Bad Garb

[Mrsbruhaha]

Alan the Great

^
I pretty much love you for this.

i have to agree....
you rock kashi-ko  

[kashi-ko]

Mrsbruhaha

Alan the Great

^
I pretty much love you for this.

i have to agree....
you rock kashi-ko

Awww thank you  

[kashi-ko]

Kittywitch

kashi-ko

Roetroc

Well now you've opened a can of worms:
+people who used cotton/cotton blends/polyester in their clothes

Why is that such a big deal? some people work for a living and can't afford to weave their own linen cloth.

You don't have to weave it yourself. No one expects you to, and I think you know that. The trick is to find a happy medium for the best you can afford (look for bargain tables at selling events, I've found the most brilliant things there for magnificent prices)

kashi-ko

Roetroc

+hooded cloaks

I don't know about you but I'd like it if my ears didn't freeze off at night.

So wear the hood separately. That's period, and that way you can keep your ears covered.

kashi-ko

Roetroc

+non-period shoes (C'mon it's not like it's hard or anything)

It is hard. authentic shoes can be expensive, and from what I've seen, not many SCAdians are the richest people.

Some of the most period footwear available is absolutely free. Go bare-footed. We do have evidence people had feet for all of SCA period.

kashi-ko

Roetroc

+large girls wearing corsets
+corsets in general really

I am not a small girl. I like my corsets. What do you have against the corset?

They aren't period as an outer garment and they can look pretty stupid, especially on large women who like to pretend their fat is breasts.

Even though this is the internet, I think a certain amount of chivalry is still expected from SCAdians. Please remember that, Kashi-ko.

I'm sorry? I didn't know I was being unchivalrous? I was simply speaking my mind. And I'm offended that you suggest all women that aren't built like 12 year old boys use corsets to pretend they have a chest.  

[Runa Whynd]

Kittywitch

Runa Whynd

What bothered me was that he wasn't the only one. There was a whole gaggle of Jack Sparrows at this event. They had obviously come as a group and though some of them were female variations, they were even working the mannerisms.

Cosplay is cool, but the SCA is not cosplay. Make your own character.

Agreed.
Now about this corset discussion.

Personally, as a woman who is - and I'm being honest with this - not just 'larger' but fat , I like my corset. It's an underbust corset so not much of the boob squeezing but it does wonderful things for my shape when adjusted properly. However, I don't usually wear it as a part of my garb. It just doesn't fit my Viking persona. However, when I do wear it at an event, it works just fine as underwear. Though I do like to show it off outside of the SCA.
And MrsB, on a related topic, I was wondering if you might like one of my leather bodices in the near future? A few modifications could give it a slight corseting effect.  

[Divash]

I just spoke yesterday to a friend of mine on the subject of corsets. She feels that wearing one is more comfortable than a brassiere because it spreads the support over a larger area instead of concentrating it all on a tight band around the breasts and under them; it smoothes the shape of the body, even if it isn't tightened to make the figure look slimmer; it conceals any breast or belly jiggling (which most people do have, whatever their size or fitness level); and it improves posture. She feels also that concealing the jiggling of her womanly attributes is an aid to modesty.

I've only worn corsets for theatrical plays, but what I noticed was that if they aren't made to fit, they're extremely unflattering (and uncomfortable) because they push fat (plentiful or not) into places it wasn't meant to go; the custom-fitted ones are expensive ($300-ish for the cheaper ones!); and they do accentuate or create the narrower waist and comparatively wider hips and breasts, which to my mind isn't very modest. I prefer clothing that is loose enough to just skim the figure, but conceal the details, for both modesty and comfort.

However, one thing that I really wish people understood better is that a corset is an undergarment, not an outer garment. It should be worn UNDER the clothing. Only a prostitute or other loose woman would've been caught dead with a corset as an outer garment, in Period.  

[Runa Whynd]

My corset was bought off the rack at a Con where I did wear it as outerwear. It fits well but they had a good selection. As to wearing them at SCA events, like I said, I generally don't. I understand that thier underwear in period. However, I have friend who's a pirate wench, and she wears her's as outerwear all the time and she loves it. She's not pretending to be a modest noblewoman or peasan t girl with it at least.

And for non corset annoyances, mish-mash garb. Everything in it is period for somewhere but there's almost no way they would be found in one outfit.  

[Divash]

Runa Whynd

And for non corset annoyances, mish-mash garb. Everything in it is period for somewhere but there's almost no way they would be found in one outfit.

There are a few ways I can see this happening in Period (not just being reasonable for SCA, but actually IN PERIOD).

1. "My father was an Arab who came north to Spain, and my mother was a Gaul who came west to Spain. Yes, of course I'm Spanish, but look what my grandmother sent me, once she forgave my dad for marrying an infidel!"

2. Travelers. When one's robe finally wears out and can't be worn anymore (or would mark a higher-born or wealthier person as a member of a much lower social caste and therefore should be given to a servant), and one is far from home, one goes to a marketplace and buys something that will do until one can get home. "It's not a proper abaya/cheongsam/ao dai/kirtel, but it covers me appropriately, and the price was right."

3. Jews often attire to suit Jewish modesty standards, which were often more strict than those of the locals, just as we still do today. Also, in many areas, Jews were required to dress differently from the locals, either by adding a special hat, being restricted to certain colors, or not being permitted to wear clothing that allowed one to blend in and look like the natives. As a result, Jews within Period often looked very mishmashy.

4. Gypsies' stock-in-trade is their creative, gorgeous mishmash style. They do it cheerfully and purposefully. Other merchants may have copied the habit of wearing many different areas' fashions. "The dress is from Italy, the robe I got in France, the shoes are from Germany -- you like? You'll buy?"  

[Runa Whynd]

See, those are all very reasonable and actually researched but I'm not just alking about Gypsies or a piece or two of clothing. I mean someone who just says, "Hey! I like that! I think I'll wear it. And that too. Oh, that would look wonderful with this." Without regard to where or when the pieces belong.  

[Divash]

Kittywitch

Divash

1. "My father was an Arab who came north to Spain, and my mother was a Gaul who came west to Spain. Yes, of course I'm Spanish, but look what my grandmother sent me, once she forgave my dad for marrying an infidel!"

I've heard persona stories like that so much... it's starting to make my eyes cross.

Sure, but how many modern people have you heard saying "I'm Irish, Scotch (they never seem to know that Scots is a nationality and Scotch is whisky), German, and Native American?" Yeah, I hear that combination a LOT. Single-nationality lineage isn't common now, and it wasn't all that common in Period, either.

For instance, my rabbi is a descendant of the Rambam (Maimonides, Moshe ben Maimon, look him up). That makes him a Jewish Egyptian-Arab on his father's side. I believe his mother was French and Moroccan. His wife is French and Italian. Boring? Not hardly! Most people aren't single-lineage.