Back in my 20s (alas! no more) I woke up one day and decided that it would behove me sartorially to start dressing like a 1920s gentleman. Don't ask me why. These were simpler times when gal could decide to spend a year playing drag king, if that's what took her fancy.I set about procuring the necessary accoutrements with gusto. Thrifted pegged pants - with special pockets for gentlemanly things such as pocket watches, white vests and shirts, pocket squares and cravats, the perfect waist coat... I must've looked pretty strange but I fancied myself and that's all that mattered. However, no matter how far I looked I could never find a nice pair of spats.
You have to understand that this was at a time when the internet in all it's modern glory was a thing yet to come. This was the time when it took 4 hours to download an image and email was a glorious new invention and mobile phones could possibly still be used as evidence in a particularly brutal bludgeoning. Yes, that's right; the early 90s.
Hard times, before internet shopping or even useful browsing. It's not like now when you can just google stuff and browse an array of sites only too willing to send you anything your little heart desires. You kiddies don't know you're born!
And that handy dandy rant/insight into my sad old life is a preamble to the sheer joy of finding a website recently that would've made my drag king phase ever so slightly easier to maintain. Or any other dressing up phase I might have gone through at the time (and believe me, I went through a lot).
Liking a lorgnette? All a flutter for fans? Wondering where you can get your hands on some serious sock garter action? If, like me, in your head life is just one big costume drama, then you'll understand why I find the costume store nothing short of amazing.It's got everything: hat pins, dress studs, parasols and canes, mask and medals, as well as an assortment of gorgeous gloves and natty hats. For me, it is online heaven. Should I ever feel a need to dress like lady of the manor - again, this is where I'm headed. Join me, why don't you?
And, in case you were wondering what the Dickens a lorgnette was, here it is:
No, I didn't know either.
Top image via bbc.co.uk
