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Tag Archives: historical accuracy

Purple Silk Tudor Round Gown & Black Linen Kirtle

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Trystan L. Bass
Tudor Round Gown at Collegium 2024

Sometime in early to mid 2024, I got a hankering for a new 16th-century outfit. No reason, nowhere to wear it, just wanted one. And not necessarily a fancy one either. I decided to order the Tudor Tailor pattern for a woman’s round gown and see how that made up. Although first, I realized I

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Posted in 16th Century, SCA | Tags: finished costume, French hood, historical accuracy, kirtle, makin' a muslin, trim trim trim, tudor round gown, Tudor Tailor |

18th-c. Does 17th-c. Masquerade Gown – In Progress

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Trystan L. Bass
1740s - Frances Courtenay by Thomas Hudson

I’ve wanted to make a repro of this gown since seeing the painting of Lady Frances Courtenay by Thomas Hudson at the Huntington in 2011. I love seeing how one era interprets another era, and this style is so romantic and pretty! Apparently, this was a whole genre of painting, a trend for upper-class women

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Posted in 18th Century | Tags: accessories, failure is always an option, handsewing is weird, hats, historical accuracy, historical portrait, jewelry, Rubens masque costume, ruffs, satin is not your friend |

A Brief History of Women’s Eyeglasses (Plus Tips for Wearing Glasses With Historical Costumes)

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Trystan L. Bass
Therese Schwartze, 1918, wearing eyeglasses

While many of us simply adore immersing ourselves in past times, the history, the fashions, the literature, and all the ephemera, one thing we take for granted is our modern corrective eyewear. If you’re lucky to have 20/20 vision, or still young enough that the natural degeneration of eyesight due to aging hasn’t caught up

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Posted in Articles | Tags: accessories, eyeglasses, historical accuracy, historical research, seeing is believing, shopping | 3 Comments |

The Ghost of Catherine Earnshaw From Wuthering Heights

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Trystan L. Bass
the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights

For the Costume College 2015 Gala, I wanted to go along with that year’s “Plucked From the Pages” literature theme. And one of my all-time favorite book characters is Cathy’s ghost in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It’s such an iconic scene from gothic literature. Of course, I’ve made this costume before back in 2002

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Posted in 18th Century, Characters | Tags: books, Bronte, costume college, failure is always an option, finished costume, historical accuracy, literary references, literature, make-up | 4 Comments |

Brontë Beginnings

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Trystan L. Bass
Bronte Parsonage Museum sign

I have a hankering to recreate Charlotte Brontë’s going-away dress, c. 1854. Specifically to wear at Costume College in 2015, since the theme will be “Plucked From the Pages,” aka books and literary characters.  I have a pattern (really just a scaled diagram) taken from the actual dress that is at the Brontë Parsonage Museum

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Posted in 19th Century, Characters | Tags: Bronte, historical accuracy, historical research | 2 Comments |

Largess Recommendations for the West Kingdom

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Trystan
Violet Ruthvene's SCA Device

By Lady Violet Ruthvene in the SCA This is an accompaniment to a lecture class I taught at the West Kingdom Collegium in November 2013. The goal is to help people in the Society for Creative Anachronism create largess — the small gifts that royalty give to their subjects, such as to welcome visitors, to thank

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Posted in Articles, SCA | Tags: historical accuracy, SCA arts & sciences, SCA class, SCA largess |

Venetian Camicia

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Trystan

New costumes start from the skin out, so that means new undies. Sure, I have shifts / smocks / chemises (depending on how historically accurate you want to be & which specific century you’re talking about). But for playing a Venetian courtesan at renaissance faires this year, I needed a specific type of undershirt, the

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Posted in 16th Century | Tags: historical accuracy, historical research, undies, Venetian courtesan |

Why Metal Grommets Are the Visible Panty Lines of Historical Costuming

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Trystan

When you’re just starting out in this wonderful world of costuming, you tend to use what’s easy and fast. This is no crime, we’ve all done it, that’s to be expected. If you want to lace up a garment, you need to reinforce the lacing holes so they don’t wear out, and you find some

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Posted in Articles | Tags: historical accuracy, historical research, rant | 10 Comments |

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My backyard makeover is complete! Added a patio umbrella last weekend & am ready to use the firepit tonight. Coconut bunnies & mango piggies at Peony Seafood Restaurant! Had dim sum with my parents & then we set up the cantilever umbrella on my patio, which was a huge hassle because of filling the giant base with sand. 18th-century but make it goth. I’m incapable of anything else! Another lazy Sunday for these two. I’ve finally got a purple(ish) rose! And lots of pink ones! The pink rose bush is in full sun, while the other is partly shaded. But the hated yellow rose flourished over there so I’m hopeful. Thanks to @the.garden.mamas for planting these beauties! All the other gothy plants seem to be going great too. The chair cushions I made a little while back are finally in place! A friend gave me one of those bat corkscrews! It’s not as quick to use as a regular one, but it sure is cute. Big crowd in SF today! Just a few of the signs I could get pix of. Heading into the weekend like…

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12 May 2025 - Kendra

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WCW: Charity Wakefield
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Misbehaviour (2020)
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