Look up the subject of Minoan fashion and you'll inevitably come across that website/article/comment claiming that the Minoans were the first people to make and wear fitted garments, as evidenced by the tailored open bodice.  I made this mistake, too, when writing Helen's Daughter; there's a scene where Helen fits Hermione with a wedding bodice ( Read more... )

Pottering around on the Internet again, I found a historical reconstruction site, Historical Living With Hvitr, which features some nifty Minoan and Mycenaean reconstructions. This blogger built her own Mycenaean helmet out of felt and leather, which is so spot-on and deeply cool I'll have to post about it separately, but for now I want to focus on ( Read more... )

I've been waiting five years and more for Dr. Bernice Jones, Minoan/Mycenaean textile and clothing expert, to come out with her book on her subject, mostly for the painstaking recreations of Minoan dress.

Sad to say, because Ariadne's Threads is a university press publication, it's beyond the means of most people, so I can't say I've bought and ( Read more... )

What a nail biter!  After weeks of my admiring everybody's amazing entries and waiting for the results, Take Back Halloween just announced the winners of their 2014 costume contest.

And....

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When I heard about the Take Back Halloween costume contest, I knew I had to participate ( Read more... )

Among the many lesser-known objects found with the famous Snake Goddess and Snake Priestess figurines in the Knossos Temple Repository were several clay models of dresses, including this one:

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A familiar-looking Minoan priestess flounces through the great central court of Knossos.  What accounts for the lightness in her step? Her hot, young, bull-dancer lover? The thought of the succulent honey-cakes on offer in the communal hall?  A new gown?

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While making jewelry for my upcoming Mycenaean reshoot and Minoan initial photoshoot, I started to wonder about Aegean lords, ladies, and their jewels.  Did they try to match their jewelry to their outfits as we do, or was it more important that they wore expensive gold, silver, semiprecious stones, etc ( Read more... )

I have spent the last two weeks working on a Mycenaean costume in order to do a photoshoot for book images.  However, the Fates have not blessed me with the ideal Mycenaean look, a skilled photographer, or madly awesome Photoshop skills.

Abandon hope, all ye who read further:

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Now here's a gorgeous pyxis, or trinket box, from Mycenae featuring lions, horses, bulls, and deer that you won't find at a modern department store.

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