yes but it's easier starting from a previous pattern than 'from scratch'. The patterns also act as an educational tool, as research grows and is updated, so we can look back at the old patterns and see if they can be improved.
At the moment we are looking for a new member of staff to join our team and I can guess that a lot of the candidates will say "I learned from my Grandmother/mother/auntie".
Which is always a good start, but the question then arises - and how good was Grandma?
Was she really good enough to replicate the stitching on Queen Victorias' underwear, (which were 32 stitches to the inch)! just a 'home repairer' or somewhere in between?
With patterns and people, I reckon, you have to look back, to look forward!

Braids And Notions

2007-11-15T13:38:00.000Z

In the 'How authentic' post on here, there's a comment by Gina B who can also be found on the Soper lane forum. We have great respect for these people, who do great research and make narrow wares,notions, passimentarie, buttons etc..At the moment we make most of our own notions - but I can foresee a time...
Getting the right fittings for any costume can be a nightmare, indeed, we received an order of some regimental buttons from a supplier 'across the water'. There's still an echo from the resounding thump as they hit the waste bin! Proper research and manufacture are very important to us. Finding a good Napoleonic button foundry would be heaven!

Talking of research,at the weekend we spent a lot of time with Dave and Miranda from 'House de Clifford' who were discussing the lack of fur on most later period costume. The addition of 'Verre' or 'Minniver', might just solve some of the grey squirrel problem round here!

What to wear?........

2007-11-12T12:48:00.000Z

We had a phenomenal exhibition at T.O.R.M , the enquiries and orders came thick and fast including large commissions from Nantwich Museum and Hampton Court. We also met up with customers old and new and many posters from the living history forum -which is a good resource for those interested in history and related subjects. It was great to meet all of you .
I love multi-period events, the only problem is what period to dress in! If you dress mediaeval, do customers think that you only make for that period or that is your specialism? We, in the end, plumped for Georgian, this time- a good wool suit, high topped wig etc ., for me and Gini in her new dress. I did have to keep the moustache (and thereby look 'french' influenced), but the rest of the bookings I have before Christmas are all for Victorian 'gentleman'!

In the frame...

2007-11-02T12:40:00.000Z

Last week, we have mostly been making stock - but did manage to turn out a redworked, shirt much like this one. A braided tudor doublet with hand made buttons like this , 2 parletts (Georgian) and 2 Regency ball gowns. Err.. no photos. There's the rub. When you're in a hurry and have a deadline to meet you always seem to miss out on the photographs. This means that some of our best production never ends up on the web site. Which is a shame. So if you have any decent photos of any of our outfits please send or mail us a copy. If you're e-mailing, high resolution, 'pretty please'!
I mean, we don't even have any quality pictures of this one for heavens' sake - made a few years ago and at todays prices would cost in the region of £15,000(!), if it was fully hand made again - although there was a nice article on it in 'Revival' magazine a few years ago. Talking of re-enactment magazines, we are told that there will be an article on the Williamsburg wedding in the November issue of Skirmish, which is nice. Newsflash- it may also appear in the Mail 'Weekender' magazine at some point.

Measure for measure

2007-10-26T14:42:00.000+01:00

Sorry I've not had chance to post lately but we've been snowed under with enquiries - almost as many as the beginning of the season. We always work on the first come, first served basis and perhaps people are trying to get in the queue before we go to T.O.R.M on the 9-11th October. Sales at this show usually extends our delivery dates by a few months for bespoke items. If you've never been to this event, it's well worth a visit, imagine about 100 traders selling costumes and artefacts for all periods of history. To see everything properly it will take you all day to get round, but it's THE place for unusual Christmas presents!
I think that everybody in the historical industry, who is any good, always has a healthy order book which means forward delivery to our customers. (The same doesn't apply to 'off the peg' ranges of course, which we can usually deliver within 14 days). So a little forward planning can save you a lot of problems. As an example we have weddings booked where the production time and schedules are planned over 2 years ahead! If you have a target deadline for your particular event or exhibition, let your supplier know!
But just to get back to T.O.R.M for a second. When you are measured for clothing, your tailor needs to concentrate and it doesn't help if there are twenty people interrupting with "Have you got a?.." or "Can I just take this?....". Help us to help you. If you need to be measured, try and come Sunday morning, when the throng isn't so great and we can give you the time, and the fit, you deserve

How authentic is 'authentic'?

2007-10-18T23:34:00.000+01:00

You could start with wool from the right type of sheep, (or the right flax),
Spin & dye using the correct methods, dyes & mordants, weave using
the right loom, weave, thread count and pattern, cut using the right snips
or shears. Make up using the right patterns, linings, stitches and thread,
right types of fastenings, braids, notions. Used all the research available.

But how authentic is it?

Let's presume for a second that you are copying an extant garment.
Has the colour faded? Who wore it? What for? Was it for every day wear or something special? Has it been adapted to change it's size or style since first being made?
All valid questions. I am sure that you'll agree.

And what do you call your copy?
Facsimile, reproduction, replica or reconstruction? The picture on the left, (Based on the Wedding dress of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon) has only 17,000 pearls & glass beads instead of the originals 24,000+ , so we don't call it a copy. We say 'Based on'.

And if the size being made is different from the original, it's not
really a copy anymore - is it?

Most people ordering garments from a tailor are not going to go the
'authentic as possible' route, unless it's for Museum or educational study.
It really is an expensive way to go.But when does compromise go too far? The answer really, is in your court.We will make what you ask for, but fancy dress and 'McHalfords' Tartan car rugs worn by 18th C ' highlanders' is somewhere we won't go.
It's a good idea to do a little research yourself - and be careful of popular
myth.

As a friend of ours says,
There is more evidence of pirates with cross bows,
than pirates in 'Bucket top' boots!

Glamorous?.....

2007-10-17T12:31:00.000+01:00

At some shows, people will often come up to admiring the costumes and ask if they have seen us [or the costumes we produce] in this or that theatre
production, film or on TV. Then they will say "I wish I did what you do, it must be so glamorous!". Now, getting to bed at 11pm on the day before a show, having spent all day packing and finishing and then getting up again at 3 am to go to the show; or finding that whenever you look at the clock on the computer, it always seems to say 2.30am, just the date keeps changing..........[Oh no!I just looked up and it's 2.30 am again!]. No, it doesn't feel glamorous - or anywhere near it! But think about this for a moment.

The Chambers dictionary says this:-
Glamour. [noun]
1. The quality of being fascinatingly, if perhaps falsely, attractive
2. Great beauty or sexual charm, especially when created by make-up,
clothes, etc.
ETYMOLOGY: 18c Scots variant of gramarye, an older variant of grammar,meaning 'a spell', from the medieval association of magic with learning.

Now I suppose that what we do is fascinating, and perhaps some may consider it attractive but have a false impression of what is required, [though I do
know we wouldn't give it up!]. It is a given that in a lot of garments, we aim to add great beauty with clothes. Gini does seem to be under some kind of enchantment - I see the effects of that spell on her every time she walks into a fabric shop, mill or anywhere where there's haberdashery. Watching her in creative mode is as exciting and fascinating for me as it seems to be for our customers. When she's spell weaving, it looks like pure alchemy! I can almost hear her muttering under her breath "Take a length of this, the collar of that, the sleeve of this, that braid, this embroidery in that colour, that button. Add this cut of skirt to flatter and that colour to enhance the eyes............"

The Etymology works also, as Gini does use a lot of learning and
adds.........well, just a little magic!

Cutting your cloth...........

2007-10-16T17:03:00.000+01:00

Our cloaks are not inexpensive, but we were contacted lately by a nice chap from Companions of the forest who was raving about them.
At an all day event, where it rained constantly, he was the only one that
was dry.
What's that worth?

We could make our cloaks out of an inferior wool, not melton; we could use a less expensive lining to bring the price down - or none at all.
We won't. Clothes should work.

Years of experience bring, I think, a sort of 'check list', balancing
historical accuracy and currently available textiles, along with
consideration of the environment in which the garment will be worn -and
the customer who will be wearing it!
So what does all that mean?

In the past, we have had a variety of customers who brought cloth for us
to make up that was too heavy, giving for example, a coat which would have stood up on it's own. Another that gave us a silk that was too light, and needed mounting to another cloth to give it the right drape and make it less transparent. See through regency dress anyone? - I thought not!
Yet a third, with too short a running length of material when the one way design was factored in. The list goes on and on......
These all bring about substantial additional costs when having your
garments made.

Consideration should be given to the balance in weight, handle, colour and authenticity of linings & interlinings against the outer cloth.
Similarly, thought should be given to the finishing touches, such as buttons, braids, lace & trims etc.

If we are going to make up from customers' own cloth, we have to see
samples to make sure that it is suitable.
If you are going to supply the cloth, are you also going to provide
linings, interlinings, tapes, buttons, braid, lace etc etc?
Don't forget to add these into the mix.

So what I'm saying, I suppose, is use the experience and expertise of your costumier to give you the garment you need, one with a superior quality of make that is 'fit for purpose' and will last you for years.
Sometimes, that piece from the 'bargain bin' isn't such a bargain after all.

Scrooped?

2007-10-14T13:17:00.000+01:00

Sue, Jane & Janet, some clients/friends visited us yesterday to finalise the details of their dresses. (Victorian gorgeousness, if you want to know).

While they were deciding on various and arcane silks, Sue happened to mention that one had a lovely scroop, which stopped me dead in my tracks. Scroop? What's scroop?
"The crisp rustle of silk", explained Sue, in that everyday sort of a way she has.
I dashed for Websters' dictionary and there it was. Why didn't I know about this?
What a word! The Victorians thought the rustle of cambric and silk sensual and this word describes it wonderfully!
So don't be surprised in future, if you're asked - 'And what scroop level are you looking for'? or 'Are you bothered about scroop factors'?

Shoemakers' Children

2007-10-13T15:22:00.004+01:00

It's not very often that we have clothes to 'play' in and like the shoemakers children going barefoot, Gini & I are always last in line. Yes, I do have various outfits for 'living history' and am frequently employed as 15th C Medieaval, Tudor, ECW,Georgian, Napoleonic and Victorian - but I look on these as work clothes (it can very useful being married to a costumier!).
Now the outfit for the wedding was a completely different kettle of fish! Mine was made from a very expensive reproduction Blue shot* brown silk , provenanced at 1770. Made up to the pattern of a suit held in the Williamsburg archives. The outfit was completed with queued wig, Tricorn, frilled shirt and stock, embroidered stockings, walking cane, fob watch and the shoes were made by one of Britains' best cordwainers - Sarah Juniper. Who, come to think of it doesn't have any children.

Williamsburg Wedding

*Sorry, I can't remember the American term for a shot fabric - somebody remind me!

Ginis' outfit as in the picture on the right. She is wearing a Robe a la Francais, made from a superb embroidered silk embellished with frills of the same material, edged and decorated with gold braid. Worn underneath and therefore not seen, is a lace edged linen chemise, silk stays, pockets and hoops. Ginis' shoes were again made by Sarah Juniper.

To complete the look, she is wearing a wig, hand made embroidered mittens of silk, fine silk tucker, decorated hat and period jewelry.

An Odd Year

2007-10-11T14:50:00.001+01:00

It's been a strange year for us, everything from being up to our knees in water at the Berkely Castle debacle-in July (The less said about that the better)! - to outfitting and attending a 'Renewal of Vows' wedding ceremony at Colonial Willamsburg V.A. It was an honour to be invited and a privilege to attend.

What a great place Williamsburg is! We stayed at one of the Colonial Houses-The Chiswell Bucktrout house on Francis street -which was a piece of air conditioned heaven. The Wedding went off swimmingly in 18thC style and pictures are available here slides 10-18. I'll go into greater detail on the costumes on a later post. We still had the time to do plenty of research in the archives and with 'specialists' in various fields and I would like to thank them all for their hospitality, enthusiasm and help in some of the more esoteric queries we had!

It also gave us a chance to meet up with some existing and new clients and it was lovely to meet you all.
You know, working in the 'history industry' is something really special. O.K, we do grouse about ' various levels of authenticity' but, for the most part, the friendliest & most helpful people I've ever come across.
So here's to you - all of you.

Chimera costumes

2007-10-11T11:05:00.000+01:00

My wife Gini Newton, is an Historical costume specialist and we run a business supplying Museums, Educational authorities and Re-enactors with quality costume & artefacts.
Some of our customers and friends (and a lot are both)! have suggested that we start a blog to explain some of the finer detail.
So here is our first foray into the world of blogging and I hope you (and we), have fun!