My clothes are complex. They cannot be put on like a sheath dress -“zip and go”.

On the contrary, they have to be put on layer after layer, to convey a sense of history not only to the observer, but, much more importantly, to the wearer in the first place.

In many instances historical garments mould the body of the wearer into a stance typical of their epoch, so that with some surprise we find ourselves in contemporary depictions. This enables us to immediately experience a small piece of history .

hand embroidered eyelets on a petticoat

The first step in this direction is the use of historical patterns and instructions, as opposed to merely making modern patterns look historical. Such fancy dress costumes would not model the wearer’s stance and could never be more than a beautiful facade.

The next step is the almost exclusive use of hand sewing needles, with wich I can create types of seams that are impossible to achieve using a sewing machine.

And of course I strive to match the material of the historical originals as  closely as possible.

Last but not least, there are all those little, precious details that betray my love for creating historical garments and give each of my creations a unique personality.