What Makes a Good Costume?

I've been reviewing photos of costumes recently. Mostly Japanese recreations due to the upcoming event my local SCA group is hosting. Of course it's a bit disconcerting to see a westerner wearing Asian garb, but often even western European garb looks 'off' somehow.

I wonder, is it because the person wearing the fancy garb looks like a peasant? Is it their modern eyeglasses, haircut, or make-up (or lack thereof)? Could it be the obviously modern print on the material? This seems to happen ALOT. I'll often see people wearing Japanese garb made of shiny modern fabric with "Chinese" designs of tiny cranes or technicolor bamboo. Whenever I see this fabric I think "Frederick's of Hollywood."

Honestly.

Perhaps it's just that folks should press their newly created garb. I've heard this makes all the difference in the world on how 'finished' a finished garment looks. While this makes sense to me...it's also a bit of a puzzler. Did Vikings have irons? I would think not. So why do wrinkled, puffy-seamed hangeroks looks so damn awful?

Ok, I'll go further down the road to hell...

Body size and shape. Someone shaped like a potato looks odd in a kimono with a tightly wound obi. I'm not against heavy folks wearing Asian garb...but think about the ideal shape of the culture. In Japan, think willow tree, straight-figured, no curves. If you are shaped like a potato, don't try to squish in your waist, wrap the belt carefully to ensure a straight up and down silhouette. Visually, I think it makes all the difference. Or pick a style of garb that suits your shape. I'm shaped like a stick with hips. I'm not about to go for a "traditional" cleavage-showing, tavern-wench style blouse and corset. It's not going to work on me. Even the late period noblewoman's garb with tasteful chest exposure is rather epic fail on me. There's no corset in the world that will shove up my hip fat to rest nicely against the area where my boobs should be!

Have you ever seen garb that is just so splendid and put together that you just gasped (even silently in your mind)? I have, a few times. Out of the hundreds of people I've seen at events...only a few were striking.

I wonder if all the paintings and portraits we have of medieval and renaissance people are more akin to the photoshopped models that adorn modern fashion magazines? When we look at a Bronzino or a van der Weyden, are we seeing only an ideal, unreal figure? In these paintings, everyone's clothing is perfect, their skin is flawless, the fabric colors are vibrant. Whenever clothing from period is discovered by archaeologists, I'm always shocked at how different the articles of clothing are to what I've seen worn in paintings from the times.

I would like to start posting photographs of SCAdians in what I consider exemplary garb. It doesn't necessarily need to be period-perfect, just eye-catching...sublime in some way.

Hopefully, someday I will have garb that is wow-worthy.