#and now I have access to primary sources and have taught myself how to sew historical garments so I have become a Victorian woman

[sassmill]

It’s so crazy to me that my interest in vintage and historical fashion began with a 1950s/60s obsession where that was the only thing I was interested in and tried to emulate in my own wardrobe and now I dress like a Victorian woman 75% of the time and have ZERO desire to wear almost anything 50s style. 1950s fashion is so well documented in a way that is easily accessible to the layperson (read: me at 15 years old using google and Pinterest) and so easy to emulate with contemporary clothing because it’s sort of the last time we had any seriously radical changes to the basic garments we wear (the silhouette textures accessories vary over time but we’re currently in an era of dress that is still visually related to the styles that became western staples post WWII). Which is why it’s so broadly appealing and accessible. And I really think that for those exact reasons it’s a gateway fashion era for so many people whether they like vintage styles or even more historical than that. It’s the most accessible way to dip your toes in the pond of sartorial anachronism. Once you experiment that little bit and find confidence you find community and resources and it leads to finding other styles that you experiment further with and from there the possibilities are endless, once you decide that THAT is what feels the most you. It’s like, if you dress like this as an adult then you almost certainly either started off with like rockabilly or steampunk as an awkward teen and the biggest deciding factor was like how gay and mentally ill you were and what your local Hot Topic had in stock.

#I flirted with steampunk but it was a further departure from any contemporary wardrobe staples #and I was limited to clothing my mother was willing to buy me #so 1950s was the easiest way to play with anachronism in my wardrobe #and now I have access to primary sources and have taught myself how to sew historical garments so I have become a Victorian woman #dress history #fashion history #this has been a thought #the pond of sartorial anachronism is my new favorite concept btw