I've been sewing and making costumes since 2004. My sister Sabrina was an enthusiastic costumer who taught me several basic skills. The resulting "First Dress" sent me down the path and the rest is history. For me, the appeal in historical costuming is in it's many facets - theatrical, technical and artistic. In reality, I'm more of a costume-maker than a wearer. But I try to attend a couple of local costume events each year and am a member of GBACG. As of 2015 I hold a Certificate in Apparel Design from the College of Alameda.

My formal background is in ballet, and I've been a dancer (more or less) my entire life. I started in RAD at the age of 6, trained with Sally Streets at Berkeley Ballet Theater, and began performing with the company when I was 15. I still take regular class. And as of 2020 I've taken up learning Early Dance. Specifically, 15th Century, Renaisance, and Baroque (which covers the era 1650 - 1750). It's a great challenge and just happens to combine all my favorite things into one. It has also, unsurprisingly, made the ridiculously long "costume wish list," even longer.

I put together this website as a format for displaying and documenting my costumes. Maintaining it has really become a hobby in and of itself. My mom offers a great deal of help by editing all of my writing. Most of the photos are taken by my husband Aaron DuBois. He also makes a great model. This site is also my way of honoring Sabrina's memory - a place to display her work and some of her creative spirit.

References

Here you will find a list of books and a few references specifically mentioned on the following pages.

Contact:

historicalalterations(at)yahoo.com

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