The beautiful autumnal day turned out to be primarily a costume research day, at the request of my kids, in the historic area.
My son insists on a historically accurate Lafayette hat
As we were preparing to leave the house that morning, my son announced he wanted to use some of his birthday money to buy a Lafayette hat at CW.
I didn’t realize they sold them.
It wouldn’t come with the cockade or plume, but it has a different triangular shape from the usual tricorn.
Greatly influenced by the tailor and the Costume Design Center, my son has this compulsion for his costume to look as accurate as possible.
Although he was still supporting the troops at CW, he wants every detail of his costume to be as historically accurate as possible.
He wants the Lafayette costume for the cold days to keep warm and the gentry outfit (without the coat) for the summer.
We still have quite a bit of research to do.
Meeting a family of kindred spirits
Arriving in the historic area, a guest approached my son, not only to look at his Lafayette costume, but also to touch it, open the coat to look at his vest, etc.
Extremely interested, she asked: Where did you get this?!!
He answered that I made it.
When she asked where I got the pattern, I explained there is no pattern.
Instead, I analyzed vacation pictures of the actor who portrays Lafayette to sew a version as close as possible, and within budget which meant using cheap materials.
She told me that her ten year old son was a huge Lafayette fan who analyzes all the costumes and tells his mom how he’d like this or that.
In disbelief I told her my son was the same way.
We met her son and daughters, all of whom were in costume.
In turn I asked where she got the pattern for her daughters’ costumes, which were more accurate than my daughter’s.
I think someone made the dresses for them.
We talked about everything, inclucing trying to make their costumes as accurate as possible.
We were laughing at everything we had in common.
My kids search for the perfect hats in the historic shops
After searching at the open-air market, we were sent to the Greenhow Store, but they didn’t have one either.
Nevertheless, my son some Christmas shopping for us there, so I took my daughter to the Mary Dickenson store across the street.
My daughter wanted to replace her old disheveled hat, that looked like one of the horses had started eating it, then sat on it.
She insisted it had to be more like the type the interpreters wear, more historically accurate.
This is getting contagious!
Hearing her pleas, the cashier at the Mary Dickenson shop taught me how to properly set the new hat upon my daughter’s head at the most flattering 18th century angle, and use the hat pins to secure it from the wind.
Proceeding to Tarpleys, we looked through more tricorns for the most proper Lafayette hat.
Although my son thought he found it, he didn’t purchased it yet, because he wasn’t certain it was right.
He wanted to see the actor who portrays Lafayette because he always wears his hat most properly.
My son wants to look just like the actor.
Autumnal Colonial Williamsburg
Meanwhile the trees blazed in hues of red, yellow, and orange to an extent never seen in Texas.
We soaked in all the gorgeous views before the leaves blew away.
The day was also wonderfully crisp, cool, and thankfully not windy.
We’re still Texans most used to heat and humidity, not yet acclaimed to the cooler temperatures.
New costumed cloaks to keep my kids warm
Thus the new additions I quickly whipped up at my sewing machine, to ke my kids warm, were warm cloaks…except the tailor soon very kindly nudged me…they are more akin to the 19th century.
I used a box store pattern, hadn’t I?
There are cloak patterns for the historic area available that would lend a more authentic look, he encouraged.
Encouragement from the tailors and milliners set me on a journey of learning historical sewing
Although I’ve not once pushed my kids to greater historical accuracy, I’ve been happy to try because of all the encouragement from reenactors, and the tailors and milliners of CW.
Since I’ve never been confident of my sewing, I’ve pursued this at-home trade because of my kids’ dream of playing 18th century and the tailors and milliners who encourage that dream and give me encouragement and tips to do so.
Searching for the perfect French Alliance Cockade in the historic shops
After lunch amid the lovely autumn leaves we returned to the open air market to look for the black and white cockade that represents the French American alliance that will go on the Lafayette hat.
Since none were found, the cashier suggested the Greenhow store.
In there we didn’t find the right cockade, either.
A bespoke Lafayette hat for my son
The manager who listened intently to my son’s request for the perfect hat and cockade, suggested he could have a hat specially made at Tarpleys!
That’s exactly what he did!
Arriving at Tarpleys, my son found the lady and told her he wanted a bespoke Lafayette hat.
Showing her one type of hat that was on the shelf, he explained it wasn’t quite right.
Asking me to find a picture on my camera, my son showed her how the CW Lafayette hat angles and jaunts just so.
Ah -ha! The lady was extremely patient to work with him and understood exactly what he wanted.
Starting the shaping in front of us, she finished the project in the back to steam and set.
She told my son to return for his bespoke hat in 30 minutes!
Before we left, she also gave him further directions to complete the look at home.
Although they did not have the proper cockade either, I purchased a black one for a sample.
I figured this one I could research and figure out how to sew myself.
Stay tuned!
Research on ladies’ proper attire
While awaiting the completion of the Lafayette hat, we walked across the street to the Margaret Hunter Store.
Now that I’ve attained lots of research about tailoring, I needed sewing advice for ladies’ attire.
When I asked about a shift for my daughter, they showed me this baby’s shift.
When I mentioned in surprise that she’s a lot taller than that, they laughed and explained that a shift is a shift.
I’d sew it exactly the same, just with a larger size.
And I could form ruffles for her by inserting a drawstring around the neck and wrists.
That’s it?
Wow. That’s so much easier than modern patterns.
After she saw my daughter’s costumed fancy dress underneath her cloak, the milliner pulled out lacing to adorn the neck and sleeve edges.
When a school group arrived, the mantua maker’s attention diverted, so we chatted with this milliner.
After I gushed over her gorgeous pink gown, she showed me a reproduction from a painting in a book.
This pink stomacher will simply be pinned with the bodice into the stays.
Then as the fashions quickly change (up to six times a year) alterations can easily be accommodated.
The fabric of these gowns have a lovely iridescent sheen created on the loom with one color thread running through the warp and another color in the weft.
Meeting a neighbor from my mom’s childhood
While I was talking to the milliner, she asked different questions.
After explaining that although we were from Texas, I gained my love of the east coast from childhood vacations to my mom’s childhood home.
Asking me where that was, she gasped, put her sewing down, and said she was from the same little town.
Turns out she and my mom lived on the same street at the same time…about 10 years apart in age they knew of each other but didn’t attend school together.
I love visiting this milliner because she reminds me so much of my grandma, from that town, who taught me to sew.
Bespoke hats for the 18th century look
While we chatted my son slipped out to get his hat from Tarpleys.
Not long after I felt a tug at my coat.
Turning around, I saw my son proudly standing next to me, beaming from ear to ear wearing his bespoke hat!
Taking one look at him I gasped! That does look like a Lafayette hat!
Shaking my head all afternoon, I marveled that my kids’ new hats made them look more 18th century.
The kids wanted to celebrate their new hats with a scenic picture while they performed their most proper courtesies. (see blog post header at the top)
Hilarious guest interchange, since they think my kids are CW employees
In fact, they are now fooling more guests who ask them questions about the history or for directions.
Often mistaken for employees, the kids always tell guests they, too, are guests…then they answer the questions.
Earlier in the day, a couple stopped my daughter to ask her what the population of the town was during this historic time frame.
Although my daughter learned that in one of the EFTs, we’ve since forgotten.
My daughter told the man she was only a guest, but he didn’t believe her!
I backed her up and told him my son might have a good answer.
He looked behind me, where my son was talking to a friend.
The man asked if the two-star general was my son. “Yes, and he has a quick mind,” I alerted him.
The man decided to test it.
“General,” he asked, “what was the population of the town during this historic time period?”
My son said, “It was less than the numbers you see in town today.”
The man liked that answer! He walked away chuckling!
