Good Garb!

[Dragostae]

I figured, if we have a bad garb thread, we need a good garb thread, to post the -good- things we see at events. The OMG!that'saMAZING kind of garb.  

[Kittywitch]

Darn straight we need this thread.
I remember this Pennsic, a family would walk in front of our shop every day, both parents and a toddler ambling along at top speed, all in gorgeous lanchecekenct. There might have been two families with a toddler in lanchecekenct, but that's even more impressive. But I know there were at least three matching sets of outfits.
The kid, or kids, looked really happy about their garb, too.  

[Dragostae]

Yeah, I'm always fond of the wee ones in garb - it adds so much to an event.

At this past Lilies War, I was camped next to a few families, and their kids' garb, while not being super-fancy, was still well-made, beautiful, and period.

Best thing I've seen a kid wear - full-blown Tudor. And, on top of that, she was good and didn't get it dirty or mussed, which is no easy task for a kid. That kid rocked my socks. I even told her that, and then let her pick a bead out of my bead collection. I think her mom turned it into a necklace for her.  

[Berzerker_prime]

I love garb on wee ones! My household recently had one join us and I am really excited to sew for him. And there's another on the way!

So what are folks working on for garb right now?  

[Dragostae]

Berzerker_prime

I love garb on wee ones! My household recently had one join us and I am really excited to sew for him. And there's another on the way!

So what are folks working on for garb right now?

I'm working on blinging out my Byzantine and working on more Byzantine. And maybe a bliaut for dancing.  

[Divash]

At A Simple Day In The Country this summer, I saw a family of four, kids dressed identically with the parents. I'm not up on European fashion, but these were dressed as very wealthy sorts, to be sure. Very fancy, very complicated, very well made. I thought they were fancy late-period Italians, and my flatmate thought they were fancy late-period English. Either way, they all looked quite lovely.

I also saw a woman who made every single thing she was wearing, and what she was wearing was fully period. I know because we were using the showers at the same time on Saturday night. She had period linen underthings, the whole complicated getup; a lovely period dress (I have no idea what to call it, but it was really pretty); period leggings; period leather turnshoes. She said she hadn't grown the flax for the linen herself, nor woven it, nor had she raised the cow and tanned the leather, but the rest was all her own work. She also won an award (I couldn't quite hear which) for her pursuit of authenticity. And mind you, she wasn't dressed as a fancy noble, but as a fairly average person. Haircut was a bit modern, and she wasn't wearing anything to cover her head, but she'd done a really spectacular job on her garb.

My garb was, I think, okay. In fact, I borrowed my first day's garb from the Gold Key! It was a simple grey chemise with a little bit of trim at the neck and around the upper arm like bands, a neckline that I thought was horribly low but the chatelaine thought was too high, and very slight narrowing just above the waist level (which is where I'm narrowest, so yay, that worked out). A chemise is supposed to be a shapeless undergarment on a European, but I wore it as an outer garment on a Near Eastern persona, and got compliment after compliment. The second day's garb was just a salwar kameez that I got in a neighborhood shop, that's all. Perfectly period; the salwar kameez has in fact been worn continuously throughout India and most of the Near East for the last 2000 years. Anyway, it went over well.  

[Dragostae]

How do you feel about the super-blinged out garb? Trim/beads/embroidery/etc.?  

[Divash]

How do I feel about super-blinged out garb? How do I FEEL? Betrayed! Hurt! Jealous!

Seriously? If it makes sense for the persona to have it, because they're royal and/or wealthy, go forth and blingeth thyself! If one is portraying a broke peasant, it doesn't make any sense, so just don't. But even a peasant may have something left to him/her by a slightly more prosperous great-grandparent, or a piece of bling given as largesse from a noble pleased with the peasant's behavior, or a token from a pilgrimmage site (the original tourist attraction souvenirs). A tiny bit of shininess should be okay, even on a peasant.  

[Dragostae]

My take is more coloured by my persona, who's a minor noble through weird roundabout ways.

Yes, it makes sense for my persona to have blinged out garb, given her station in life and her region. Bling was a big deal in the imperial courts of Constantinople.  

[Kittywitch]

Well, yes, if you're doing Byzantine, that's pretty much what the word "bling" is for! (Blingzantine?)
But in all seriousness, there's more to amazing garb than wearing the cost of a small farm on your chest.
I have seen absolutely stunning middle-class high middle ages garb more and more frequently. And I know how hard it is to fit a cotehardie, and what good linen looks like. I'll admit I've seen less people in beautiful lower-class garb, but I think that has to do with the fact most people don't have a persona lower than middle. Nevertheless, one does not need to look wealthy in order to make really good garb.
Unless, or course, one is Blingzantine, as I said. wink  

[Dragostae]

Kittywitch

Well, yes, if you're doing Byzantine, that's pretty much what the word "bling" is for! (Blingzantine?)
But in all seriousness, there's more to amazing garb than wearing the cost of a small farm on your chest.
I have seen absolutely stunning middle-class high middle ages garb more and more frequently. And I know how hard it is to fit a cotehardie, and what good linen looks like. I'll admit I've seen less people in beautiful lower-class garb, but I think that has to do with the fact most people don't have a persona lower than middle. Nevertheless, one does not need to look wealthy in order to make really good garb.
Unless, or course, one is Blingzantine, as I said. wink

Blingzatine. I'm going to have to use that. XD

I totally agree. One of those things I think are stunning are good cotehardies - and they aren't blinged out. Make me drool every time I see one (then again, I've been toying with a secondary persona just so I can wear one).  

[Divash]

Speaking of garb, I'm going to need some advice. I look awful in yellow, but my Pelican master just sent me a beautiful yellow belt, complete with a little brass bling on the tip -- his own Pelican master's symbol, and by the way, his own Pelican master, when he was a protege, was the first Pelican in the Society, so this is a very old and very treasure-able piece of bling. I am looking forward to the day when I can take on an apprentice and pass on this bling.

So, the advice: Do I wear something that goes with the yellow so that it doesn't clash, or do I buy/make garb that contrasts with the yellow so that it shows up well and so that I don't look sallow and ill?  

[Dragostae]

Contrast!  

[Divash]

I shall take your advice, Dragostae. smile  

[Berzerker_prime]

I'm going to attempt 24-hour garb tomorrow. I'm going to go with a pair of tunics, since it's structurally pretty easy. That part should go pretty fast, even if I decide to do French seams like I feel I should.

The time-sink is going to be the embroidery. I found a Viking acanthus vine design that I really like and I'm going to see if I can get it done at least around the collar of the top tunic.

Wish me luck! Or, at least, sanity...