Hem & H.A*
(Historically Adequate)

Yet another take on my trusty blue waistcoat!  These photos were taken as part of my talk, "Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look" for the Westcoast Elizabethan Clothing Symposium. (You can read more about the how and why in Part 1 of the talk HERE .)

Another attempt at "Medieval Cosplay"! But this time with my new red kirtle. I know basically nothing about clothing pre-1500, so this is very much me playing historical Dress Up... But I do love this ridiculous bycocket hat (originally made for a similar attempt at styling my blue kirtle ) and will take advantage of any opportunity to wear it.

A peek into the underwear drawer... I was taking some photos for another big "Mix & Match" (teaser for a future post), when I realized that I don't have many --if any--  photos of what I'm wearing these days as foundation garments. So here they are! Over the linen smock are my trusty  black pair o' bodies and a red wool petticoat (with black worsted wool guards).

( NOTE: The bulk of this post was written in 2022 but it was not completed and published until two years later, so the timeline it describes might be a bit confusing) *** Like so many of my other outfits, this project started out as something entirely different. Well, not entirely ...  I've been in love with these images of Bavarian camp followers since I first started down the rabbit hole of 16th c. costumes (now many years ago).

I'm still working through the backlog of pieces that I completed during lockdown but never got around to photographing. Next up: A 1590s loose gown. I realize that it's getting a bit cliche to describe every new outfit as having been "on the go for a while" but man...this one has REALLY been on the go for a while. Looking back at my old posts, I've been planning and working on this project for at least the last 10 years. 

This is another project that has been on my to do list for a while. It started almost exactly a year ago: I made my first mock up during the July long weekend last year and took these photos over the same holiday weekend this year.  It was meant to be a quick summer project, but it was almost immediately derailed...because I have the attention span of a gerbil.

Welcome to the second of my "Mix & Match" posts for my Blue Kirtle.  The insanity continues! As I mentioned in my last post , I'd taken some additional photos of my new kirtle but these quickly devolved into playing ahistorical, Medieval dress-up...so I thought they'd be better off in their own post.

Welcome to the photo dump for my new blue kirtle (the construction of which was recently documented in my latest  Dress Diary ). Based on early 16th century illustrations, the kirtle laces up the front and features short sleeves, a 'V' back, and a shaped skirt (constructed with piecing).

 *** This past weekend I took my new Blue Kirtle out for a spin at the SoCal Renaissance Faire.  A lovely photo taken by another patron! The kirtle has been re-styled with red sleeves, a beige apron and giant straw hat. More on this later when I do an follow up with a full "Mix & Max" post...but for now here are a bunch of super blown out and blurry photos of me goofing around in the parking lot!

  My first foray into early period!  While my heart still belongs to the insanity of the 1590s and beyond, I have to say that I have a soft spot for the simpler, elegant lines of the early 16th c. silhouette. It's just so darn pretty! Having said that, it should come as no surprise that this outfit (as usual) began life as something else.