You’re So Fancy: How To Pull Together a Victorian Fancy Dress Outfit From Your Closet
by Catherine Scholar. Published as a Facebook note on September 26, 2017. Do you want to attend our Halloween Tea, but are afraid you’ll have nothing to wear? Do you look at amazingly detailed pictures of 19th century couture costumes and lament that you have no time to sew right now? Does the idea of making not just a Victorian […]
Turning Circles: how to draft a circle skirt pattern to your measurements
by Cybele A. Baker. Published in the September/October 2016 issue of Finery. The circle skirt has very little fabric at the waist and flares out to a full circle at the hemline. It can be any length you want but varies from person to person as it is reliant on your specific measurements. This is why you don’t see many […]
DIY Gentleman’s Cane
by Denise Tanaka. Published in the September/October 2015 issue of Finery. Recently I went shopping for a Victorian gentleman’s walking cane. The cheap plastic ones at the Halloween costume warehouses are… well, cheap looking. The very nice ones sold online are $50 and up— beyond my budget for outfitting a relative who may never wear the costume again. So I […]
Creating a Costume for a Fictional Character
How an author envisions her creation by Denise Robarge-Tanaka, First published in the November/December 2014 issue of Finery I write fantasy novels set in a faraway world of my own creation. My latest magical adventure, A Blighted Touch, is scheduled for release next spring. It’s about a mysterious chime that rings out a curse across the land. In one city, everyone feels […]
Steampunk Transformation
How I went from a historic costumer to a Steampunk and loved it by Kory Dean Doyle, First published in the July/August 2014 issue of Finery It has been said there are as many definitions of Steampunk as there are people who call themselves Steampunks. There are those who will tell you what it is and it isn’t as if […]
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 […]
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 […]
25 Ways to Trim an Early Victorian Bonnet
by Jennifer Rosbrugh, First published for the September/October 2012 issue of Finery Flipping through a stack of (digital) fashion plates, I was enthralled by so many ideas for how to decorate an Early Victorian Bonnet. I was doing trim research a couple years ago to complete my poke bonnet for Costume College 2010 and fell in love even more with […]
Petticoats as Outerwear?
by Catherine Scholar, First published for the September/October 2012 issue of Finery No, I’m not talking about the 1980s trend of wearing vintage Victorian petticoats as streetwear. Nor do I mean the 1990s slip-dress fad. I’m talking about skirts, circa 18th century. You see, before about 1800, any kind of free-standing skirt (not attached to a bodice) was referred to […]
Short Gowns: the Revolutionary T-Tunic
by Cynthia Howell, First published for the July/August 2012 issue of Finery Puzzling about what to wear to the Revolutionary Picnic? Are you uninspired by the gowns in your closet? Are you looking for an interesting project to use up a few spare yards of fabric? Would you like to be fashionable and functional? Look no further than the short […]
