V . 3/11/22 V . 3/11/22

The history of thrifting : the Victorian way to fight fast fashion!

The Victorians loved thrift shopping, and it goes back a lot further than the Victorians! Time for a deep dive into the history of the secondhand clothes trade and its role in fashion history. As usual, a lot of the problems of the modern fashion industry (like low-quality fast fashion) are not as old as we think . . .

V . 12/10/21 V . 12/10/21

The historically “accurate" medieval dress that's now every high fantasy costume

It's the Lord of The Rings dress, every high fantasy dress, the costume of fairies and elves, but is it a historically accurate medieval dress? Yes! It's called a bliaut, and was worn throughout Europe in the High Middle Ages. This dress is behind so many of our fantasy aesthetics, and I've always loved it-- so I chose to recreate it as a historical costume, using modern techniques and sources from medieval history.

V . 8/19/21 V . 8/19/21

Getting dressed in the middle ages, while Jewish

How would a medieval Jew dress? Historical Jewish fashion varied, in England, and Spain, and everywhere else. It depended on when and where they lived, how well the Jewish community was treated, and that Jew's status within their community and the wider world. We'll take an in-depth look at the historical costumes of two 11th century Jewish women : An Ashkenazi Norman English Jew, and a Sephardic Jew living in Islamic-ruled Iberia (present-day Spain).

V . 6/11/21 V . 6/11/21

Why medieval people didn't wash their hair, and how it stayed clean

Medieval people didn't bathe or wash their hair, right? Hair care in the middle ages involved no shampoo, but they still kept their hair clean. As a professional hairstylist, I think this historical myth needs to be debunked. Busting this myth comes down to understanding what resources Medieval people had for personal care, and reveals that historical people were actually quite clever about working with what knowledge they had.

V . 2/19/21 V . 2/19/21

The SWEETEST Irish Cob horse convinced me to sew a Victorian riding habit

What's a bored historical costumer to do when introduced to an adorable Irish Cob horse? Sew a Victorian riding habit, of course!