What do Dust Ruffles and Dress Shields, Beginning Thermoplastics techniques, Death’s Head Buttons, and Making a Pair of Mechanical Wings have in common? Each is one of the over 150 classes that will be offered at this year’s Costume College, presented by the Costumers Guild West, this July in Woodland Hills, California. As an avid [...]
Highclere Castle Highclere Castle is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and also features as Downton Abbey, the hugely successful drama series with over 11 million viewers in the UK and now shown in over 100 countries around the world. From the pen of Oscar-winning ('Gosford Park') screenwriter, Julian Fellowes, now Lord [...]
The American West has left an indelible mark on fashion trends on both sides of the Atlantic. Few periods are more distinct than the styles that emerged as civilization came across America and newly-established towns created an environment where ladies could once again aspire to dress as they had when they still lived in the [...]
The Victorian Era is named for Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. As you might imagine, fashions changed dramatically over this 60-year span, but the changes didn’t happen as quickly as you might think. During the early years of the Victorian age, travel and communication were much slower than today, so a particular [...]
We hope you will enjoy making this beloved decoration. Depending on the paper you use, and the embellishments you choose, your cones can be very simple, very elegant, or anything in between. The materials are easy to obtain, and the technique for making them can be mastered by even the very young. Materials: Paper [...]
Those Victorians, who from today’s point of view seemed to have a decidedly morbid bent, were fascinated by the idea of being able to communicate with departed loved ones. Though it was first brought to the market in 1890, the parlour game known as the Ouija board had been around for many years before [...]
The Edwardian Era is named for Queen Victoria’s son Edward, who ascended to the throne upon her death in 1901. This was to become an age of unparalleled luxury as the bustles, stiff silks and wools of the 1890’s gave way to the new decorative Art Noveau style. The French termed this period la Belle [...]
Do you love to wear retro styles? The seemingly always-casual clothing of today hardly compares to dresses with little capped sleeves, Peter Pan collars, bodices tailored to hug the waist, and swingy full circle skirts. What feminine heart couldn’t love a short-sleeved cashmere sweater or a string of pearls to wear with absolutely everything? For [...]
Originally released in 1960, the movie “The Magnificent Seven” starring Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn, was a huge hit worldwide. Within a few years, the movie had been translated into a dozen languages and was being enjoyed in nearly every country [...]