Calling the bodice police...

[Maewyn]

Does this chick have the right of it as far as bodices are concerned?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=19255

(I'm also mildly amused that she'd put that much of a novel in an eBay auction, but hey, if the bodice fit me I'd buy it.)

According to her, both of my bodices are all wrong. My smaller and no-longer-fitting bodice is in a floral tapestry design, the front ends under my bust (so my chemise-clad girls basically hang there), there's only boning in the front where it laces, and I laced it from the bottom up. My newer, current bodice is cut right (I think; my girls are enclosed at least) but in the wrong fabric for my social class--it's a powder-blue brocade(? I think; I'm not that good at fabric. It's got a raised floral design in the same color), and I've still been lacing it from the bottom up.

(Wish I had postable pictures; reading that over, it doesn't seem too clear.)

Is there any truth to the prostitute-bodice thing?

It makes sense, but I wonder if it's not mostly paranoia. Sure makes me scared to go around in the "wrong" bodice or laced the "wrong" way, even though about 75 percent of the people who see me in it might not even know it's called a bodice, let alone if its details are correct.

[Daelyn]

ye gods. talk about a seller being on a soapbox. I knows I'm no one to talk, but her grammar/spelling is off a few times, mostly with homonyms.
Bleh. Wear yer bodice as ye likes it. If the garb nazi pesters ye, ask her if she spun and dyed her own threads, wove her own cloth, stitched her own bodice (by hand, mind ye), and handed her bloody imagination in at the gate.
grumble. I oft be too tired to tolerate their attitudes when showing up at faire after a long night of stitching.
Pardon me snarlings, please. Me hoard o' pretties be half put in boxes, and I misses it.
Delyn - the moving-this-week-and-grumpy wench, wandering off to look at more pics of Jack Sparrow... mmmm... piratey...

[Abigail]

Uh, I saw one of her auctions earlier today before I posted my bodice auctions read about 1/2 of what she had to say, rolled my eyes repeatedly and closed the window.

There maybe about this | | much truth in whats shes saying. Granted my field of study isn't later period, but most colors we can get in modern dyes, they could get with period dyes including pastels (its what happens when stuff fades, DUH), bright colors (like neons), and black.

When ebayer sellers badmouth other sellers in their auctions it just turns me off, even if they are selling widgets and not garb.

And this is coming from an ebayer buyers opinion, not as one who, according to this lady, sells un period stuff.

Whateva....

[Beatriz]

I read as much of that as I could stand before tossing my cookies.

I have added her name to my "don't buy from" list.

E-bay is a place to sell things. What this particular vendor is selling, I am NOT buying. Perhaps if she had confined her remarks to bodices I would have tolerated it. But to proclaim herself as expert on EVERYTHING? No thanks.

[AnnaFaerie]

I have to comment on this.....ummmm......crazy.....woman. Most of what she said about bodices was right on the money........then why did she make a bodice with princess seams......so not accurate? I think she needs a web site of her own so she can rant on.

Ok....here are my thoughts on what everyone wears to fair.....I'm a costumer myself...as are lots of you and yes I see things that make me wonder....as I'm sure all of you do too. Faire is la-la land......it is there so we can enjoy ourselves (and the big boys can make lots of money). WEAR WHAT YOU LIKE!!! To he** with what anyone else says!

If faires were accurate there would be sewage standing in the streets.....the sweating sickness would be rampant (sometimes)....plaque.....women would be dying in childbed........smallpox would be killing and disfiguring people.......getting the picture crazy.... costume...nazi...woman (don't we all wish we could talk to her face to face)?

So your bodice isn't accurate......do you like it? Then wear it and enjoy yourself. People like her try to act like they're helping when all they are really doing is trying to make themselves feel important! Poor wretch!

[emalia]

My only comment is nice darts lady.... geeze...

[Kiza]

And everything I've read says that "x" lacing isn't period, anyway. (Okay - I got fed up early and skimmed, so if she addressed that, I missed it.) Also, to refer to the fabric as "wool-like" and then tear apart other vendors for not listing their fabrics accurately? Please.

[Mairi the Herbwench]

Yep - on top of the princess seams, she also has metal grommets which did start being used until the 1800s. And as for her "upper" class designation, neither nurses or apothecaries were considered upper class. Nurses were basically prostitiutes that were too old or too disease raddled to work the streets any more.

And to denigrate other sellers? I won't buy from her...

[Dranaan94]

I, personally, was offended at the notion that one's garb MUST be historically accurate in order to get the "WOW" factor and that one must "research" their character. Like many others, I don't go to faire in character - I think I am plenty character enough for all occasions - and I don't have any interest in historical accuracy.

And I think I get plenty of WOW - at least, the kind I would care about - when I wander the faire site in my garb, most of which is far from "historical" in nature.

DMN

[Caitriona]

I read the listing and I was blown away. Most of my garb isn't accurate either.

As for the bodice tying. I had been told once, when I laced from top to bottom, that only women who were expecting laced so the bow was at the navel. This was to allow for "expansion"

I had perused another listing on ebay the other day. This seller also took shots at other sellers in saying that their stuff was authentic and the other stuff would "get you laughed at by the actors". I was appalled that someone would blatantly put down other sellers in their listing.

Don't they realize that their remarks will only drive some people away?