I love the beginning of a new year. Why? It is a great starting point to do something new! Oh, I know that you can start something new any time, but a new year is like a "ready, set, GO!!!" point in time. A time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. If you had something frustrating happen in the past year (ie...my Sailor Suit of Swear) you can leave it in the past and press on to new mistakes new adventures. There is every expectation that something incredible will happen! A new fabulous, blow your mind hat...a "Look Honey!! I actually made this and it actually looks great!" moment. My favorite moments in costuming are when I see a dress I want to recreate and I really have to put thought into how it will be constructed. I love challenging my brain in this way. Unfortunately, I always forget the process...probably because if I kept the process by which the garment was created, something important like my childrens' names would fall out of my brain...aaaaanyways....
I have decided, for now, that 2014 will be the year of the 1920s. There are a couple of reasons for this decision...
1. Last year, at 98% of the awesome events that We Wear History was asked to attend, I roasted. I don't mean just "My goodness gracious, but I am a little warm, I need to fan my gently glistening face." Oh no my lovelies. I mean, "Cover the eyes of your innocent children folks! This 'proper Victorian Lady' is about to go Soiled Dove on y'all!!!" I think perhaps it has something to do with my age, and horrible-mones. Whatever the cause, I was seriously uncomfortable. Happily, the fashions from the 1920s required waaaay less foundation garments and the fabrics were very fine, flimsy, and flowing! AAAAAND!!! The skirts and sleeves were shorter! Huzzah!!!
2. During late November/early December I discovered a most fabulous TV show out of Australia.
Oh my giddy aunt!!! How seriously fun! I watched it on Netflix and finished the first season in two days. I kid you not. It is so delightful and fun and fresh and set in the 1920s! I want every single one of Phryne's outfits! I have a Pinterest board dedicated to her wardrobe...
Too seriously fun! I am on my fourth go through of the season. I soooo cannot wait for season two to come out on Netflix.
3. Number 3 is an interesting point. Unfortunately in my valley here, there is a great void of Victorian and Edwardian events to attend. BUT!! There are many car shows!! Yeah!!
4. Time and fabric. The time it takes to make a 1920s frock versus a Victorian gown...well, I don't think you can really compare the two. The same can be said of the amount of fabric needed. Therefore....for the amount of fabric needed to make one Victorian dress, I can make 2!! Need I say more?
5. To me, the 1920s is the last era of the "Golden Age". Although things were more relaxed, there was still a lovely formality and decorum to life. For some reason, after the roaring 20s, that shine seems to dim for me.
6. My aweomse Grandparents were born in the 1920s and I have pictures of them and my Great-Grandparents in their fabulous outfits! So there is a very tangible connection I have to these years.
Two years ago I started a Pinterest board while researching my dress for the Great Gatsby picnic I attended with my wonderful friends and have since been adding to it. I think I have over 1,000 pins on it. I think I have issues.
Anyways, research has been fun, and to enable my OCD, my sweet husband purchsed 4 books for me for Christmas! They are below....
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| "1920s Fashion from B. Altman and Company" |
Great fashion plate images of dresses by year!
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| "Vintage Fashions for Women 1920s-1940s" by Kristina Harris |
Incredible extant dress collections! You can see the color combinations and fabrics they used in this era!
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| "Fashions of the Roaring 20s" by Ellie Laubner |
Great information on all aspects of fashion: day dress, evening dress, underwear, shoes, hats, accessories, etc.
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| "Millinery 1920s Hat Making Techniques" |
A great reprint of a 1926! Not a lot of pictures (my Mom said, and I quote..."Oh gross! It doesn't have any pictures!!!") but a wonderful selection of "words" and, well, techniques.
I have also grown my collection of 1980s patterns. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a renaissance of the roaring 20s look! Huzzah for me!!! Thrift stores and ebay/etsy have been my friends in this new endeavor! In my next post, I will share the patterns that I have discovered that actually look so similar to 1920s extant dresses and fashion plates as to be eerie!!!
Again, I am so excited to start my new direction in sewing for this year! That is not to say at all that I have abandoned my first live. I have not. But for now, the 1920s look really "cool"!
Blessings for the New Year my friends!
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