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Conference hydra::dejavu

Title:Psychic Phenomena
Notice:Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing
Moderator:JARETH::PAINTER
Created:Wed Jan 22 1986
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2143
Total number of notes:41773

707.0. "Recreating the past" by SUBURB::WILSON (David EJ Wilson in Acre Road) Wed Apr 20 1988 11:09

    Does anyone in this conference have experience with recreating the
    past through historical costume ?  My enquiry in not so much about
    the psychic implications, more the impact of clothes on the wearer.
    
    If you look at old (1930) historical movies you can very clearly
    that the cast are 1930 people dressing up to be, say, 1880 people.
    
    If you have experience of wearing historical costume or making it
    for others to wear please let me know. Some costume books today
    indicate that some historical costumes are *unwearable* today because
    of the discomfort/restriction/impracticality.
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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707.1HEAVYUSACSB::CBROWNWed Apr 20 1988 11:3215
    
    
    i have a friend who makes chain-mail for SCA members. My wife and
    i get to model it. i also collect old weapons ect. togeter they
    give me aw mental impact that "people who fought wars while wearing
    that weight were insane!" but of course they still do. (masochists.)
                                                            
    the effect of going to an event can be interesting though. but no
    more so than stepping in to someone elses reality tunnel and
    understanding/seeing things in a new or different way.
                             
    what are you looking for?
    
    	mouse
    
707.2SCA Notes File - indicate if interestedGENRAL::DANIELIf it's sloppy, eat over the sink.Wed Apr 20 1988 14:575
On the same line, there is an SCA notesfile, which I have just begun reading; 
there are some costuming descriptions within that file of medieval outfitting. 
I forgot the node...will put in later, if you would like to pursue!

Meredith
707.3plunk your magic twanger, Froggy ....MARKER::KALLISWhy is everyone getting uptight?Wed Apr 20 1988 15:207
    Re .2 (Meredith W.):
    
    The notesfile is AITG::SCA.
    
    It can be added to your notebook by hitting "Select" or"KP7" keys ...
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
707.4Returning to 1895CPRS::GRACEA new horse, a bigger carriage...Thu Apr 21 1988 20:4419
Being a Sherlockian and a Twainian (what a combo!), I have the
requisite Victorian dress, which I've worn several times to
functions, including a Holmes meeting at Gillette Castle on the
Connecticut River.  Quite a mental and spiritual rush to be in a
grand setting with a group of people entirely in Victorian garb. 
Am told the Victorian Society of America has held costume balls at 
the Mark Twain house in Hartford--in which case, I'd never be 
seen or heard from again! :-)

Anyway, as for comfort, the only problem with the dress is that it 
takes quite a while to get into--it's bristling with hooks and 
fasteners--and once in place, it weighs a ton.  Has built-in stays, 
but as luck would have it, fits me just right and requires no 
"tightening." 

Happy Escapism!
    
MLG    
        
707.5gasp! pant, pantNATASH::BUTCHARTWed May 11 1988 13:5032
    One of the more interesting forays into the past occurred in my
    musician days.  I lucked into a gig to perform The Threepenny
    Opera (not the later Kurt Weill version, but a much earlier one
    from the 17th century).  The performances were part of a "period
    festival", and I was in the orchestra that accompanied the singers.
    It was decreed that the orchestra must be costumed as well as the
    performers (all the "staff" at the festival was to be in costume)
    so we musicians all dutifully appeared at the festival's costumers
    to be outfitted.
    
    Well, I was outfitted in voluminous petticoats, gigantic skirt over
    said petticoats, a light off-the-shoulder chemise and a mighty corset-
    like affair that cinched my waist and gave me fantastic cleavage
    (I had to keep making sure I wasn't falling out of the blouse).
    Sound wonderful?  I loved wearing the thing, walking around in it,
    adopting a completely different style of movement to accomodate it.
    
    Until I sat down to play for the first time--in costume.
    
    Fortunately, the conductor insisted on a full dress-rehearsal for
    the orchestra too.  Because I found that I couldn't _breathe_ in
    that corset.  (Believe me, he had trouble conducting in his 17th
    century getup too, and his wig was continually falling off; we joked
    that he'd have to get _really_ historic and conduct the way those
    17th century guys did, by pounding a stick on the floor.)  I wheedled
    the costume mistress into loaning me the corset and spent the last
    day or so before the real performances practicing in it, trying to
    get the hang of how to breathe.  For the performances I had to
    completely change my breathing and playing style.  Now I know why
    those ladies were always fainting.
    
    Marcia