Transit In Costume
Can I just say that I love to dress up? Yes! A few days ago I rode the train in full 19th century costume. Mainly, I was just lazy and comfortable in my old fashioned clothes but it turned into a kind of social experiment, I guess. Here's how it went down:
On Saturdays I dress up in historical clothing for work. This is because I work at a store for people who reenact (stuff like Dickens Fairs, working at state parks, etc) and on Saturdays we are particularly busy; why not show of the wares?
Anyway, I wake up that morning, throw on some jeans and a shirt, put my hair up 1840's style, and pack my corset, crinoline, dress (etc, etc) in my bag and get dropped off at the train to get to work.
I get there, change, and spend the day knocking things over (like paper; I didn't ruin anything that was important) with my enormous skirt. Despite that, I really enjoyed being in costume and I didn't want to change when it came time to leave...so I didn't. I called my mum and asked if she could just pick me up to avoid annoying people on the train but the answer was no.
I sat and though for a moment. Riding a modern train in old fashioned clothing, getting weird looks (which is actually somewhat entertaining for me), but staying in an outfit I liked or taking transit in my street clothes, able blend in and read my book in peace.
I stayed in my work clothes and you know what, I heard some of the most insane comments that I have ever heard a human being in real life utter. There were two that I remember.
The first was an older man on the train. He said that he liked my dress and asked if I wore clothing like it everyday. I said no. I almost got the feeling that he was asking if I was a Mormon except that my dress didn't look like the dresses Mormon women wear. When I returned to reading, I heard him say to the other men he was sitting with that he wanted to dress his wife and children in Victorian clothing. I'm paraphrasing but it was essentially that.
The second comment that I got was "I thought that sh** was just in the movies."
Wow. How riveting. How truly enlightening. Isn't it great that for some reason there are people who get a free education and yet have no idea that people used to dress differently. Ye Gods!
So, that was my experiment. Next time, I'll try it in my Bellatrix Lestrange costume or maybe Xena! Who knows?
On Saturdays I dress up in historical clothing for work. This is because I work at a store for people who reenact (stuff like Dickens Fairs, working at state parks, etc) and on Saturdays we are particularly busy; why not show of the wares?
Anyway, I wake up that morning, throw on some jeans and a shirt, put my hair up 1840's style, and pack my corset, crinoline, dress (etc, etc) in my bag and get dropped off at the train to get to work.
I get there, change, and spend the day knocking things over (like paper; I didn't ruin anything that was important) with my enormous skirt. Despite that, I really enjoyed being in costume and I didn't want to change when it came time to leave...so I didn't. I called my mum and asked if she could just pick me up to avoid annoying people on the train but the answer was no.
I sat and though for a moment. Riding a modern train in old fashioned clothing, getting weird looks (which is actually somewhat entertaining for me), but staying in an outfit I liked or taking transit in my street clothes, able blend in and read my book in peace.
I stayed in my work clothes and you know what, I heard some of the most insane comments that I have ever heard a human being in real life utter. There were two that I remember.
The first was an older man on the train. He said that he liked my dress and asked if I wore clothing like it everyday. I said no. I almost got the feeling that he was asking if I was a Mormon except that my dress didn't look like the dresses Mormon women wear. When I returned to reading, I heard him say to the other men he was sitting with that he wanted to dress his wife and children in Victorian clothing. I'm paraphrasing but it was essentially that.
The second comment that I got was "I thought that sh** was just in the movies."
Wow. How riveting. How truly enlightening. Isn't it great that for some reason there are people who get a free education and yet have no idea that people used to dress differently. Ye Gods!
So, that was my experiment. Next time, I'll try it in my Bellatrix Lestrange costume or maybe Xena! Who knows?