Hi everyone! Welcome to my history blog. Since you’ve stumbled upon this section I’m guessing you’d like to know a little more about the friendly neighborhood history-geek who runs this page.

My name is Kelsey and I’m a jack-of-all-trades kind of nerd. Anime, history, Doctor Who, cosplay — I’m your girl.

As my overstuffed bookshelves can attest, I’m a sucker for a well-told story. History to me is a compilation of human stories. The drama, the action, the irony and the romance. Who we are as people and why we do what we do. One of the reasons I fell in love with history was the clothing. I have a long-standing love of fairy tales and fantasy novels, so I’ve always been fascinated with the lives of the people that I saw in old books and portraits. Who were they? What were their stories? Their lives seemed so exotic, so different from my own 21st century world….

This is one of the reasons that I got into costuming and cosplay. Like many little girls, I was obsessed with the idea of being a pretty, sparkly princess. Giant poofy ball gown, glass slippers, tiaras and happily-ever-after.  I started sewing when I was about ten years old, mostly Halloween costumes and the occasional pair of pajamas. Later on, I branched out into more every-day clothing. For me, sewing and costuming wasn’t just a chance to get away from the jeans and tee-shirts that I live in most of the time, and trade them pretty, over-the-top outfits that I would never otherwise have the opportunity to wear, but a way to experience the world of these people, these characters, in a fun and creative way.

I started this blog because there is so much more to clothing than simple aesthetics. So often there are complex reasons why people wore what they did. It was more than “I want to look pretty” and “I want to show off how rich I am”. Fashion movements have been born from political conflict, economic struggle, and the battle for societal progression. Sumptuary laws are noted throughout history, restricting the mode of dress of different social classes, and even today there are parts of the world where one’s method of dress can be dictated by law.

When I’m not sewing or writing for this blog, I’ve spent the last couple of years drawing my own webcomic, which you can read here. I was inspired by my own experiences moving out on my own for the first time, and some of the weird and wonderful things that have happened to my friends and I over the last couple of years.

Thanks for visiting!