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Vintage Attire
For Period Attire, contact:
Ranks Mercantile, Virginia City, MT (406) 843-5454
www.ranksmercantile.com
Rediscoveries, Butte, MT (406) 723-2176
Vintage Attic, Ennis, MT (406) 682-4935
Period Apparel that creates the scene
Period Apparel permits you to help create the culture represented by the dance. Your best efforts at accurate attire will lead you to enjoy even more the culture of the era, of Virginia City's founding years. Individuals have various incomes and various skills. You can start "cheap" and then gradually move into those gorgeous gowns and to stylish men's wear. Thrift stores have collections of gowns such as prom dresses. Some are good examples of one era or another, others can be easily altered to become appropriate or even stunning. Most vintage dancers start with the minimum and then, if they get hooked by the delight of the adventure, move slowly on up to apparel made especially for them. There are sewing groups that work on the outfits of various eras. We give you sources which can supply patterns (like "Simplicity" at your local fabric store), off the rack garments and fine ball gowns especially made for you.Men are fortunate. If they are going "formal" (as opposed to military), their attire can pass for either 1912 or 1864, with minor differences in the vest, shirt and tie.
Suggestions for Proper Attire:
If you research Victorian dress, you will notice that both men and women wear gloves at Victorian balls. Gloves for men are available at your Army - Navy store or at your nearest bellringers choir, this latter being the better choice. Gloves and fans for the women are available at most costume supply places.
Let's deal with the men first. It's simple. For formal Civil War era attire, pants and tails would be worn. Either new or used, and either antique or reproduction may be worn. Appropriate shirt, tie and vest for the era could be a consideration.
For patterns, see "Simplicity" at your local fabric store. Or, your best all-around bet is Amazon Drygoods at 411 Brady Street, Davenport IA 52801-1518, (800) 798-7979. E-mail is info@amazondrygoods.com, their web site is www.amazondrygoods.com . They sell patterns for vintage dancers for all eras, as well as sewing supplies and books. They also have off-the-rack vintage clothing including ball gowns. For those who might be interested, they have reproductions of everything Victorian, even hardware.
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