From: Gretchen Miller Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 19:09:56 -0500 (EST) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 15, 12/8/93 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 15, December 8, 1993 Send items for the list to h-costume@andrew.cmu.edu (or reply to this message). Send subscription/deletion requests and inquiries to h-costume-request@andrew.cmu.edu For archives of this digest, send mail to close@lunch.asd.sgi.com Thanks and Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: Nice things about Gretchen and Diane Review and ordering info for "After a Fashion: How to Reproduce, Restore, and Wear Vintage Styles" --------------------------------- From: close@lunch.asd.sgi.com (Diane Barlow Close) Subject: Re: Gretchen Miller (was another admin note) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1993 17:02:44 -0800 (PST) > And now, a note from the list maintainer: I just wanted to tell everyone what a WONDERFUL job Gretchen is doing maintaining this list, and pass on my thanks to her for the great job! I know a lot of you have been thanking me for coming up with the idea for this list, but I just wanted to point out that the list is run on Gretchen's machine and she's the person who has put in long hours adding everyone, handling removal and digest requests and generally organizing things so that this mailing list will work. At over 190 members that's a lot of typing! Thanks a bunch, Gretchen, and I hope your fingers recover over the holidays!! :-D -- Diane Barlow Close close@lunch.asd.sgi.com I'm at lunch today. :-) ---------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 7 Dec 93 17:55:33 PST From: (Danine G Cozzens; 223-1388;; Rates) Subject: re:Book Review: After A Fashion After a Fashion - Book Review Frances Grimble recently posted that her new book, _After a Fashion_, was available by mail for $35. I was probably one of the first to receive a copy, and thought folks on this group would appreciate a more detailed description before sending for the book sight unseen. If you have subscribed to this group, you will probably want to buy this book. It is so well targeted to living history reenactors that someone living in utter isolation, with only this book and the appropriate patterns or costume diagrams in hand, could outfit themselves respectably for a major historical event. Frances Grimble has had national exposure as an expert on vintage fashion with her articles in _Threads_ and _Vintage Fashions_; this book should establish her as an authority on historic costume construction as well. _After A Fashion_ is almost five books in one: It's a survey of historic costume, a costume planner, a book of period sewing techniques, a guide to vintage fashions, and a costuming resource list. The first chapter (57 pages) describes "garb" for the most popular reenactment eras: Medieval [12th, 13th and 14th centuries each described separately], Elizabethan, American Revolutionary, English Regency, Civil War, Gay Nineties, Ragtime, and Art Deco. These overviews give a good sense of what upper-class men and women wore, and whether you or your significant other would want to be seen in it. Chapter 2 deals with planning your outfit. There are numerous practical hints on planning your costuming project, including a catchall list of everything you need to pack for any event in any period, from "Paltock/pourpoint/cotehardie/double/coat/jacket" to "Bag/pouch/pockets/purse." The list consumes an entire page; no wonder it takes so long to get dressed for an event! Other sections tell how to hire a dressmaker, how to overcome budget limitations, and how to buy by mail. I loved the "historical mix and match" Civil War weekend wardrobe, based on separate day and evening tops for the same skirt-- as practical now as it was at the time. Chapters 3 and 4 address construction techniques. The instructions are so complete that the financially challenged could well purchase this book instead of a conventional sewing encyclopedia. The numerous line drawings by Deborah Kuhn, who illustrated the original Folkwear patterns, show what you need to know at a glance. A one-page analysis of a Regency shirt conveys the principle of geometric garment construction shown in _Cut My Cote_. Another example shows how a Civil War skirt was "leveled" at the waist after applying the copious ornamentation to the hem. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 cover buying vintage clothes, mending garments, and altering them. Fran explains the need for preservation of old and truly unique garments, and shows how one can incorporate parts of dying dresses into new costumes, or replace worn portions, such as underarms. The altering and mending hints would also help transform stage or thrift shop finds into something "peri-oid" that could be worn at less rigorous historic events, or let you rescue a tired costume of your own. The book ends with twenty-five pages of annotated bibliography cover books, book dealers, and periodicals; supplies for reproduction and restoration; reproduction clothes, accessories and weapons; vintage clothes and accessories; and the organizations who put on events where you can wear all these duds. Each entry has a short description. And it is cross-referenced for easy locating. Though privately printed, _After A Fashion_ has none of the shortcomings one dreads from desktop publishing by "loving hands at home." It is beautifully laid out, clearly written, and professionally printed. The big (8-1/2" by 11"), thick (over 300 pages) format boasts a slick cover whose ink won't come off on your hand. Since Fran is a dancer, most of the couples are shown in dance positions, a good reminder that our ultimate goal as historic costumers is to make a believable appearance at period events (and to have a wonderful time!). Danine Cozzens Internet: dgc3@pge.com (I will be happy to respond to further inquiries individually or in subsequent postings.) ---------------------------------------------- From: cjcannon@ucdavis.edu Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 07:51:32 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: Gretchen Miller (was another admin note) Hi, Everyone! I agree (with Diane, but am adding her into this equation, so), let me congratulate and thank both Gretchen and Diane for the initiation and upkeep of this list. You're great!!! Happy Holidays to all and sundry!--Carol J. Bell Cannon ---------------------------------------------- From: Gregory Stapleton Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 12:30:42 TZ Subject: RE: re:Book Review: After A Fashion Diane, you write: ---------- | | After a Fashion - Book Review | | Frances Grimble recently posted that her new book, _After a | Fashion_, was available by mail for $35. I was probably one | of the first to receive a copy, and thought folks on this | group would appreciate a more detailed description | before sending for the book sight unseen. | Thank you so much for this review. It sounds like a FANTASTIC book. I'd like to try and order this for my wife for Christmas, because I know she would love it. The only thing lacking is an address/phone number to order the book. Could you please supply this? Thank you, again. Yours in service, Gawaine Kilgore