Since it’s come to my attention recently that I’m far from the only person here fond of re-enactment and similarly geeky pursuits, I felt it was time to recommend one or two resources of excellent costuming for the discriminating Renfairy, LARPer or Civil War lady of size. After all, dressing for a different time (or even world) is no excuse for failing to be superfantastic!
A personal favorite of mine for variety, historical accuracy, and attitude is Very Merry Seamstress. Why attitude? Because of this lovely note in the sizing section of their FAQ:
PLEASE NOTE: We will never charge more for plus sizes.
All people are created equally as far as we’re concerned and we see no need to charge extra,
no matter what size you are. All gowns require just about the same amount of fabric, and the same amount of work, no matter what the size is.
They make men’s clothes as well as women’s. Eras ranging from Medieval to Flapper era are covered, as well as pure fantasy clothes. The thing that really caught my eye the first time I visited their site, though, was their reproductions of gowns from Tudor-era portraits.
Many of you have seen this portrait of Queen Elizabeth I at roughly age thirteen when she was still Princess Elizabeth.
Now look at the Very Merry Seamstress reproduction of the same gown.
See why I think this company is a cut above?
The clothes don’t come cheap. The gown above runs $600.00, and that’s before you add in the farthingale, corset, bum roll, chemise, and a partlet if you choose to wear one with it. On the other hand, you can have a copy of Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West costume for just $250.00.
Clothes are custom made to fit the client. Wedding parties are happily accomodated. Also, some outfits are available in both premium and slightly more budget-friendly versions.
Whatever the time or galaxy, there’s no excuse for dressing badly.
I looked at the clothes on the website…they are so beautiful! I have always had a fantasy of dressing up in such clothes. Alas, I have nowhere to wear them. But I have been known to put on my wedding dress (which I didn’t wear since I cancelled my wedding) to clean the house or watch tv. Not b/c I am mourning not being married, mind you, but because I love to wear fancy clothes!
Comment by kristin — February 16, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
Kristin, I always say it’s just as easy to clean house in a Tudor court gown as it is in a wedding gown. And there’s nothing like a cotehardie for watching your favorite tv show. ; )
As with your wedding gown, if you don’t have an occasion to wear it, create one. You’re worth it.
Comment by Twistie — February 16, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
Twistie, I tried to send you an email to the link on this page, on a related subject, and the mailer daemon bounced it back and says “Does not like recipient”. What’d I ever do to you?
Seriously, you might want to get your webfolks to check it out.
Comment by Margo — February 16, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
(blinks)
But Margo…I DO like you. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll pass it along to the management.
In the meantime, if you want to contact me, you can send an email to gileswench at yahoo dot com. I’d love to see what you have to tell me.
Comment by Twistie — February 16, 2008 @ 2:08 pm