Hello, I have found the same to be true where I am also and I actually find it a little frustrating, because my antique clothing dealer gets alot of trendy women from the city in her shop who look at her older things like camisoles and petticoats to turn into funky modern outfits, she firmly believes the same as I do that it is sacriledge, cause many of the people who buy the antique items for purposes of looking like a designer showpiece have intentions of altering and or butchering them for the same reason. A lady in a nearby shop who sometimes buys thing from my dealer really tries to cash in on this, she hires girls to help with sewing for her, rather underpaid too. She offered me a job once but I was not interested at all, I am a conservationist to some degree, atleast in preserving the clothing an appreciating what they represented from a bygone era where morals still meant something, as evident by the beautiful ways in which ladies chose modesty in fashion, atleast by today's standards. One of the common jobs she was telling me, is to take old bodices and gowns (I almost fainted) and she adds ZIPPERS to the backs so that young women can wear them as modern art pieces. She also was trying to sell me something that was attractive, a late Victorian capelet, for much more than it was worth, despite it's extent of damage, just because she had purchased in Paris. It was without any sort of label or marking also, and I couldn't believe her standards for business in a vintage clothing market. Unfortunately, she does make some business by people who just really don't understand or care at what cost their funky finds effect the market. It is interesting as you said to see people wearing bustle petticoats and such on the street as modern day wear, partly it is good because in buying new pieces like that they are readily available and ready to wear without fear of damage and can be used in inauthentic costuming or dressing up when you wish to portray the feel of Victorian or Edwardian style without wanting to go to dinner in an all out bustle or trained ensemble. It makes dressing in a rather old fashioned way a little more understandable to those who can recognize the look, because it has become fairly mainstream in that it's presence is out there in modern fashion, but most still do not recognize what it is, not where I live atleast, and some completely misinterpret my intentions all together. The thing that is funny is that I wear those peices as undergarments, layered in the correct way under modern old-looking outter wear, and cannot step outside the any longer dressed in just a slip or undershirt! It has actually come to feel wrong for me after having done it for so long. It would be nice to see those things more or less drop out of fashion as they seem to be gradually, though buying repro jewelery, boots, undies, etc. is easier, it has gotten hard to find those things in the last few years, whereas when my sister got turned on to acquiring fashion items which were of her long favoured period in time (since childhood) she was able to go out and buy repro boots and things at the local clothing store, if only I had been interested then and had money to shop, I would have stockpiled while it was available. I just long now for the "Victorian look" to go back to belonging to those who really have a passion and appreciation for historical fashions, it really hurls alot of bad information and impressions out there to those who aren't looking into it from a serious angle and only doing it for trend's sake. Just thought I would write a response to your message, it was very interesting to actually hear someone else make the same observation and wanted to share some of the experiences I've had in dealing with that situation. Take care:)
Justine. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
