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

Email me your height and measurements (both corseted and not) and I can check with her and see what she's got. There should be a fair number of women in the Bay Area with gowns to sell or swap about now, as the Dickens Fair will start in about a month and folks will be looking to swap, sell or trade up whatever they had from last year.

I'd give my right arm to have some period Victorian dresses to wear everyday. And a lot of the gorgeous Edwardian stuff, too.

I love some of the Edwardian dresses, too. Also, there are some 1930s clothes that I'd love to have. The latter could probably be adapted to current work wear.

Thank you so much, JZ. Unfourtunately, the call of diapers and bills over-rides my wanting of the period dresses.

Stoopid money.

t goes and buys lottery tickets