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What makes it clothing versus a costume?
May. 13th, 2004 08:14 amI posted this on a mailing list, but thought I should post it here too.
The original question was something along the lines of "All the stuff I've made so far is costumes, how do I to making historical clothing?"
My response:
I've been thinking lately about "What makes it clothing versus a costume?", and this is what I've come up with.
- The design and its fit with your personality
I think a big part of what makes the difference is does this garment reflect who I am mundainly? Because try as we might, who we are out of persona or playing very much affects who we are during play. I could put on an Elizabethian embroidered from here to Sunday, but its not ME, so it would come off as a costume. But if I put on one of my German dresses, its simple yet pretty, functional, its ME mundainly.
Good questions to ask yourself are:
Am I a person who likes things elaborate or simple?
What are the period colors I look good in?
What are the period styles that fit my body shape?
What are the period styles that people in my income level and occupation would have worn?
-Fabric and materials
Fabric choice is of course a huge part of what makes the outfit. I've seen clothing that would have been stunning if it had been made out of silk, linen or wool, instead of the funky printed cotton that the person had chosen. Research what your persona would have worn in the season that you are making the outfit for, but also take local weather conditions into consideration. Heatstroke is not fun, neither is being sick because you got chilled
-Fit and comfort of the garment
Do you feel comfortable in the garment? Does it fit you? Are the undergarments right for the outfit? Do the shoulders fall off and drive you nuts? Does the neck fit or gape?
If the armholes are too tight or the front gaps or you can't walk across the field in it due to the train, you are going to feel like its a costume and not clothing.
My first priority when making clothing is "Can I live in this?" "Can I bend down and pick something up?" "Walk up and down stairs?" "Use the restroom?"
So I make the outfit in advance and wear it around the house and put it through its paces. If it doesn't work, then I take it apart and fix it.
-Proper headwear and accessories
I find that having the proper head covering is what takes the outfit from a costume into the clothing that puts me in the persona. I think little accessories like aprons, proper belts, bags or baskets make big differences.
Putting on my white linen veil over the unterhaube to make the steuchlein (German woman's headdress from the 1500's), tying on my apron and picking up my market basket are crucial things to making the clothing 'work' and take me from Marion into Sophia, German merchant's wife from Nurnberg.
The original question was something along the lines of "All the stuff I've made so far is costumes, how do I to making historical clothing?"
My response:
I've been thinking lately about "What makes it clothing versus a costume?", and this is what I've come up with.
- The design and its fit with your personality
I think a big part of what makes the difference is does this garment reflect who I am mundainly? Because try as we might, who we are out of persona or playing very much affects who we are during play. I could put on an Elizabethian embroidered from here to Sunday, but its not ME, so it would come off as a costume. But if I put on one of my German dresses, its simple yet pretty, functional, its ME mundainly.
Good questions to ask yourself are:
Am I a person who likes things elaborate or simple?
What are the period colors I look good in?
What are the period styles that fit my body shape?
What are the period styles that people in my income level and occupation would have worn?
-Fabric and materials
Fabric choice is of course a huge part of what makes the outfit. I've seen clothing that would have been stunning if it had been made out of silk, linen or wool, instead of the funky printed cotton that the person had chosen. Research what your persona would have worn in the season that you are making the outfit for, but also take local weather conditions into consideration. Heatstroke is not fun, neither is being sick because you got chilled
-Fit and comfort of the garment
Do you feel comfortable in the garment? Does it fit you? Are the undergarments right for the outfit? Do the shoulders fall off and drive you nuts? Does the neck fit or gape?
If the armholes are too tight or the front gaps or you can't walk across the field in it due to the train, you are going to feel like its a costume and not clothing.
My first priority when making clothing is "Can I live in this?" "Can I bend down and pick something up?" "Walk up and down stairs?" "Use the restroom?"
So I make the outfit in advance and wear it around the house and put it through its paces. If it doesn't work, then I take it apart and fix it.
-Proper headwear and accessories
I find that having the proper head covering is what takes the outfit from a costume into the clothing that puts me in the persona. I think little accessories like aprons, proper belts, bags or baskets make big differences.
Putting on my white linen veil over the unterhaube to make the steuchlein (German woman's headdress from the 1500's), tying on my apron and picking up my market basket are crucial things to making the clothing 'work' and take me from Marion into Sophia, German merchant's wife from Nurnberg.
