Gentle readers,
I have been working on a rather large costume project the last few weeks and I promise to start posting about that work. However, I thought I should give the background and inspiration for said project. As you might have noticed, I have in the past been more than a little friendly with the world of Renaissance Faires. I also have a rather extreme fondness* for hats. In the insular world of the Renaissance Faire, those of the piratical persuasion often have the most fabulous hats. Imagine my glee, then, when I heard that the local steampunk community was holding a pirate parade! I could combine my fondness for hats, my appreciation for the more flamboyant piratical-wear, and my current interest in the Steampunk community. And that, my dears, is precisely what I have been working on these last several weeks.
My dear auntie gave me a fabulous pattern set from Laughing Moon Mercantile for Christmas. The sporting jacket which I shared recently came from this set of patterns. In that package was also the delightfully named and intriguing Turkish trousers. My auntie encouraged me to make up these trousers right away and so with the pirate costume in mind, I dove right into Turkish Trouser Madness. They were quite fun to make, and I think they will be splendid to wear! (I shall write about these trousers very soon. )
The costume also requires, in my mind at least, an appropriate vest or, in this case, corset. I have been madly working away on the mock-up and intend to start the actual garment this week. There are plans within plans for this pattern which my other dear auntie on the west coast gave me. I am entirely inspired by the gold work embroidery of the Balkans and of North Africa and have decided on this basis alone that my pirate costume will be something of a re-imagined Ottoman Empire bandit. Certainly in the Balkans, bandits were rather revered as rebels in direct opposition to the Ottoman rulers. They were romanticized, balladized, and probably a number of other things which are much less charming to discuss.
This Ottoman influence led me by various pathways toward Zouaves and Zouave Vivandieres. So while I am working on the corset vest, I will also be creating my take on the hat I see in many old photos of Zouaves. Oh, I could just make a fez--and believe me I have thought about it!--but I am curious to try something a little different. (After all, I can always make a fez, too. Just for fun. Because fezes are awesome. ) When discussing any kind of piratical attire, one must take careful consideration of the hat*.
Once the pants, vest and hat are complete, I will move onto the less pressing but none the less fun garments: spats, a shirt, and a piratical sash. One simply must have a sash! I have one or two sashes that might suffice but I'm rather in the mood to make one that will coordinate with the ensemble. The spats will come from the same set of patterns that I've used for the trousers and sporting jacket. In our Tucson climate, the spats will provide the advantage of a saucy look without the warmth of boots. Of course, the top is the least critical item of the whole list and so that shall wait for the end. If time permits, I may put together a sheath for my wooden Tai Chi saber so that I may be piratical while swashing my buckle. Or is that buckling my swash?
~La Cucitrice
*I'm sure I can stop wearing hats any time that I want to but why ever would I want to stop wearing hats?!
No comments:
Post a Comment