Whatever Shall I Wear?

By Mara Riley, illus. by Cathy Johnson

49 pages, 8-1/2" X 11": $12.95

Reviewed by Linda Scurlock for MUZZLELOADER. Published in November/December 2004 issue.

    For women just starting out in reenacting, Mara Riley has written a book that they will find tremendously helpful. I wish there had been such a book years ago when I was trying to answer the question “whatever shall I wear?” As Riley says in her introduction, Whatever Shall I Wear? “is meant as a basic guide for women getting into historic reenactment and those wanting to hone their impressions.”

Riley’s aim is to help the beginner get together an accurate wardrobe as simply as possible. As Riley says, “If you start out with the basic wardrobe in this book, you’ll have a reasonably accurate outfit, and once you get a better feel for what’s what you can choose the individual details you prefer.” To avoid overwhelming the reader with information on clothing construction, “this guide gives one or two common and correct methods, not all of them” (1).

Riley’s book is directed to the woman who wants to portray an 18th century colonist, particularly one of English ancestry. Her text is necessarily succinct in so short a book, but nonetheless thorough. The book addresses each component of a woman’s wardrobe in a page or two of text that is accompanied by numerous illustrations drawn by Cathy Johnson. Many of Johnson’s line drawings were taken from historic works, identified alongside the drawing, illustrating how important historic artwork is to the reenactor.

Riley does a good job of explaining the difference between 18th and 21st century terminology as it relates to clothing, sewing and fabric. She begins the book with a discussion of 18th century textiles, including fiber content and weave. She briefly discusses prints, stripes and checks, explaining why they are or are not correct for the period, and then describes the types of stitches used on historic clothing and colors commonly available.

The bulk of the text, of course, concerns the garments comprising a common woman’s wardrobe. Riley basically progresses from underwear to outerwear, including: shift, petticoat, pockets, stays and jumps, bed gown, short gown, jacket, gown, apron, handkerchief, cap, hat, stockings and garters, cloaks, and mitts. She even addresses makeup, hairstyles and jewelry. For each item of clothing, she makes appropriate fabric suggestions, including fiber content.

Throughout her text Riley refers the reader to additional sources for more information, and the book concludes with a complete list of these references. Also in the section that Riley titles “Going Further” are lists of sources for patterns, sutlers and merchants, fabric sources and online resources. One that is particularly interesting is a list of online art resources. At these sites one can actually view many historic artworks online.

Although Riley briefly addresses other ethnic/cultural groups, the majority of her information is for those wishing to portray an English interpretation of the 18th century. The brevity and aim of the book make her focus appropriate. Accurate interpretation of other ethnic/cultural groups requires more research specifically focused in that area.

If you have a friend or spouse you’re trying to encourage to join you in our hobby, this book would make a wonderful gift. As Riley states in her introduction, “A mentor will save you a lot of money by steering you toward what you really need to buy” (1). Whatever Shall I Wear? goes a long way toward filling that role.

Whatever Shall I Wear? is available from Graphics/Fine Arts Press for $12.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. To order, send your check or money order to: Graphics/Fine Arts Press, PO Box 321, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024. Online orders are accepted through PayPal at <www.epsi.net/graphic>.  Credit card payment is not available. For more information, write to the address above, phone 816-630-7529, or email <graphicart@apsi.net>.