Kimonos to Petticoats


Taking a break from work and working on costume for this weekend. I feel kind of consumed by another time period. I’m taking the quest for accuracy in another direction. In reading about 1500s, I was interested in the value and worth of clothing. Turns out it’s kind of like Japanese kimonos or Indian saris- for a woman, you’re only as good as your best petticoat (which is the bodice + skirt). Also, piecing- creating a dress or piece out of smaller pieces of fabric and former clothes- was very common. So in the spirit of 1500s economy and recycling, looked around my closet and found some remnants I could repurpose, namely, a felted grey wool sweater. I cut it up and added hook & eyes down the front (while watching Mad Men- there’s always some popular culture reference to the time spent making period costumes). In the interest of stylishness & theater, going to the fabric store to get material for the rest of the outfit.