One of my favorite hobbies is exploring the history of late Victorian and Edwardian costumes. For a time, I dreamed of becoming a college professor, teaching costume history for a living. After writing my master’s thesis, “From High Art to High Fashion, The Aesthetic Movement and Queen Magazine,” I decided that a Ph.D. was too much money to invest in a risky job future. So I switched gears and focussed on the “other side” of my costuming passion, books, and classes about designing and making performance belly dance attire.
My love for late 19th and early 20th-century costume design didn’t go away. Instead, it’s become my favorite hobby! This is a hobby that I enjoy in many different ways. Some of the things I do to engage in this historical adventure include visiting museums with costume and textile exhibits, reading and collecting books on these subjects, watching period films and television, and even attending steampunk conventions!
YouTube Costumers I Adore
But one of the things I enjoy the most is watching videos on costume research, design, and construction. There is something really magical about peeking behind the scenes into the production of historical and fantasy costumes by other people on the hobbyist and independent pro level. Videos like these really fill my creative bucket and inspire to make beautiful things. Today I thought I would share three of my favorite videos I’ve recently watched. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Cathy Hay
Costumer and historian Cathy Hay is currently in the middle of reproducing an amazing coat from the Victoria and Albert collection. I was fortunate to see this coat on exhibit at the museum several years ago, and the texture of the flower, the luscious sheen of the velvet, and the placement of the embroidery is stunning! It’s one of the most impressive arts and crafts garments I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in person, albeit, through the glass of the exhibit. An image of this coat appeared in my slide deck for my master’s thesis presentation and I feel a serious connection to this garment. I’m really looking forward to following this series and watching her craft a reproduction of this garment.
Visit Cathy Hay’s website here
Check out luscious images of this coat here
Bernadette Banner
Not only does Bernadette make fun and quirky costumes, but she’s got a great eye for editing and videography. Her videos are as beautiful as they are informative. She recently moved from New York to London and her Sewing Room tour is so much fun! Watch it here. Bernadette also strikes a delightful balance between antique and modern, practical and flamboyant, history and fantasy. I really enjoy the little glimpses and peeks we get into her world through her YouTube videos.
Check out Bernadette’s YouTube Channel
Visit her website
Ariel of Hazariel Costumes
The most recent addition to my current top three YouTube inspirations is French cosplay artist Ariel. When this video was suggested to me by the YouTube Algorithm I was hooked! Her videos are fun and whimsical, her studio is beautiful, and her skills are on point! I really enjoy how she gives us sneak peeks into her material and fabrics collection in many videos. Check out her on designing and making a sparkly “heart purse” she made to celebrate 2022 Valentine’s Day. Ariel keeps it real, keeping an error and her fix in the final video.
Dreaming of my Own YouTube Channel
Over the past 10 years, I’ve dabbled in making YouTube videos. I’ve often dreamed about having a regular monthly or even bi-monthly video upload relating to belly dance costuming. In 2022, the year of the new book, I was hoping to upload one – four videos each month. However, I was sidelined in January due to Omnicom, so I’m shifting my goals a bit and am shooting for 24 in a year. The big build So be sure to click through to my YouTube channel and subscribe to see what comes next!
Time for some diabolical plotting!
Happy Dance and Costuming,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
February 3, 2022.