Last night, I received my recent exchange from American Duchess, a footwear company that specializes in historical reproduction and historical inspired shoes. I LOVE them, although I can't afford to own many of their shoes (this brings the count to three). And it scratches an itch I've had for a very, very long time: I love historical fashion and reproductions, and want to cover myself in all of it. I enjoy watching historical fashion youtube channels like Bernadette Banner, Abby Cox, and Karolina Żebrowska (actually, she designed one of my pairs of American Duchess shoes!) and dream of the day I have a wardrobe like theirs.
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| My American Duchess collection, with the Karolina designed shoes in the middle. |
Well. One of my goals is to learn how to make my own wardrobe. See, the thing is, I hate fast fashion. I hate the styles, I hate how easily these clothes get ruined, and I hate what this cycle of throw-away consumerism does to the environment. (Quite frankly, I'm disappointed when I hear friends buying most of their clothes from sites like Temu.) I hate that clothes these days aren't made for the weather, but assume we'll be spending our time in heated or air conditioned spaces with the briefest of walks from building to car, car to building. (As someone who commutes by public transit and does a lot of walking in the elements, I can tell you right now that our modern clothes are not made with that in mind!) Now, I'm not immune to fast fashion; when I'm in need of a wardrobe refresh, mostly because I wear my dresses long past their expectancy, I will pick up some things from Target (who has started putting pockets in their dresses finally!), because it is more budget-friendly than the "sustainable" wear I otherwise buy. I'll admit that. But my actual go-to, when I can spare the funds or have a gift certificate, is Eshakti. All their dresses are made to order (so no wasted stock), to your size (your exact measurements if you want), can be customized in the hem and neckline, and have POCKETS! Oh, yeah, and they last SO long-- I have dresses from them that are approaching 10 years that I still wear constantly. I have some dresses from them that are definitely much fancier so I don't wear much, but of my selection of their "every day" dresses, you bet I do wear them every day. They're durable, they're good quality, they're not fast fashion... and did I mention the pockets? I definitely recommend them.
Anyway. I love Eshakti, but still... they're expensive, and I'm limited to what they offer. And while the dresses are gorgeous, they definitely don't scratch that historical itch. And so, we come to what will be one of my goals for next year. (And actually was my goal a couple years ago, but it's much more likely to come to fruition next year because of life circumstances.) I would like to learn enough about sewing to be able to start making my own wardrobe. I know the basics of sewing (I'm much more comfortable with hand stitching than a machine, but I have one... as seen in the photo above), and have made a few simple things over the years (a simple wizard cloak, a couple skirts), although most of my sewing has been just patching up things as needed and adding pockets to skirts. Hey, it's a start, right? But I've been at a loss of how to further develop that. I have no idea how to read a pattern or what most terms mean. But next year...
See, life is changing next year. Next year, I'm moving back home to Massachusetts. Which I'm very excited for in general, but also the specific circumstances! Which, this post isn't about the specifics, but it involves the fact that I'll be living with my mother, and that is relevant here because... my mom sews. My mom knows how to sew. Actually, I come from a looooong line of seamstresses; my grandparents' generation worked in the New England mills, my great aunt (ciocią) always made our Halloween costumes from scratch, my mom made me a fun poodle skirt for a 50s inspired middle school dance. We sew. And I'd love to keep that alive but, again, I don't know how to even start on developing this skill further than the basics that I know. But my mom knows. She even has an entire craft room that's dedicated to her quilting hobby. (Well, okay, lately it's turned into one of her cats' bedrooms lol.)
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| This was actually my bedroom until I moved downstairs in high school. |
She also has a beautiful antique Singer (it was my ciocią's), which folds down into its own desk, that I've never been skilled enough to use, but... maybe one day. She also inherited a serger from my ciocią, which I did use for a couple of my high school projects, but I know she gifted it to her best friend many years ago so I'm not sure if she has it or is able to get it again (said friend passed away about 10 years ago). Still, that would be amazing to have on hand as well!
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| This is just a picture taken off the internet but it's basically the same one my mom has. |
Anyway, all this to say... one of my goals for 2024 (aside from moving cross-country, graduating from my master's program, getting a librarian job, and fixing up the house and land I'm moving into...) is to start learning how to really make my own wardrobe. I'm not sure when I'm moving yet (sometime in the spring, but actual date is to be determined), so my timeline will shift depending on that and when I get settled, but I'd like to have at least 3 skirts, or maybe even 3 different styles of skirts, made by the end of the year, and maybe a whole dress if things progress really smoothly.
Like I said, I don't know how to read patterns, never mind adjust them to my size (I am not, after all, anything close to your beauty standards in that regard), so it's more than just learning the actual act of sewing. In reality, the sewing skill itself is probably way less than you'd imagine! So, it'll be a process, but that's my goal. My long-term goal is to have a whole wardrobe made by myself (aside from a few select pieces from elsewhere, of course), with materials that fit each season and are comfortable and long-lasting. We'll see how long it takes to get there.
