This is a project started in 2012 that I updated some information on recently by request. the full resource is not open for download, but group chatelaines and recruiters in Calontir can ask for access. As of 1/2020 there were over 100 entries in the guide. Two are provided here as examples as well as the project description.
Project Description v 1.2 2020
The dream of the Costuming Guide is to make a usable tool to assist groups and chatelaines in recruitment and retention as well as aid our members, new and old. We hope it will aid individuals in knowing their options for historic clothing as well as expanding their knowledge of the clothing commonly produced and warn around them.
When we talk to people about joining us in our recreation hobby, there are often times when their vision of what we do does not line up with the actual things we do. One of these cases of discordance can lay with historic costuming. There are people who think we do what some of us would call theatrical costuming, or cosplay or LARPing. Although these are related to what we do, there needs to be an effective way to show the differences between what they do and what we do. By having a source of examples of what we do we can effectively draw distinctions and educate people on our hobby.
There are also those who join with us in our game but who lack either the specific knowledge about historic clothing or lack the vocabulary needed to articulate their desires for clothing production. Many of us who do recruiting work have had a new person we are talking to and we ask them what time period or what culture they would like to explore, and they on occasion, cannot describe what they want. Although a guide of commonly produced fashions does not solve all these problems, it can form another resource in a recruiter’s arsenal.
There are those who don’t know where to start in tracking down patterns and primary sources of information. On occasion I have seen an image of someone’s costuming or an image in a book and thought I would like to try that, but I wasn’t sure what it would even be called. Having a well populated guide could also help people to be pointed in the direction of at least a few resources. It will also represent an easy resource for the unsure newcomer to point to in order to say ‘I’m doing it right, yes, I will fit in.’
This Project is designed to have a specific scope to it. It is not the end all and be all of guides to all clothing. It is not intended to become an encyclopedia of all knowledge on costuming. It is also not intended to become a pattern book for the production of all historic costuming. By controlling the content that is submitted as well as the format it is in, we hope to direct it to meet our primary goals.
We also recognize that this project may spawn other projects with greater scopes. In the future there may be a way to automatically categorize and store patterns and information or a way to link to other wiki’s that have come before.
The Current Design
The hope is that as submissions are processed each submission with be used to generate a 1 page (front and back) entry that includes the basic information and at least 2 photos, one of a source example and one of a recreated example that someone is wearing around today. It will be enough to introduce someone to the concept of the costuming component and contain at least a couple resources to direct someone down the path of being able to produce the garment themselves.
The entries can then either be printed and put in a binder for use at recruitment opportunities or meetings, or viewed on laptops or tablets. There is also a chance that the entries will be uploaded to a website to allow universal access.
Because of the use of the entries, all photos will need to come with releases that we may use them from the person in the photograph as well as the photographer.
Stars and Garters 