2005-07-06 - 5:37 p.m.

A Passion for Fashion or It Is All About The Boobs . . .

Damned, I have been busy!

Anywhoo, the 4th of July was a blast and we had loads of fun. (We also ate too much, but so did everyone else so all is good.)

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Pennsic is approaching and yes, I am panicking. In fact, I don't even want to think about it. Suffice to say that I still have fencing shirts to deal with, an arming doublet to fix, heavy armor to strap (with Marcellus' help), and assorted other bits and pieces that just take time.

Plus, I need to finish Denise's dresses.

(And thank god for Vitha, who is making a really nifty heraldic dress for me. Thank you Vitha!)

Luckily, the blue one is done and ready to deliver. The gold is taking a little bit longer but I do hope to finish it in a week. The guards on the bodice are done, and I just need to finish the guards on the skirt.

Plus the sleeves.

Plus an underskirt. (Gotta have an underskirt.)

The latter don't take that much time, but it adds up anyway. But it has been worth it.

I love the way this project is coming along and I have learned a lot on how to put together this particular type of dress (which, by the way, has nothing to do with my persona but I know I will make one for myself all the same).

And speaking of persona development. I have been reading a lot in order to get it right. In that, I have succeeded. Now I know who Belphoebe is, where she came from, what she did, and why she does what she does.

And all of it is documentable down to the very last detail.

Having said that, I have also discovered that I have a passion for fashion -- any fashion -- and that sidetracks me from sticking just to the sort of stuff that Bel would have worn. The fact that I am now awfully intrigued by 16th Century Venetian gown construction does not help at all.

It is all because of the boobs.

Yes, boys and girls, the more I learn about construction of garments, the more I am convinced that the engineering of female garb of any period was heavily influenced by the problem of "What to do with these boobs?"

Think about it: Cotes are self-supporting, so do Italian Renn dresses, not to mention anything that involves a corset.

But wait! Not all is about the corsets. Take a look at the gorgeous bliaut and you will notice that the bodice is also self-supporting.

Turkish? Some of it is tight enough that can support a generous pair of boobs. And if something looks loose, I am now wondering what they are wearing underneath.

These days, wearing a modern bra under my garb is anathema.

Oh, I do wear it with some garb, don't get me wrong. But the more I build gowns, the more I strive for not wearing anything modern and for finding out what was worn under the hood.

The fact that in some cases there is very little information about it, if any, only adds to the challenge.

Ahhhh, the pursuit of period underwear is threatening with taking over my work.

Victoria's Secret has nothing on me.

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