Zip It!

Have I mentioned that my darlings are all appearing in "The Music Man", which is being staged by Easy Street Productions the second weekend in May? Jaci e-mailed me yesterday and said that costume rental costs are exorbitant. She asked if I could make Ridley's dress and a pair of knickerbockers for Boston.

I did a little bit of research throughout the day today, trying to figure out when the play is set (1912) and what kind of clothing is appropriate to that time period. There are a number of theatre companies that offer rental wardrobe and have numerous pictures on their Web sites.

I want to be authentic, within reason. Did you know that zippers were first used around 1912 or 1913 in children's clothing and men's pants but not in women's dresses? Zippers weren't really used in women's clothing until the 1950s. You want to hazard a guess as to why? Morals! Zippers in women's clothing made it too easy and fast to get clothes off in the heat of passion, according to my research.

There's that old double standard. Forget that the man can get his pants off quickly (and besides, his zipper is only 7" long, where the woman's zipper is 24" or so).

But I digress. If I'm authentic and put buttons on Ridley's dress, it makes for more complicated costume changes. She's got to have someone help her, unless I make a dress that can just slip over her head. I was thinking maybe I could use the pattern from her Hallowe'en costume. The pattern included a "Dorothy" (from the Wizard of Oz) dress and pinafore. But the more I look and read, the more I'm thinking a sort of prairie dress will be more appropriate.

Yesterday I moved my sewing room from the 2nd floor to the basement, where I have more space than I'll know what to do with. I have one sewing machine set up, and just need to buy a good extension cord. And a quick pass through Jo-Ann Fabrics today showed me some suitable fabrics, even if they are polyester.

You've got to place limits on how authentic you can be in the theatre!