Medieval Capsule Wardrobe: Strategically Building Your Historical Closet
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2020
- IN WHICH our intrepid recreatrix participates in her Very First Online Convention! And also talks about medieval clothing, consumerism and conspicuous consumption, rejects gender essentialism, and pets her cat. Again.
If you're interested in how to put together a 14th century wardrobe that builds on basics and still allows for a myriad of coordinating outfit possibilities for both the masculine- and feminine-portraying reenactor, you've come to the right place!
Elin Abrahamsson's Getting Dressed in the 14th C video: • Getting Dressed in the...
Medieval veil wearing class handout: opuselenae.com/wp-content/upl...
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If you would like to see more videos by all of the wonderful creators participating in CoCoVid, we have a downloadable, printable program just for you, with links directly to each person's channel! It can be found here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1kqbv...
Can we just take a moment to appreciate a partner who bakes a pie and then models medieval under garments?
It was SO GOOD TOO
Linen veils are very comfortable in even humid heat. I have been at an event in 95 degree heat with 90% humidity, and managed to do okay in a two-layer linen self-supporting gown over a smock with linen temple and head bands, to which I pinned an oval veil and a square linen wimple. A straw hat for shade topped the whole thing. I felt a lot warmer and stickier in modern underwear under a cotton tank and denim shorts while setting up camp earlier in the day.
That sounds remarkably like my preferred event kit! I find it more comfortable than most modern clothes for the heat too
also veils and wimples are excellent mosquito screens
This is exceptionally useful. Seeing the detail of the masculine cotehardie was really great! Diolch yn fawr!
No, thank YOU! I reeeeally want to make some more 14th c kit for my partner (he likes to live in Elizabethan mostly) with dagging everywhere.
I really appreciated this video. Medieval is not really my go to era, but while the specific garments weren't really applicable, the takeaway concepts of considering mix and match pieces, layering, refreshing your kit with new accessories, are applicable to almost any era. It's a great way reduce personal stress, expense, and environmental impact to build out a current wardrobe instead of making an all new everything for every event. Thank you for putting this together for us.
I plan on doing other eras too!
A+ -kitty- costuming content
For anyone who may be looking for maternity/nursing wear… I strongly recommend a front-opening gown with a sideless surcote for breastfeeding. Very comfy and easy to feed, while keeping you well covered from chilly breezes and uninvited comments. I wear a short sideless surcote (in modern fabrics) over t-shirt and leggings for everyday wear, just because I like how comfy it is as a winter tunic!
Great advice!
I talk to my cat in the exact same way. "Meow" "is that so?" "Meow" "Interesting"
Cats are rarely helpful. My friend who crochets has a cat who loves to take the yarn up the stairs and knock it down. Luckily she clips her projects so that the cat doesn't undo all her work. This shouldn't deter anyone from becoming a cat slave as they are wonderful creatures.
I loved everything about this. The non-gender-specific-ness, the excellent clothing, the historical pie, the cat. I know nothing about medieval clothing other than my favourite bog body. I had such a good time watching this video. Thank you
"sartorially fresh" is a fantastic term
Lol thank you!
I’m so glad you use “masculine” and “feminine” for the two most common genders, rather than “male” and “female”, to make the distinction between gender and sex clearer. Just because most males identify as masculine and most females as feminine doesn’t mean the terms are interchangeable.
Finding your channel has been the best part of CoCoVid thus far, hands down.
Loving everything about this video. Also that lavender cotehardie - not even my era but I'm in love.
Excellent video, as always! Talking about gender variance, decolonization and poor people? What more could I ask for!
As a nonbinary SCAdian - honestly just thank you for the acknowledgement.
Of course! I see you and you’re important. ❤️
And great wording too!
I'm building a Viking Age wardrobe inspired by a couple of Birka gravesites but this is very helpful for that too :) The styles aren't the same but the way the used them (washing etc) are similar
Wonderful!
I do remember talk of there being a sealskin thong in the Greenland finds. It was supposedly used as an incontinence pad. I don’t read any Scandinavian languages & therefore have never searched it out in the original text.
That's true! I've also seen it postulated as a menstruation product. I need to do more research into it
Thank you for a very interesting and practical overview of the 14C wardrobes. I especially appreciated the gender recognition. I appreciate your thoroughness and clarity.
As for smelly linen, they had a solution for that: alum. Alum naturally occurs as a rock salt. It is usually sold purified (dissolved and reconstituted as a block to get rid of grit.) It has been used for a very long time as a dye mordant.
The disadvantage is that it is brittle, like soft rock, so if you drop it on a hard floor it will shatter. But then you can dissolve and reconstitute it. Advantages.
1. One block the size of a small bar if soap lasts for MONTHS. It’s economical, lightweight and compact.
2. It lets you sweat and cool as usual.
3. It is bactericidal, and this is how it deodorises - it kills the bacteria that feed on your sweat.
4. It leaves no visible residue and because it kills the bacteria, they get much less chance to yellow your clothing under the arms with their poop.
5. Rub it on wet after you wash in the morning and it really will last all day. Just give the block a quick rinse and let it air dry a few minutes before you pack it away.
6. It is also good as a shaving antiseptic, and for random cuts and grazes.
The disadvantage is that it is brittle. Best kept in a tin, and in fact nowadays you can buy it in tins, including a screw-up lipstick mechanism, the size and shape of a roll-on deodorant.
They are not all “natural” nowadays, sometimes synthesised. But it is the same mineral, same chemical compound.
PS Alum is food, safe and often used as a condiment or flavouring. It has that here-and-gone mild piquancy like grape skins or wood-sorrel.
Neat! I’ve used it as a mordant for dyeing but not antibacterial purposes!
@@OpusElenae Potassium alum is the literal “salt of the earth” of yore. There are cuneiform tablets recording its use. Some dye processes of the past were quite stinky, as I’m sure you know, using urine etc, and tanners used dog poo: so I think even without Pliny’s advice people anywhere using it as a mordant would independently discover alum as an astringent, antiseptic and as a deodorant, when their hands, feet or materials came up smelling better. Romans in Britain were using it specifically for an underarm deodorant as well as topical treatment for mouth ulcers etc. It was being recovered from shale (rather than pure undissolved rock salt transported from deserts) in Europe by at least mediaeval times. (And in Ireland & UK mining for & refining alum dissolved in shale rock started under Henry viii & Elizabeth). Typically, people get fluttery at alum because - eeek! aluminium (like expecting ochre to behave like steel) not knowing it’s already in commercial deodorants, baking soda and many food products. It was the introduction of synthetic dyes that ended the production of alum from shale in Britain in Victorian times.
First I saw the sweet teapot, then I saw the Nano and collection of spindles back there. You now have my attention, please carry on, historical person of my fiber loving heart.
I really loke that approach to historical dressing, it feels more accessible and more useful in the long term than just trying to reproduce an era buy some piece of clothing that you found some day
this is such a well thought out video! i love a capsule wardrobe, and this is the first time i've seen a medieval one! this is also the first time i've heard ANYONE mention/reject gendered clothing in historical costuming!! thank u (love from ur friendly nonbinary historybounder!)
Enbies and agender peeps are so important! 🥰
We're dropped Decolonize in the first 3 minutes, this is gonna be a good video.
People who SCA and talk to their cats are my people. 💕🤓
That‘s an excellent idea, especially if you are starting to create a new wardrobe or generally don‘t have a lot of storage space. I like how you argued why you‘d include what, so it‘s gives a starting point for adapting the idea to different time periodes.
I'd love to do some more capsule wardrobe videos in other eras too. I'm glad that so many people seem to like this one; it makes me eager to do others.
@@OpusElenae That would be great, and from the CoCoVid lectures I watched, there might even be some historic approaches to capsule wardrobes. The Worth lecture mentioned dresses that came with two bodices, one for day and one for evening use and in the lecture on georgian jewelry sets were mentioned which hat flexible components you could for example add an extra element to the ear-rings if you needed them for a more glamorous occasion.
you are darling, and I absolutely adore this idea! I must get to stitching soon!
kitty floof fun is always welcome
This is super informative and thank you for considering people who don't identify within western society's idea of the gender binary. Great video. ✨
Both of my cats are talkative just like that. We've had some very interesting conversations 😂 it's even funnier when I notice them talking to each other, or to the dogs!
Found you a little late... CoCoVid has been such a blessing to me. Thank you!
This was a great video! The concept of capsule wardrobes is such a helpful one. Thank you for being inclusive of diverse genders!
Thank you! I do plan to do more for other eras (and continue to be supportive).
Excellent video, exactly what I was looking for as I begin my journey into historical costuming and the SCA. Thank you for such a comprehensive, inclusive and informative lecture!
just found your channel and have to say your discussion and treatment of gender was so refreshing and made my eyes leak. thank you.
I’m so glad! It’s important to me.
I really appreciate your videos. I learn so much for my own wardrobe for the various Renaissance Festivals I attend each year. Also it is so calming as I have my own cuppa 😂
Loving the gender recognition and the idea of applying a capsule wardrobe concept to vintage wardrobes!
My black cat is named Quinn. (I believe black cats to be more friendly and intelligent.)
Greetings from the Middle! Very useful content; nicely done!
I have done most of my Pennsics (full two week) with 4 chemises, one linen self supporting cotehardie, one wool self supporting cotehardie, one court overdress, two pairs of hose, one veil, one hood, and one pair of boots. I later added two chitons, a palla, and a pair of sandals; because I went down from heat stroke on the field.
That sounds like a really solid capsule wardrobe! And agree, Roman is indispensable here during Ansteorran summers too.
Thanks. I have hears about how bad Ansteorra is in the summer, I don’t think there is enough light weight linen in all the Empire to make that heat reasonable.
Kathleen Marguerite We mostly take a hiatus over the hottest months; big focus on indoor events and minimal fighting.
This was lovely! Thanks for sharing this. Having actual items to see is so helpful. The cat is adorable!
Thank you for the gender inclusivity as a nonbinary person I do struggle with capsule wardrobes because of how many of the resources about them are so heavily gendered. I'm only 4 minutes in but I just wanted to thank you. I haven't seen much in the way of gender non-conforming representation in the historical costuming community.
So SO many of my chosen family is trans. It's incredibly important to include them and you (and other marginalized people) in my audience.
Such a wonderful and inclusive video! Right now I focus on Georgian items, but I've been really interested in exploring some other eras and want to get capsule wardrobes together for those eras so I can have a lot of different looks without going overboard creating a million different things. This was super helpful and definitely gives me a lot of inspiration for what I might want to do for the Medieval era when I'm ready to branch out!
Awesome video! I'm excited to try making more medieval garments after seeing this!
Just finished a tunic recently, its made of a fairky thin wool flannel for that good ol american west heat, but, its actually fairly toght, but still allows me to move in all the ways id need to, it was quite surprising actually.
Great vid! I loved the impressive line of pretty teacups in the background!
Thank you so much for the informative video. A great resource to refer to when starting out in medieval dress. Have a marvelous day and take care of you (and Bran, of course).
Oh! This is lovely! I found this through the master playlist, and it's really helpful!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is so helpful to someone interested in getting started in the SCA and having no idea about what's needed (clothing wise) for myself and my husband. Yay! I'm inspired!
Another SCA TH-camr to check out is Morgan Donner. Also the Welsh Viking. Welcome to the SCA!
@@jeanneclark99 love love love Morgan Donner and just discovered Welsh Viking during Cocovid!
I am planning on making a medieval style capsule wardrobe, and this video was very useful, thanks!
I’m glad!
I have to say, as a lurker merely watching videos by so many people in the costuming community, how AMAZING it is that so many of you are so explicit about how clothes relate to gender, both in the past and in the present. I'm quite conventionally cis myself, but not all my friends are, and it's great to see their lives being acknowledged and somehow platformed by you and other content creators.
Never appear in the same outfit twice! Man! I have been a landed Princess and a landed Baroness. I own one "super nice" SCA outfit I wear for most important things (set-ups, set-down, peerage ceremonies...). I am sure glad I never hear that expectation!
I’m so glad you haven’t! There’s this weird unspoken side eye southern judgement thing if your clothes start looking worn or you step out in the same dress too many times and you’re in a leadership position.
@@OpusElenae guess its just our casual Californian nature!
I’m so glad I found your channel through Cocovid! Your content is magnificent!
You e got a new fan in me!! Congrats on an outstanding video! Love the content! Look forward to more
I have been looking for something like this for a while now. This is perfect!!!
This was very nice. I like how you acknowledged the issues of gender. Also the idea of the capsule wardrobe is helpful for newbies like me to use as an attainable goal to work towards. (Also black cats are the best. Mine loves talking to me too.)
All voids are best void!
@@OpusElenae Hear hear!
Another video to watch again in the near future :D
Very nicely listed and presented essentials (the items look amazing themselves as well). Thank you so much for putting this up, I'll be on the lookout for more of your videos ^__^
Aww did you start it with 'Croeso' ? That's a nice bit of surprise Welsh while perusing new TH-cam channels:)
Yes I did! I have Welsh heritage, and the persona I embody in the SCA is Welsh so I kind of thought it would be a fun intro/outro (I say "hwyl" too). If you like history and want more Cymraeg in your videos, check out The Welsh Viking too!
You mentioned pennsic and I'm sad again but living my best medieval life through watching you!!!! 😭😭😍😍😍
Dress up and join me with a cuppa next Friday!
@@OpusElenae yeeEEEES!!!! 💜💜
Thank you for this video! I'm SCA in Ontario and I am excited to see another CosTuber! Also black cat owners unite. Wonderful video! SUbscribed!
I love the out take at the beginning!
This was fabulous!
This was such a great video! Thank you! (Also, love the "unhelpful" kitty at the end! Very cute!)
Hazzah! From An Tir!!
An Tir fl. Barony of Wastekeep over here!
I truly appreciate your honesty and humor! I subscribed today!
If you really think just inserting your cat into the video is gonna get me to stick around, then you're absolutely right. I simply must see more of this handsome boi.
Sadly, Production Assistant Bran is no longer among us. But he does feature in… almost all the videos prior to 2023.
@@OpusElenae Sorry to hear it. If it's any consolation, he's got another medieval enthusiast's cat to keep him company up there.
@@anthonyhayes1267 Thank you; he had a good, full life, and I'm glad to think he's got friends around.
Thanks! I am just starting to get into historical reenactment, and I am trying to sew myself some clothing. So far, I have made a tunic and I am starting to make mockups for a kirtle.
I love this! Welcome to the madness that is historical costuming.
Ahh what a lovely and interesting video!!! I got so excited I had to pause the video when you mentioned gender nonconformity :) thank you for doing something to make historical costuming and clothing in general feel a bit less cis normative 💓 I'd love to try planning out some different ideas which maybe bridge the gap between 'masculine' and 'feminine'! It's interesting how gendered styles are separated and how they mimic one another x
This is SUCH useful information. Thank you so much for putting it together!
I love this video so much. I've been feeling so overwhelmed with putting together wardrobes for myself and my shop. This has helped narrow down what to make into a few easy items. Thank you so much for the help. I really appreciate all your videos. 💙☕ Cheers
I’m so glad! I’d love to see what you put together!
@@OpusElenae If dont mind seeing cat pictures too, I have an Instagram account I've start posting too. Its Lunas Flights of Fancy if you ever want to check it out. It means a lot to me that you want too see my work. 😊
SO HELPFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love your things in the background! & The black cat!! I have 2 of them... excellent clothing descriptions too
Thank you!
Extraordinarily helpful video. Been trying to figure out what a "complete" wardrobe would look like.
Fantastic video, thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you so much for this video! So pleased that CoCoVid allowed me to find you in the sea of TH-cam content!
There is SO MUCH out there. I know that I've found new channels to watch via cocovid too!
@@OpusElenae I too am very glad to have found you through cocovid, there seems to be so much 18th and 19h century stuff, that some earlier stuff is soo nice to see!
A Silver Fox in Tasmania there are a few of us! Make sure to check out Kacy Burchfield and Little Welsh Viking for more medieval and early period content.
@@OpusElenae I have found both through Cocovid, which is wonderful :)
@@asilverfoxintasmania9940 Oh also check out Elen Abrahamsson, she does medieval stuff too! And Daisy Viktoria! I should just make a MedievalCostuber playlist.....
This was very nice and soothing to watch. Also, your kitty reminds me of my own kitty.
Very glad you are keeping the old ways alive. Finding you makes a dull day alive! Thanks for sharing your time and talent! KANSAS
Thank you!
You and your partner are amazing! Baking and then playing dress up with your beautiful partner sounds like a great day🥰😭
I also appreciate the notes about gender in the beginning. Your channel is a treasure
I’m so glad you feel welcome! ❤️
Best examples, ever!!!
As a Medieval Re-enactor, Medieval film actor/director and choreographer, I love your presentation, the way you speak so calmly to the audience. I know this is from a year ago, but I'm just now finding your channel and going to go through that little time capsule to the present. Best wishes.
That's high praise, thank you! I try to act like i know what I'm doing, but I'm constantly learning how to do it better.
@@OpusElenae We are always learning and nothing is better than continuing that path! You get better with each one. Best wishes!
Adorable kitty and great content. What more could we ask for?
As an enby, medieval history enthusiast, medieval costumer and TH-cam content creator, the issue of gender in medieval garmentry has been one I have not known how to address. The medieval period did have a very different lens on gender, and I have really struggled with finding appropriate language, mainly because of my still limited knowledge on the topic. I thought you made a good job of it without opening up a lengthy discussion on the differences between the modern and the medieval concepts of gender. Nice.
Thank you! I'm glad it resonated; social justice in general and gender issues in particular are very dear to my heart.
Oh, I am so happy I found your channel thanks to CoCoVid!
I’m so happy you did too! Welcome!
I am sorry that your experience in the SCA has been one of pressure towards conspicuous consumption. I am from Lochac, and have not had that experience that myself. There is an expectation that Royalty should have at least one "really nice" outfit, but there are plenty to help out if that if not your skill. I suppose that in some way the size of Lochac helps, in that as Royalty travel, they don't often encounter the same people, so few would notice if they are wearing the same outfits more often. It is also understood that the cost of travel for Royalty is so high in Lochac (even if half is usually subsidised), that we make a lot of allowanced for other expenses.
In the Barony of Aneala (Western Australia, where I am from), we have a Baron who is notorious for having worn the same three cotton t-tunics for the 15 years since he joined the SCA. His wife has a larger wardrobe, but it is still quite simple with a selection of plain kirtles and sleeves to mix and match. When people comment on Hix Excellency's drab attire, she will respond "If he wants new garb, he can make it himself!". For their elevation to B&B, others in the Barony stepped in and helped sew some nice Burgundian outfits in the Baronial colours, however I think that they have only come out 2-3 times in the five years since. Even when the Royalty visit, our Baron still shows up to court in a blue cotton t-tunic!
One thing I am very glad about in my barony is the strong "destash" environment we have. Are you someone who loves sewing, but have too much garb? Don't fit that gown any more? More interested in a different style? About once a year we have a Destash Market (usually shortly before Christmas), where we bring along anything we no longer want (including fabrics, trim, feast gear etc.). Any old garb you no longer want is either sold for very little, or even given away. It is always a good chance for new members to help build up a larger wardrobe, once they have the basics organised). The goal isn't to be selling for profit, or even making back the cost in materials, but to ensure garb that is no longer needed gets another life. I sold my favourite woollen gown about 18 months ago in this way. Its new owner loves it, and I smile inside ever time I see it worn and appreciated. As well as making garb more financially accessible (and by extension, the SCA more accessible), we all also understand the impacts of textile waste on the environment. And nothing says "I value the craftsmanship and skill of a seamstress" more than seeing other people we garb that you made 12 years ago and passed on to someone else, who isn't even the person wearing it now!
I love this! And yeah, it’s A Thing here in Ansteorra. Not everyone participates in the garb rat race, but I see a lot of pressure (or results of the pressure) in royals and nobility.
This video is verry interesting. I really like it!
i love your set dressing :3
Thank you! I have way too many teapots lol
Thank you this is very helpful and enjoyed your kitty’s joining you. Also your positive statements of all kinds of inclusion people. We are all different with the same needs. Unconditional love.
I feel strongly about welcoming everyone except bigots.
Thanks for another great video I really enjoyed it.
Glad you enjoyed it
Wonderful overview, thank you ^^
Love your kitty cat, I talk to mine all the time too. :D
Very informative and nice video. Thank you!
WOW!! I would have loved to have taken a class with you when the Ren-Symposium was going on. Basically it was a Renaissance Costume College plus battle items, character development, etc. This has an amazing amount of Excellent information.
Thank You.
That sounds amazing! If they do something else like it, shoot me a line; I’d love to be part of it
@@OpusElenae If they do you are on the top of my list. I was able to do it two years in a row.. then 2 years unable.... and now this """"Stuff""". It was a blast. and we got 'favors' in some classes. I wanted my time there to have as much classes as I could force in in two days. and there was a get together that cost a fortune that I refused to pay the huge price for... and brought my own foods for two days. I Loved the classes. Loved them.
Wow wow wow wow wow you're amazing, thank you
Thank you for making this interesting and informative video!
My pleasure!
youtube recs and historical fashion interest brought me here, "clothing has no inherent gender" got me to subscribe
I’m so glad you found me! Welcome!
@@OpusElenae thank u so much!
Loved the info and the kitty. Just subscribed.
Welcome!
My nonbinary self came up with this idea: just mixing and matching both recognised genders' items, like, say 1830s women's hair, men's headwear (with enough space for the bun), women's stays/corsets, and upper part of the dress (jacket), trousers and men's shoes...
I'm ecstatic to think of it
Heck yeah! We love a genderless closet!
Catching this late... nice video.
Thank you!
I started the video expecting some casual interesting informations. 2 minutes in I'm like "Not disappointed so far, very good speech and seems to be very well informed" Then 2:38 happen and I was like "Ok here's a subscriber and my respect 🙇🧡" Thanks for your work !
I’m so glad to welcome you! 💜
Thanks, great video! I got some good tips out of it :-) But the kitty was the best best part tho :-D
He’s always the best part
Glad tidings my Lady from Bhakail in the East!
Your video is so interesting! You have a new subscriber! :-)
So if I have insulation as found in ceilings as pads does that keep me cool in summer?
Are you asking if you should wear building insulation?
Thank you for this informative video, it was really fun to watch! I'm definitely subscribing😁Would it be possible for you to add English subtitles in the future? Since my native tongue isn't English I had a bit of a hard time understanding some of the names for the clothes.
Absolutely! I’m going through my back catalogue to add captions, so any video that has [CC] in the title is captioned accurately.