Re: MtMan-List: period clothing

[Roger Lahti <lahtirog@gte.net>]

Matt,

I'm not as tired as I was last night when I first read this post so I would like
to take another stab at an answer.

Matt Richards wrote:

> Whats interesting to me in this discussion, is that I see many of the folks
> who I'm assuming have been doing this for a long time, easily coming to the
> conclusion that any ideas of altering period clothing as equalling the
> wholesale bastardization of what was worn. My guess is that this is a hot
> issue because so many folks do wholesale bastardizations, and that this is a
> long standing issue.

It can be a hot issue and perhaps got to be but one of the problems with the
course of the discussion is in fully understanding what some one is saying. I
assume you hear what I am saying and you assume I am hearing what you are
saying. Then I see something that makes me think you didn't hear and I talk
louder. Well, I wasn't thinking that "any ideas of altering period clothing as
equaling the wholesale bastardization of what was worn" was what was going on.
What I was advocating is simply to not think that we can alter period clothing
because we want to or think its better. If we want to be true to the idea of
historical reenacting we need to be a bit restrained in our zeal to make it
better unless we can show where or how that was done.

> The original context of this conversation was not the idea that one has the
> right to run 'willie-nillie' over period styles, but that perhaps mtn men of
> this era did alter some of their stuff to make it more practical for their
> immediate survival situations, within the context of period materials,
> technology and styles.

Well that is something else again entirely. "Within the context of period
materials, technology and styles", I thought was what I was advocating. Sorry if
that didn't come across. Again, though, I don't think it appropriate to assume
'they' did this because we might do it.

> This is a far jump from the defensive stances that I
> read several of you taking. If you could not lump this with the countless
> previous discussions you've perhaps had with folks who've wanted to just
> make what'ever the hell they want, and look at the actual context of the
> conversation, I think we would get farther with it.

Didn't mean to come on as defensive. If folks want to do their thing, they are
surely welcome. There is a price to pay sometimes for that and it is usually in
money wasted. I been doing this long enough to develop some strong opinions and
gain a little knowledge. I feel you and I have a right and obligation to share
our opinions and knowledge with anyone who cares to listen. I have enjoyed your
contributions to the conversation and only jumped in when I didn't agree with
what I was hearing. That hasn't been all that much either. Now back to the
disscusion at hand or have we beaten it to death for now? I remain........

Respectfully,
YMOS
Capt. Lahti'

>
>
> In all due respect,
>
> Matt Richards
> www.braintan.com