Saturday, February 16, 2013

Folk Costume--Nuts and Bolts

From Franco Rios on the HistoricKnit Yahoo list, I learned about this fascinating blog: Folk Costume & Embroidery. Unlike the Folklore Fashion site I blogged about back in November, Folk Costume & Embroidery often goes into detail about how a particular costume is made and ornamented, with lovely illustrative pictures!

It's worth noting that learning the details of some of these costumes may be giving important clues as to when the costume began to solidify into a "folk" costume instead of remaining living fashion wear.  For example, in this entry, the blogger reveals that an important element of Provençal folk costume is finely quilted decorative skirts--a mainstay of 18th century costume. This entry, in contrast, shows underclothing that clearly resembles fashionable women's underclothing of the mid-19th century (take special note of the straight, short, almost sleeveless chemise and pantalettes). Though I'm not interested in folk costume for its own sake, I find these historical trace elements fascinating. I'm looking forward to exploring the site further and commend it to my readers with congruent interests.

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