One of the first mentored costuming projects I ever did was back in 2007, for the local Christmas Madrigal Banquets, under a fantastic woman named Karin, whom I admire and try to work with whenever I can to this day. She taught me so very much, mentoring my early teenage self out of the how-to-sew-class style I 'd worked with since I was very small, into actual costuming and building. (And embracing what I thought was me cutting corners or "cheating", but was actually practical, real sewing, just not taught in classes. Who knew??)
Now, Karin's magic extended far and above the servant costumes for all of us servers, which have to be streamlined and fit the Renaissance style, while being enormously flexible, able to fit an almost entirely different set of serving staff each night of the annual 14 banquets. An incredible feat in itself. On top of that, Karin was costuming approximately 12-16 singers in grand Renaissance dress, plus the Lord and Lady, Castle Page and Honor Guards, Ladies in Waiting, Steward and his Second, and a few others. All on a shoestring budget and with never enough fabric yardage.
The bodices and short chemises on the 2 of us on each end are pieces I made in my teens.
Over the years, I worked on things like cutting slashes in a leather slash-and-puff German men's doublet, adding decorative cord to a lady's French hood, cutting and building many, many servant's bodices in different cuts and sizes, finishing and embellishing hats, and on the list goes. Here's where I started to realize that my affinity for hand sewing when I could was not a common skill.
I learned so much about the give-and-take between historicity and practicality in these early years. Like the cross-lacing on the servants' bodices; not historical, but practically much easier to teach modern volunteers to lace and tie themselves as opposed to historical spiral lacing. So, compromises are made in the small things. Similar thing finding and using "close enough" fabrics when working on a tight budget. And that piecing fabric is totally period (just look at extent garments!). And not sweating little things -- as Karin prioritized: "Well, this show happens in the dark"! So many things I take with me through all my life and my own projects.
My fellow costume assistant Deb that year - helping each other tie our spiral lacing.
In my late teens, I was a costume assistant on the floor, for the brief time we had that position. I modified a semi-historical dress I was given (the pale blue one) to make it a little less Halloween costume-y and a little more flattering. The satin had a lovely swoosh. Very important, I'm sure.
Over the years, I've added more servants' costume pieces to my collection, making it so much easier to get ready on nights I'm serving. And applying things I've learned about cutting for fit, etc. so each one is better. This event and working with Karin on and off over so many years (I need to find a picture with her...) have been so formative in my costuming journey. I look forward to learning more every chance I have to work with someone who really "knows their stuff" in this way!
