The Aunt Inez’s Dress Project
by Rose Litvin, First published for the September/October 2013 issue of Finery I don’t normally do 1920s. My body lends itself better to Victorian or Edwardian costuming, which happily coincides with my love of corsetry. Recently, however, I received a lavish wedding invitation. I knew that I had to do something fun and different as I read: “A theme celebration […]
Book review: Seventeenth Century Women’s Dress Patterns vol. 2, Jenny Tiramani and Susan North, editors
by Sahrye Cohen, First published for the July/August 2013 issue of Finery Book two of Seventeenth-Century Women’s Dress Patterns, edited by Susan North and Jenny Tiramani, continues the same meticulous documentation and fantastically detailed x-rays and photographs as book one. This volume contains an open gown, jackets, busks, linen bands and eighteen pages detailing the construction of a pair of […]
SciFi Costuming on a Budget
by Kathe Gust, First published for the July/August 2013 issue of Finery Thrift store science fiction costuming can work if you are open about the character you are willing to attempt. If you are planning to replicate something exactly, this is may not be the method for you. If you are willing to be the Ambassador from Planet X, a […]
Book review of Embellishments by Astrida Schaeffer
by Catherine Scholar, First published for the May/June 2013 issue of Finery Victorian costumers, brace yourselves! There’s a whole new world of inspiration and practical assistance coming your way. I recently had the privilege of previewing the first three chapters of Embellishments by Astrida Schaeffer, an upcoming book that details, well, embellishments. On late Victorian gowns. In here’s-how-you-do-it detail. Interested […]
Regency Accessories: What you need beyond the dress
by Virginia Solomon, First published for the May/June 2013 issue of Finery The fashionable Regency lady would not feel her dress is complete without the appropriate accoutrements that will make your ensemble part of the Bon Ton. There are many accessories you could add to your ensemble for different occasions; here is an overview of the most vital of Regency […]
Japonisme or Not?
by Sandy Vrooman, First published for the March/April 2013 issue of Finery When trying to trace the influences of one culture to another, where does one start? In the case of Oriental influences on western fashion, we could go back to Marco Polo’s travels and the introduction of silk to European royalty; the flat Chinese fans used at Versailles, and […]
Adventures in Glove Making (or how not to reproduce Elizabethan gloves)
by Thena (T.E.) MacArthur, First published for the March/April 2013 I say that title with tongue firmly in cheek. Reproducing a pair of Elizabethan gauntlet gloves was rather fun, enlightening, and yes … satisfying, if for no other reason than I discovered quite a bit about my own levels of frustration and what I’ll need to do to avoid that […]
Imbibing Fashionable Waters
by Deborah Parker Wong, First published for the March/April 2013 issue of Finery From sacred springs to the Roman baths, the healing power of water are found referenced throughout history. During the 18th and 19th centuries, “taking the waters” became a popular past time for the leisure class. Whether done at the advice of a doctor or simply as a […]
Care and Feeding of Men’s Hats
by Cable Car Clothiers, Reprinted with permission for the January/February 2013 issue of Finery Your hats will actually improve with age with proper care! This is a brief guide explaining how: Touch your hat with clean hands; oils from your hands may stain a light hat. When you put your hat on or take it off or need to adjust […]
The 1870s Year by Year
by Judith Hollenberger Dunlap, First published for the January/February 2013 issue of Finery The decade of 1870-1879 included drastic changes of silhouette in women’s clothing. The large elliptical hoop of the late 1860s was pushed back into a bustle, which was quickly dropped for a form fitting ‘natural’ shape. Natural in name only, as it was achieved by lengthening the […]