Why, they're the very things I hope will save us,
Your saffron dresses and your finical shoes,
Your paints, and perfumes, and your robes of gauze.
-- Aristophanes, Lysistrata
My main creative outlet in recent years has been costume design.
I've always loved historical costuming; as a child I read historical
novels and doodled bustled skirts before I knew what they were.
Several years ago, I began working at Renaissance Faires, and I
taught myself how to sew in order to make myself a costume.
Since then I've been hooked, and I've worked with time periods
from the Italian Renaissance through the 1950s.
I've made costumes for myself, my friends, and for customers.
While most of my work has involved making men's and women's
peasant and middle class costume for Ren Faires, I like to
dabble in other time periods a great deal.
I've made Victorian costumes for Dicken's fairs, 1920's flapper
dresses for ragtime balls, and am now working on a new pattern for
1940's zoot suits (for swing dancing) currently.
My project list is ever-growing, but I'd like to make an 1870's
bustle dress, some 1940's dance dresses, and an early 18th century
dress with panniers!
Interested in Costuming? Where do you start?
A list of great book, catalog, and supplier resources.
- Books
(All-too-easily ordered online through
Amazon.com)
- The Cut of Women's Clothes
- Norah Waugh
- The Cut of Men's Clothes
- Norah Waugh
- Corsets and Crinolines
- Norah Waugh
- Elizabethan Costuming
- Winter and Savoy
- Victorian Costuming, Vol 1
- Winter and Savoy
- Catalogs and Mail Order
Universal sources for hard-to-find items like boning, busks,
and grommets!
- Greenberg and Hammer -- catalog free. Great for boning.
- 24 West 57th Street, New York City, New York, 10019
212-246-2835 FAX: 212-765-8475
AMEX, Visa, MC: $20.00 Minimum (phone)
Toll Free: 1-800-955-5135
Store hours: M-F 9-6 (EST)-- Sa 10-5 (EST)
-
Amazon Dry Goods
- 2218 East 11th St., Davenport, IA 52803,
(319) 322-6800, general catalog $2
- Thai Silks
- Mail order silk - $20 a year for swatches quarterly.
252-W. State St. Los Altos, CA 94022
Fax 415-948-3426 Phone 415-948-8611
- Alter-Years (formerly Raiments)
- P.O. Box 93095, Pasadena, CA 91109, (818) 797-2723
72437.674@compuserve.com, catalog $5
- Lacey Costume Wig
- 505 Eighth Ave., 11th Floor, NY, NY 10018,
(800) 562-9911, free catalog
- Oriental Trading Company
- PO Box 3407, Omaha, NE 68103, (800) 327-9678, free catalog
- The Whole Costumer's Catalog
- Box 207, Main St., Beallsville, PA 15313, (412) 632-3242, $18
- Bay Area Costuming Supplies
Local places with unusual stuff.
- Fabrix
- Address and Hours
- D&S Fabrics
- Address and Hours
- Berkeley Hat Company
- Address and Hours
- Bolts End
- 2743 Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, (510) 537-1684
- Britex Fabrics
- 146 Geary (Union Square), San Francisco, (415) 255-0604
- Discount Fabrics
- 1432 Haight St. near Masonic, San Francisco, (415) 621-5584
- Discount Fabrics (warehouse)
- 510 Third St. @ Bryant, San Francisco, (415) 495-4201
- Fabric Outlet
- 2109 Mission near 17th, San Francisco, (415) 552-4525
- Gunne Saks Outlet
- 634 Stanford off Brannan & near 2nd, San Francisco, (415) 495-3326
M-Sa 9:30am - 6pm
Sun 11am-5pm
- Hancock Fabric Warehouse
- 3690 El Camino Real @ Lawrence Expwy., Santa Clara, (408) 246-1644
- San Jose Fabrics
- 746 The Alameda @ Bush St., San Jose (408) 287-2172
- Stone Mountain & Daughter
- 2516 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, (510) 845-6106
- Fastener Supply Company
- 977 Howard St., San Francisco, (415) 392-6968
- Lacis
- 2982 Adeline St., Berkeley, (510) 843-7178
- Vintage Reflections (San Jose Historial Museum)
- 1650 Senter Rd., San Jose, (408) 993-8136
Costuming Related Links