From: owner-h-costume-digest (H-Costume Digest) To: h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Subject: H-Costume Digest V3 #204 Reply-To: h-costume Errors-To: owner-h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Precedence: bulk H-Costume Digest Wednesday, September 27 1995 Volume 3, Number 204 Compilation copyright (C) 1995 Diane Barlow Close and Gretchen Miller Use in whole prohibited. Individual articles are the property of the author. Seek permission from that author before reprinting or quoting elsewhere. Important Addresses: Send submissions to: h-costume@lunch.engr.sgi.com (or reply to this message). Adds/drops/archives: majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com Real, live person: h-costume-request@andrew.cmu.edu Topics: Re: lorgnettes Dicken's Fair Thai Silk Re: lorgnettes Re: lorgnettes Taunton costume museum Re: lorgnettes on getting your clothes (and hands?) dirty lorgnettes Re: Early medieval women's tunics Re: Costume museums in England Book & Questions Re: H-Costume Digest V3 #203 Victorian Mourning Dress Re: Book & Questions RE: Book & Questions ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 19:18:16 -0700 (PDT) From: "Sarah E. Goodman" Subject: Re: lorgnettes > I'm blind > as a bat without my glasses. There are many things that I am willing to do in > the name of authenticity, but walk around without my glasses isn't one of > them. Not that this is the solution for everyone, but this is why I wear contacts (which I almost never do out of costume or being really "dressy"). My contacts do not correct my vision anywhere near as much as my glasses do (because to do would require hard lenses, which can no not be worn part time) but they do correct to the point where I can walk through a crowd and find my companions at a party. Explaining that this was OK to my eye-doctor took some doing, though. ------------------------------ Date: 26 Sep 95 23:33:24 EDT From: "Dawn T. Jacobson" <74647.1271@compuserve.com> Subject: Dicken's Fair Edward Wright posted the information posted throughout the 'Net regarding Dickens Fair's reappearance in San Francisco. Here is some additional information that was recently posted by Jana Keeler of the Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild (GBACG): - ----------Post Contents Below---------- I asked James and Cathleen Myers of P.E.E.R.S (who have worked fair for many years and many of you know) about the posting. This was their reply to me, which I thought was pretty interesting. As for why she can't use "Dicken's Faire" it may have to do with the fact she doesn't own the "Faire" anymore--it's run by a corporation. It may be that all Living History Center (LHC) events are the property of the new corporation. I'm not sure of all the particulars but it sounds like a typical kind of business transaction. - ------------------------------------- Yes, Phyllis told me she's scheduled a Dickens Fair to run from Saturday, November 25 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) straight through to New Year's Eve and that the Fair will end with a grand Masked Ball on New Year's Eve. Her own company, Timegames, will produce the Fair. Phyllis'assistant Wendy has assured us that she understands that some of us will have made "other plans" and assures us that we can have some "time off." (!). In any event, we're still planning on going through with our Capulet's Ball on December 30, which is an evening event anyway and shouldn't conflict with Fair. Jana, when I have more details on the Fair, I'll let you know. All I know is that it will probably be smaller-scale than usual as we don't have the whole Pier. Best Regards, Cathleen Myers - ----------Post Contents Above---------- Dawn Jacobson 74647.1271@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: 26 Sep 95 23:33:26 EDT From: "Dawn T. Jacobson" <74647.1271@compuserve.com> Subject: Thai Silk Kerry Potratz asked for the address for Thai Silk. It is: Thai Silks 252(F) State St. Los Altos, CA 94022 USA (800) 722-SILK (U.S.) (800) 221-SILK (CA) (415) 948-8611 (415) 948-3426 (FAX) At last check, it was $20/yr to join their Silk Fabric Club. Complete swatch sets (about 400 swatches) were $20. Dawn Jacobson 74647.1271@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 01:49:37 -0400 From: kl94ag@badger.ac.BrockU.CA (Kathleen Leggat) Subject: Re: lorgnettes Gail Finke queried: . When did masks become fashion accessories? Masks were worn in the 16th century to protect the face from the sun, but they were full face masks held in place with a button between the teeth...obviously useless for regular SCA wear. (Plus, who wants to go around with a full black velvet face mask on!) Demi-masks are a later invention. From what I understand, the basic concept is...parasols, veils and masks all served the same purpose...to protect the face from the sun...and they never occurred in the same period, as far as I know. Parasols were in use in ancient times, but were replaced with veils throughout most of the middle ages, which were replaced by masks until parasols came back in fashion.(in the late 1700's I believe) Can you wear contact lenses? I'm blind as a bat, so I wear disposable contacts...great for camping events as you don't have to worry about clean, chemical-free hands and the heat of the tent. Kathleen (Catriona) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 01:02:30 -0500 (EST) From: Drea Leed Subject: Re: lorgnettes > > . When did masks become fashion accessories? > From what I've heard, masks were used in late medieval Venice for privacy when traveling through the streets and canals. Romantic, but I don't know how much truth is in it. Drea ============================= We've secretly replaced their dilithium crystals with new Folger's crystals. Now let's watch them go to warp. ============================= ------------------------------ Date: 26 Sep 95 22:39:00 From: "Gina Balestracci" Subject: Taunton costume museum >If you make it all the way over to the Cornwall area, stop in at Taunton to >see the small costume museum there. It tends to be focused around a theme. >The time I was there, the theme was the Black Ascot races. It also has a neat >Norman shell keep. Good view, no castle. Call before you schlep all the way out West. Last year I was out that way and they were closed at mid-day on a Saturday. They may have been changing exhibits. I was only in the West Country for the weekend and never made it back to the little costume museum. There's also a large collection of needlework at one of the stately home near Exeter. The name of it excapes me at the moment. gina balestracci@saturn.montclair.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 08:50:19 -0700 From: Barb@DISTANT-CARAVANS.reno.nv.us (Barbara Morgan) Subject: Re: lorgnettes >> I'm blind >> as a bat without my glasses. There are many things that I am willing to do in >> the name of authenticity, but walk around without my glasses isn't one of >> them. > >Not that this is the solution for everyone, but this is why I wear >contacts (which I almost never do out of costume or being really >"dressy"). My contacts do not correct my vision anywhere near as much as >my glasses do (because to do would require hard lenses, which can no not >be worn part time) but they do correct to the point where I can walk >through a crowd and find my companions at a party. Explaining that this >was OK to my eye-doctor took some doing, though. This sound formiluar. I have 2 sets of contact, my close up contacts and my far away contacts. Have to wear reading glasses with the far away contacts and would not dare to drive a car with the close up contacts. My eye doctor was very reluctant to give me any contacts until I told him that I would go without my glasses any way and that some vision was better then none. Amaryllis aka:Barb e-mail: Barb@DISTANT-CARAVANS.reno.nv.us http://www.greatbasin.com/~caravan/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 11:54:40 -0400 From: Joe Marfice Subject: on getting your clothes (and hands?) dirty On Mon, 04 Sep 95 Dennis Allen Carr writes: >weren't wearing them to some sort of Faire or reenactment. HOWEVER, if >you really wanted to keep some of that wonderful (!) sweat off of the >clothes, and weren't too worried about authenticity, you should probably >look in the general direction of a cotton leotard. Then again, I don't >know too many men who would care to wear one. ... >And last, but not least, do NOT get black ones for use in hot weather. I >think the reason is obvious. Actually, the reason isn't quite so obvious: Black clothing is only hotter when it is in direct sunlight, which it absorbs fastest of all colours. Conversely, it radiates heat fastest, and is the coolest colour at night (though most bodily heat loss is through evaporating sweat and air currents). So, there's no reason to avoid black _undergarments_, at least in terms of comfort. In fact, many hot climates are populated by people dressed entirely in black--think of the muslim women of the Middle East. They stay comfortable by staying out of the sun as much as possible. | Broom, at The Lady Perrine | aka Joe Marfice | Ministerium honor est. \|/ which means "Sewing is so much easier when I use the sharp end." /|\ 513-222-2330 233 Perrine Street //|\\ af289@dayton.wright.edu Dayton (my fayre citee), OH 45410 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 11:52:15 -0400 From: Joe Marfice Subject: lorgnettes On Tue, 26 Sep Gail Finke writes: >I am very interested in the lorgnette question--I am an SCA member and >blind as a bat without my glasses. There are many things that I am >willing to do in the name of authenticity, but walk around without my >glasses isn't one of them. Or hasn't been, until recently. ... > I will be getting new glasses soon, so I could sacrifice my old >ones or get a second really cheap pair. ... >I have enough disposable income that I could probably buy a cheapo pair >of glasses (my sight is so bad that even at the $39 stores they still >cost about $80), but not enough for me to have someone grind me lenses >and put them into those little folding wooden frames you see from time to >time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! How about taking those old glasses to a shop to be ground down to a size appropriate for those little folding wooden frames? Since they grind those lenses to fit modern fashion frames (with a myriad of shapes) in just a few minutes, a couple of estimates from Lenscrafters, Sears, et al (no endorsements intended) on grinding the lenses down to circles of X diameter (like for modern "granny" or "John Lennon" frames) should net a cheap job. Hopefully. Are you the secret identity of the mysterious Lord-Lady Gaelscot? ;{) Your humble servant, | Broom, at The Lady Perrine | aka Joe Marfice | Ministerium honor est. \|/ which means "Sewing is so much easier when I use the sharp end." /|\ 513-222-2330 233 Perrine Street //|\\ af289@dayton.wright.edu Dayton (my fayre citee), OH 45410 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 10:37:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Heather Rose Jones Subject: Re: Early medieval women's tunics On Tue, 26 Sep 1995 ROBERT@UIAMVS.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU wrote: > > The Stuttgart Psalter (Carolingian, I forget the date) has quite a few > depictions of women. The all are quite consistnt, except one on the > verso of 72 (see also Owen-Crocker's _Dress in Anglo-Saxon England_, pp. > 98-99). I have only seen a black and white fascimile (the only color > fascimile that I am aware of is owned by New York University (not > available for inter-library loan, and too far for me to travel)). I am > wondering if the coloring of this picture would allow it to be a tunic > with the above construction. I know of no reason why this picture > should be a different garment, or perhaps undergarment given the context > of the picture (the woman is representing the church, as the other > deptictions of women commonly do in the Psalter). The seam looks like > it falls below her breast in this depiction (perhaps to allow breast > feeding?). I have not made a garment with in that style yet (the Eura > dress design is comfortable), so I do not know if the dress would still > be comfortable. > > Has anybody seen any other evidence for this construction technique? > > If anybody can see a color fascimile of the Stuttgart Psalter to tell if > this is a seam, and if so if the wrists are the same color as the main > body of the garment, I would really appreciate the information. I only have access to the Owen-Crocker line-drawing, but from looking at it, another _possible_ explanation occurs. I note that there is a horizontal double-line shown on the skirts about mid-calf. This and the horizontal line across the chest might be defining part of the cloak-like draperies, passed across the lap, rather than being part of the body garments. Again, a color version of the picture would probably help disambiguate this, but it seems to be one of the standard conventions of seated figures in early medieval art to have the wrap passed over the lap. Heather Rose Jones ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 14:53:17 EST From: "laura yungblut" Subject: Re: Costume museums in England I don't know if anyone has covered this, or if you've been there yourself already, but the Victoria & Albert in London (Knightsbridge) has a pretty decent collection. In the costume collection, the earliest piece is from about the 1520s-1530s, but earlier, contemporary, and later individual pieces appear in the general collections for the respective period. There are a number of embroidered ecclesiastical vestments as well as a few secular pieces in the medieval gallery. The Tudor gallery has men's nightcaps, ladies' coifs, gloves, purses, pillow cushions, and a number of other embroidered pieces.********************************************************************** The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. Nemo me impune lacessit. Veni, vidi, visa. Get a room. Barney is the Antichrist. It's all Ray's fault. God save the ... never mind. ********************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 14:41:38 -0400 From: sunfire@muskoka.com (Stephen Fraser) Subject: Book & Questions Hi! I'm new to this list but already find it really interesting and informative. I'm looking for a copy of an out of print book: "Patterns for Theatrical Costumes" by Katherine Strand Holkeboer Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall c 1984 Does anyone out there have and wish to sell a copy of this book to me?? Also...could someone tell me what types of clothes were common in England from the 9th to the 11th centuries? I know the Romanesque style fits in there. But is there anything else? I too am involved in the SCA and therefore costume making. And one other thing...were there such things as knit sweaters/tunics back then or is knitting relatively recent?? Thanks much!! K.C. sunfire@muskoka.com Yours in Service, Stephen of Two Falls ~~ Arianna of the Meadow St.Nicholas, Ealdormere >>>>>==========> ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 12:48:10 -0700 From: Susan Fatemi Subject: Re: H-Costume Digest V3 #203 re: lorgnettes and Queen Mary. In the film, it was a pair of lenses with a nose pc. in rather ornate frames and some sort of upright thing to hold them with. It was attached to a chain that appeared to hang from her waist (I didn't get that good a look) So for modern blind-as-a-bat, reenactors, it could be a big help. Hope that helps the person who was asking if she could wear specs. with her SCA costume. Susan Fatemi (who needs glasses for reading but can't walk around in them) susanf@eerc.berkeley.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 95 12:17:02 PST From: Stacey_Weinberger@wadsworth.com Subject: Victorian Mourning Dress What sorts of fabrics, colors, and trims would be appropriate (and available today) for victorian (1850-1865) mourning formal gowns? This wouldn't be for the funeral but for the period following the death of a loved one. Thank you very much, Stacey Stacey_Weinberger@Wadsworth.com "And flights of Angels sing Thee to Thy rest." ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 16:11:40 -0400 From: Elizabeth Lear Subject: Re: Book & Questions >I'm looking for a copy of an out of print book: >"Patterns for Theatrical Costumes" >by Katherine Strand Holkeboer >Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall c 1984 Hmm - didn't people say this was recently back in print again? ...eliz ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 15:28:34 -0500 (CDT) From: P_SHERYL@KCPL.LIB.MO.US Subject: RE: Book & Questions K.C., Hi, Welcome to the list! The book you want is no longer out of print. It is now being printed by Drama Book Publishers. Since it is currently listed on their WWW catalog, I assume that you can still order it. They have it listed at $29.95. HTH! Sheryl J. Nance Kansas City MO Public Library p_sheryl@kcpl.lib.mo.us >I'm looking for a copy of an out of print book: >"Patterns for Theatrical Costumes" >by Katherine Strand Holkeboer >Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall c 1984 > >Does anyone out there have and wish to sell a copy of this book to me?? > >K.C. >sunfire@muskoka.com >Yours in Service, >Stephen of Two Falls ~~ >Arianna of the Meadow >St.Nicholas, Ealdormere ------------------------------ End of H-Costume Digest V3 #204 ******************************* A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, send the command lines: unsubscribe h-costume-digest subscribe h-costume end in the body of a message to majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com. Thanks and enjoy the list!