#I'm sorry but i LOVE clothes and costuming and i REALLY LOVE victorian fashion

[killerchickadee]

One of the Nadja cosplayers at the meetup said she thought it was great that Nadja literally never wears the same thing twice, and I didn't say anything but in my head I was like, what the actual fuck are you talking about? They add things to her wardrobe every season but they definitely reuse things! Like hello

I've seen this blouse in two, maybe three episodes, across two seasons.

She's worn this dress at least twice across two seasons.

My personal favorite, obviously since I cosplayed it... she's worn the skirt and blouse together at least twice, she's paired the same skirt with another top, and that cloak has appeared on the show at least six times from season one to season 4, and not just on her. Gail, Nandor and Freddie have all worn it too.

There's also the green velvet dress which I think she's worn three times, and another white blouse that has see through sleeves. There's probably other outfits too.

Like yeah there's outfits we only see once but several of them make repeat appearances, so idk what this girl was on about.

[monstrousgourmandizingcats]

{{ History asks! 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 23, 24, and 29? I've seen a lot of historical fashion and photography on your blog, but I don't know if that's a Passion^tm or a passing appreciation.

4. Favourite historical era?

Tough call, but in recent years I've been very interested in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, particularly the social/cultural history aspects that most ~WWII historians~ give short shrift.

7. Historical dressing, uniform, or costume?

I do like 30s/40s/50s dress, as well as Victorian dress and certain stages in the development of traditional Japanese dress (although unfortunately Heian court wear does very little for me to look at even though the concepts behind it are really interesting). I wouldn't say it's my main focus as an historian--that's religious history--but I'm passionate enough about it to more or less keep up conversations with my friends @absynthe--minded and @marzipanandminutiae, both of whom do specialize in fashion history.

8. What is the last thing you have read, listened to, or spoken of with historical reference?

I'm reading a book as we speak (The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik) where the narrator recently discussed the contemporary-history fun fact that Dubai is built on indentured labor.

10. What pieces of art (i.e. paintings, sculpures, lithographies, etc.) related to history do you like the most?

Ooh, extremely broad question. There's a painting in the Vatican museums called "The Triumph of History over Time" whose title I love, but the picture itself isn't anything particularly special. There's also a bust of Emperor Vespasian at the archeological museum in Naples that I'm especially fond of because he looks exactly like an aging, chubby, glad-handing "retail politician" today. Some things never change!

11. Have you ever participated in reenactment? What it was like?

Not yet!

12. Would you take part in reenactment? In what era and as whom?

Watch this space.

14. Why are you are interested in history?

I have a nostalgic temperament and grew up in a very history-rich area by American standards. It's also an interest that my late grandfather had and I was very close to him; part of my semi-focus on WWII is that he was a Pacific Theater veteran.

16. Do you own some historical item (e.g. coin, clothing, weapons, books, etc.) If yes, which one is your favourite?

I own quite a few antiques, yes. My favorite is an honest-to-goodness piece of eight (Spanish milled dollar) that I found at an antique shop in Ship Bottom, New Jersey for twenty or thirty dollars, a steal even then, when I was thirteen or fourteen years old. I misplaced it somewhere in my parents' house years ago, though, so my favorite antique of whose whereabouts I'm currently certain is a 1940s rayon crepe dress that I bought from a vintage clothing dealer I know.

23. What’s your favourite historical song or song containing historical references?

I'm not sure how to interpret this question; sorry!

24. Who do you consider to be one of the most underrated historical figures?

Emperor Antoku is underrated among Japanese rulers because he's one of the very few who never did anything reprehensible, seeing as he was killed by his grandmother to avoid capture at the Battle of Dan-no-ura when he was six years old.

29. Are there any great historical mysteries that you are interested in?

Wallace Fard Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam. We know nothing about him for certain before or after his work setting up the religion in Great Depression-era Detroit, and what's known inconclusively, or suspected, has a ton of inconsistencies. He was born in Oregon, or Afghanistan, or New Zealand, or somewhere else; he lived in North Carolina, or California, or both, before showing up in Detroit; he was a restaurant manager, or a carny, or both, by occupation...you get the idea.

I’ve seen plenty of “Tumblr Ask Challenges”, but none involving history. What a shame…