Historical Clothing

I've been looking for a way to explore history aesthetically, artistically, visually, tangibly and the first thing that came to mind was clothing.

The importance of clothing has been a significant topic throughout the ages. The way one dresses can say a lot about us as an individual, perhaps it can reflect what we believe, or where we came from. It is entirely possible that clothing can act as a measure in determining the character of an individual regardless of those that wave their hand at the superficially that comment can evoke in reality.

I happened upon the work of the lovely Domowa Kostiumologia a few weeks ago and the idea of creating historical clothing was brought back to the forefront of my mind.
You may have seen a video by Domowa recently that has been circulating social media entitled: Real Women - Beauty Through the Decades the Realistic Way. If you haven't you should take a look.

It's an interesting observation on the changing beauty standards of women through the ages with a more historically accurate twist, making it all the more refreshing. Upon watching all of Domowa's other videos, and then finding my way to her blog, I not only saw some brilliant stories being told there but also some beautiful representations of history reflected in the costumes that were being worn within them. I left a comment for her on a video that depicts visits to London, Chatsworth and Haworth in period appropriate costumes. It his a very resonant note with my, having family that originally comes from the historical village of Haworth [home of the Brontë Sisters], and I was very pleased to be able to start up a little dialogue with her over the location and the costumes.

I have been leaning towards exploring historical clothing for some time now but I still haven't completely convinced myself I'll be able to do it, especially considering I have never sewn anything beyond a makeshift pillow in Textiles at school, and my endeavours beyond that with MM have only been simple textiles on a single piece of material!

So I suppose if I do decide to go ahead, it might be solely to see if I can actually do it and for my own personal enjoyment. I feel like my artistic outlets at the moment are all stale and I would really like to change that. As someone new to such a hobby I should probably start by making something easy, though I would like it to be as historically accurate as I can get it - though I know it will take money and time. I'm looking to start with a medieval dress, and if there is anyone out there that can help me source patterns that are as authentic as possible, or just someone with some useful tips that would be wonderful! Let me know below, I'd love to hear from you.

- VM