Journey In Time

I am sure that at least once in our lives, many of us have wondered how we would look had we been born in other eras. Even our adoration of vintage clothing, jewelry and furniture speaks about it. But have you ever imagined what you would look like if you lived 300 years ago? And 600 years ago?.. 

I have visited fantasy medieval fairs many times over the years, and at first they didn't seem like my kind of game at all. But their atmosphere is so charming and easy, I couldn't help but fall in love. I did not have any interest in purchasing this sort of costumes, but in order to participate as the owner of a little shop at a festival like this, I had to look somewhat Renaissance-ish, and eventually I ended up loving this dress-up game and still have quite a few dresses somewhere in our musty basement. These photos were taken in quite a different setting though. The Camlann Medieval Village aims itself not just toward being a fun pastime, but towards educational purposes, thus historical accuracy is one of its strong points. It touches everything in the village - the buildings, the activities, both traditional crafts and games, costumes of the villagers ... even the food they serve in their restaurant is made following old recipes. 

There is nothing historically accurate about my outfit though. I just put together a few pieces I found at another festival in a way that pleased me, and I was ready to go for a fun day at the May Festival. I invite you to take a stroll in this unique (for the US) village to see what fun and unusual things we can find there along the way. Photos were taken in early May, 2009 in Camlann Medieval Village near Carnation, Washington.

We enjoyed interacting with these cute creatures, and later that day watched their winter coats taken off with rather a scary looking pairs of scissors. (No sheep were hurt during this scene, which can be a bit unsettling for city folks.)

The girl with wings made an old-fashioned bees wax candle with her own little hands (we still keep it as a souvenir).

Justin and Anya were taught to use a bow and arrows. We also watched a variety of craftsmen at work, like this couple of blacksmiths below. Justin was taking pictures of surroundings, and sometimes as a photographer you just catch the prettiest light, in which anything becomes an art object, like these couple of apples below.

I recall that in a cozy restaurant (which, if I remember right, is open year-round), pretty girls served us food which was the most delicious, but they didn't give us any forks. I think there was a serving spoon, and that was about it. We had to eat our meal holding it on bread. Apparently, that's the way the English ancestors used to do it. Justin had mead (he loves sweet wine, and mead is his favorite), and I probably had my red, or maybe they did not have red wine back then. Was it grape juice? I can't remember.

After Anya received a pretty wreath made of real roses, we headed to the main event that day - dancing around the May pole. As we "danced", we were weaving a more-or-less harmonious pattern around the pole, and the whole experience felt not only fun, but also very symbolic and had a true community spirit.

Then Anya and Justin played some more "vintage" games, some of which people still enjoy playing, almost 700 years later. Then we took a ride back home. It was a wonderful, rather quiet Spring day, nothing like the typical medieval fantasy festivals from my experience. It really felt like coming back from a journey in time. We rather liked it.

Speaking of journeys in time, Anne The Spy Girl offered to fantasize 1930s outfit this week, and I really wanted to take on this challenge. It is such a lovely, feminine, elegant epoque in fashion. Anne's tip was to look for something bias cut, and I intuitively was already searching madly for one pretty skirt of mine which I bought a few years ago at a boutique in the lovely village of Gig Harbor. It would be perfect for the challenge, and I imagined restyling the skirt, combining it with the shoes from this post (probably the closest shoes I have which are at least vaguely reminiscent of 1930s). But despite my mad search, I couldn't find the skirt. It seems I donated it already. So this outfit did not happen, and instead, I found this old picture (February 2010) where you can see the skirt combined with clogs (seen here), a whimsical top from the same boutique and a pashmina (seen here). The whole outfit is pretty monochromatic, in olive green/mink hues. I am such a greenie. And you can see me with yet another hairstyle here. I still hold on to this top which is quite whimsical as well, though I don't wear it much.

Medieval inspired outfit:

Dress, underskirt, vest/coat, head piece, hand made leather shoes and malachite jewelry - from Renaissance festival shops. Birch bark bracelet - from Russia.

1930s inspired outfit:

Skirt, top and pashmina - via two different boutiques in Gig Harbor, WA. Clogs - Sofft.

Linking to 52 Pick-Me-Up: 30s and Visible Monday!