If I do Civil War reenacting, I suspect I'll stick to a "girl who ran off to join the army disguised as a boy" persona, since I'm not that into hoopskirts. But for Revolutionary War and Peninsular/1812, I'll need a male identity to play with the guns and a girly one to play with the pretty clothes.
Something else I like with this group is the freedom to be a fighter or a craftsperson, or both. And in our period, the men mostly wear "skirts" too (well, a laine - no idea how to spell - pronounced len-yuh), which I get a kick out of.
it mysteriously disappeared en route to me. I blame the postal service!
I knew we picked an excellent month in which to get married.
I know several people who got married in October I just went to a wedding last weekend, my sister's anniversary is the 10th, you, me... October rocks!!!
Thankfully no hoopskirts in 1582.
Oh, there were, but only for the middle class and nobles. They were called, IIRC, farthingales. They disappeared sometime after the Renaissance and didn't return until sometime in Victoria's reign, when a number of middle and upper class women were keeling over and fainting from the weight of all their petticoats, even in cold and drafty England and Scotland, and some brilliant fashionistas said "Dear me, there has simply got to be a better way," started ransacking previous giant-skirt eras, and appropriated/updated the farthingale.
t /costume geek
Can I just say how much I love JZ?
Cool, JZ.
t /history geek
P.S. Do
you
know how to spell "len-yuh"?
I'm planning to take up reenacting as soon as I can afford to do so
I don't really want to reenact anything, but I'd give my right arm to have some period Victorian dresses to wear everyday. And a lot of the gorgeous Edwardian stuff, too.
When we get back to Michigan, I'm gonna do the Civil War reenactments, too. But mostly cause I like the dressing up part.
Yay!!!!!!!!! Let me know when you're ready, and I'd love to hook up with you at an event.
Also, these are the people who make my clothes. They are VERY good. This is my current favorite dress.
I love Civil Waring...mostly for the dressing up part, but also the history. It was the beginning of the women's rights movement, too (well, late 1840's on). Very exciting.
Aims, the next time you come up to the Bay Area I'll introduce you to my matron of honor, who is, IIRC, close to your size and a goddess of a seamstress. She has a red wool day gown she's been thinking of pulling apart and redoing, and has plans for several other day gowns; possibly she could be lured into selling you the red gown, and definitely she could be lured into making you a custom gown (not for free, alas, but probably not for a really hellish sum).
I love Maria, too, and I look forward to loving the vision of her in the OTD.
t does dance of the red day dress
