Speaking of shoes....

The American Duchess has been producing a growing array of historically inspired shoes for the costuming hordes for a while now. She has already produced the 'Pemberley' for the folks from our preferred time-period, a shoe with a small heel designed after shoes of the early Regency.  She made it in white leather, which is easily paintable... a canvas for your imagination.

The Pemberley

Here is an example of how you can take this simple white shoe, and elevate it to Regency bliss.

Click this image to see the blogpost detailing this project.

Now, the American Duchess has presented the newest Regency model called the 'Highbury'. This is a full Regency flat, and is something to covet.  For one... it is made of dyeable satin.  For two, there are four ribbon loops on each side of the inner shoe for ribbons, which can be laced through in myriad pleasing configurations.

The Highbury

As you can see, these are yet again, a wonderful canvas to play with.  Here is a blog post on a project working with a similar shoe:

Click this image to see the blogpost detailing this project.

Personally, I have always found the portraits of Regency ladies in white with a bright, jewel-toned pop of colour on their dainty feet, ribbons elegantly wound about their ankles to be visions of elegance.

Regency shoes were also intricately patterned and ornamented sometimes.  As seen by these examples, and by many more examples that can be dug up from around the interwebs:

A dye project is easy enough, as demonstrated by Miss Reeser (The American Duchess) in this helpful video.

However, like the project posted before, with the delicate painting, you can do just about anything, including even attempt silk-painting techniques using resist and dye to create an intricate design. I am not sure if this will work on dyeable satin, but it might be worth a try, maybe on some cheap shoes from David's Bridal or something first.

A modern silk-painting.

You can research more on silk painting through Dharma trading, where incidentally, you can find some fine voiles, cottons, silk gauze and dupioni silk for costumes for extremely reasonable prices if you are not afraid to dye fabrics.

The Highbury is on pre-order at present, which means, the model is proposed but not stocked. It must sell at least 100 pairs to be stocked. So I recommend you pre-order a pair as soon as possible so they can be made available to everyone.  They are at a decent discount, and you will also find some elegant accessories and shoe charms and clocked stockings for your costuming needs.

Riding Sidesaddle; a very horsey post!

Revised/modified on 11/15/11 (new photo, new links)

A sidesaddle from the Regency period.
The horns are in the 'bullhorn' configuration,
where the right thigh would rest. There is
no leaping horn. The seat is "Sweepy"
The stirrup is a 'slipper stirrup'
And far from safe.

I’ve rekindled my interest in riding aside these past few years, naturally. Depending on the level of interest, I'm thinking it would be fun to create a 'ORS Equestrian' division, and hold field days and costume-classes and more.  But that's in the future. But my interest in returning to 'riding aside' has come closer to fruition.  Recently I was able to make a fortunate trade; my beautiful Courbette dressage saddle for a 30-year-old sidesaddle (possibly 40). Yes, it might seem something that is not a fair trade, but understanding how rare new (and well made) sidesaddles are in general, if you can find a good vintage saddle that fits your horse, you’ve done well. 

Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a listing of sidesaddle sellers both domestic and foreign, with a details, pricing comparisons and recommendations.  These saddles are made for modern horses. I have also provided a number of other sidesaddle-related links at the bottom of the page.

Anatomy of the modern sidesaddle:

The near-side top

The near side under the flap.

The off-side.

The near side is where the legs are placed. This is on the left side/mounting side of the horse. The off side is the right side of the horse.  These photos are courtesy of the International Sidesaddle Organization. This diagram is of a typical style, but styles do vary.

Off-side saddles do exist, meaning that there are sidesaddles where your legs would be on the right side of the horse rather than the near-side or mounting side, which is traditional.  Some custom saddlers do make these off-side saddles. Tattersall's for instance has one featured on her website. Scroll down to the link list for details.

There are generally two kinds of sidesaddle seats; a "Sweepy" sidesaddle, where the seat looks much like a traditional English saddle, with the dipped center and higher cantle (or back); and the flat sidesaddle, as pictured above, with a seat that is pretty much a flat surface.  Some of these have symmetrical seats, and others have seats that are J shaped to conform to the asymmetrical position of the rider's derriere.  Most modern riders will recommend the flat seat over the sweepy seat because the sweepy seat tends to feel 'uphill' and gives the rider the sense of sliding backwards, and having to lean forward too much.

Position on a flat sidesaddle.

The saddle I have has a flat symmetrical seat, and a wide tree.  Wide trees are hard to find in vintage saddles;  considering that most of the older saddles are designed for non-modern horses, which were shaped differently than today’s horses--meaning they had narrower and taller withers. It is unfortunately not wide enough for my rather portly draught horse in spite of its unusual width. Saddle trees, for those of you who don’t know, are the frames on which saddles are built. There are wooden trees, steel trees and all manner of other materials, including fiberglass. They are built to conform to the shape of a horse’s back and withers so that the weight of the saddle is directed to the sides of the saddle, leaving a channel down the center to protect the spine.

An example of a sidesaddle tree (courtesy of Zaldi saddles)
You can see the fixed horn, the two adjustment-holes for the leaping horn,
and the breakway stirrup bar assembly (the brass). This is rigid, strong
construction meant to carry the stresses of a sidesaddle rider.

An ill-fitting tree can cause discomfort and injury to a horse’s spine, withers and more. Sidesaddles on the most part have unusual construction because the rider sits asymmetrically and requires more support on one side. In modern sidesaddles, there are a series of measures that are taken in the design to insure that the saddle doesn’t rotate/twist under the weight of the rider, that it doesn’t create pressures on the horse that might create discomfort or even cause injuries, and to prevent the saddle from slipping and rolling under. When the weight is concentrated on one side, a saddle needs to be an extraordinarily good fit on the horse to prevent injury, slippage, rolling or twisting. Flocking (stuffing) underneath the saddle needs to be done carefully to conform to a horse’s shape. Bad flocking or insufficient flocking can naturally also be a problem. With sidesaddles, having a proper fit is especially important.

So when trying to pursue becoming a sidesaddle rider, ladies need to keep in mind that fit and safety should be the two most important considerations when shopping for a sidesaddle. It is more important than authenticity, I’m afraid. So if you are a die-hard reenactor, I’m afraid it would not be advisable to have a saddle made to emulate the Regency period sidesaddle unless it had modern measures built in to compensate for the Regency design's flaws. In fact, any saddle style prior to the Victorian sidesaddle would not be safe for you or for your horse. Even antique late Victorian saddles, if you can find them, must fit your horse well enough as to prevent any issues, and may require modification. Most saddles available today that are antique or vintage hail from the 1920s & 1930s. Very few older than that exist today, and if they do, they are not the safest saddles to have, except when kept for display.

This little period-cartoon demostrates (in a subtle, vulgar way) that in the Regency period,

the idea of ladies riding astride was considered improper.

For the reenactor, it really isn't advisable try for accuracy. The Regency and Georgian sidesaddle was not a safe saddle by any means. For one, it lacked a leaping horn, which provides a greater measure of security for the rider. The near flap is also very large and could inhibit contact with the horse. This article from Regency Redingote describes the pitfalls of regency saddles most aptly. Modern saddles also have breakaway systems for, if in the eventuality of a fall, that your foot is released from the stirrup. At the time, the balance girth also did not exist, which is one of the methods that helps keep the saddle secure and prevent it from twisting/rotating and putting undue strain on your horse’s body.

For the historically inclined, you might enjoy this little link: Project Gutenberg's The Young Lady's Equestrian Manual. This online publication has a lovely array of images and tips for the 18th and 19th century rider. Keep an eye out for the images of the bullhorn sidesaddle, which is shown quite frequently.  This is a wonderful resource for anyone researching period sidesaddle riding.  You can download a .pdf version of this book here.

Accessories: The Groom's Stirrup.
It happened sometimes that a lady's horse had to be ridden by a groom; perhaps the lady was too tired to ride back, and took a coach, or whatnot. Attached to the saddle would be a small pouch that would carry a stirrup with a special stirrup leather that attached to the off-side billet of the sidesaddle so the groom could sit it astride and ride the lady's horse. However I cannot imagine it was in any way a tolerable ride. Anyone who has ridden sidesaddle knows that sitting astride on a sidesaddle is less than comfortable. But the groom's comfort probably wasn't the most important thing; as long as the horse was taken care of.

Riding Sidesaddle in 1799.

Accessories: The Sandwich Case
For the lady who might get peckish on the hunt; this accessory is probably more modern than the Regency period, but it's a much-desired accessory for any aside rider.  A little leather case attaches to your off-side D-rings. It contains a little metal tin to keep a sandwich, and a glass flask for some refreshment.

What sort of saddle would suit me?

There are a variety of sidesaddles styles and shapes, but if you’re planning to ride in Regency or Georgian habits, your best bet is to stick with a nice simple English sidesaddle, and try to steer away from flowery, leathery western sidesaddles if you can. Although some seats and horns were decorated on period sidesaddles, the flaps were usually quite plain (unless it was a Spanish saddle).  Western sidesaddles have more leather, and are usually tooled all over.  If you are shopping for a saddle, the first thing you need to do is to figure out what size tree is best suited for your horse (and what size seat is best suited for you). Marti Friddle, a sidesaddle expert, Vice President of the American Sidesaddle Association and owner of Hundred Oaks, Inc. has a guide on how to properly determine your horse’s tree size and your own seat-size requirements. Once you have this information, you can use that to pin down the saddle you need.

Most experts will prod riders towards saddles with asymmetrical, flat seats. The ‘J’-shape saddles insure that your hips are in the right position and also insures that your legs are in a  comfortable position. One sidesaddle expert I spoke to said you could always tell the sidesaddle riders in sweepy, symmetrical, uphill seats at events, because they were always the ones who immediately slid their right leg back over to sit astride with a great big sigh of relief when they were finished with their class. Earlier models and sweepy seats often sit ‘uphill’ and the position of the pommel is such that some riders’ feet tend to poke out from the side of the horse instead of resting comfortably against the horse’s shoulder. The legs have a wider separation because the leaping horn is set lower from the fixed horn than they are on other saddle models. On these saddles, your knee is higher up on the pommel, and your calf rests closer to the horse's neck than its shoulder. You have to lean forward all the time in order to obtain the proper position. This makes your riding position uncomfortable and straining, and a well-designed sidesaddle will not do that. Uphill saddles are a bane to the lower back.

Sidesaddle position (from Wikipedia)

Marti Friddle from Hundred Oaks, Inc., has been not only riding sidesaddle for over 35 years, but also has been involved in the manufacture and sale of sidesaddles for many years. She is reluctant to push buyers to purchasing vintage saddles mostly because again, they’re just not designed for modern horses. Her experience with owning a variety of these antique saddles is that they are not that comfortable for her or her horse, they require tremendous adjustment in many cases, and they are not very pleasing to ride in. She also says that one should not dismiss some of the new, modern Asian imports outright either--there are decent ones among the chaff. She says that many people on a restricted budget (sidesaddles, like most other saddles are not cheap, even used), can buy the less expensive Asian models and then have them fixed for much less than buying a domestic custom saddle or a European import.

In the top image, you see the Regency/Georgian sidesaddle has
has a slipper-stirrup. Here is a detail of an extant one from
The Sidesaddle Museum.

There are very few manufacturers of new sidesaddles today—however there are some brands of saddle that would work very well for a Regency reenactor.

Some things you should keep in mind if you are riding for reenactment, is that most of the features that make your saddle incorrect and modern will invariably be hidden underneath the volume of your skirts. The balance girth on the off side of your saddle, where the small portion of your tack is visible at all, is the only thing that would be out of place, however it is really a necessary evil if you want a comfortable ride for you and for your horse. I haven't heard many good stories of people riding without a balance girth, and I've heard stories of people feeling 'twisted' because they didn't tighten the balance girth enough. Imagine having the two panels on each side of your spine twisting and causing pressure... Poor horse.

Also, there is very little evidence that sidesaddles of the Regency and Georgian period were ever made black leather. Brown or Havana would be your best colour choice. The reason why I say this is that some of the modern saddlers still making sidesaddles are producing some models in black leather. That might be appropriate for someone riding in modern habits doing dressage, but for historic reenactment, it is not appropriate. Having tooled, coloured leathers or suede on the seat and horns is fine, but the flaps and leathers should be brown.

Shopping for sidesaddles on the vintage market? Marti Friddle has written an informative article to help identify what period the saddle was made, and what manufacturer might have produced it.  You can use this article to best match the saddle to your horse and your riding needs. This is an excellent and informative article.

Riding habits, boots and more:
I also posted a comprehensive post on Regency period riding habits sometime back so you can learn more about the style of the period, and what women wore when riding aside.  It not only offers a number of pattern references, but also shows how you can make a habit from standard spencer and gown patterns, as well as fabricate your own costume items. It discusses footwear and what is the best thing to wear beneath your habit skirts.  I will make a post in the future about hats.

LINKS

Some modern English sidesaddle sellers:

Hundred Oaks, Inc. (US)
Offering several styles of English sidesaddle of exceptional quality, Hundred Oaks, Inc has spanking new beautiful sidesaddles that range from $975 - $2,600 depending on the brand (Elan, Steele and others), style and individual features. These are mostly FLAT sidesaddles. After trying my newly acquired sidesaddle on my horse, I discovered it wasn’t a perfect fit. So, I sold it (it sold immediately and for more than what what I was going to sell my Dressage saddle for) and will be buying a Hundred Oaks, Inc Elan saddle. They have a layaway program, by the way. Six months to pay them off. Just saying! She asks that you use her fitting method to insure that the saddle you are getting is going to fit your horse well. It would be bad to gamble with that kind of money. The Elan is an Asian import, but the quality is far greater than any of the below 'not recommended brands'. The manufacture and development of this saddle has been tightly controlled by the importer.

Bit on the Side Saddle (UK)
Sarah offers an imported, carefully designed, quality entry-level sidesaddle at an affordable price comparable to that of the Elan sold by Hundred Oaks.  This saddle also includes a stirrup and balance girth with purchase, and can be further accessorized with English leather items. For about $1100 plus shipping, Sarah will ship to the US.  The manufacture and development of this saddle has also been strictly controlled by the importer. This entry-level saddle is not fortified for jumping, but it can be modified upon request for a modest fee.  This seller also plans to develop a higher-level sidesaddle for the serious rider, comparable to the Lady England from Zaldi. This is a new brand and has yet to be reviewed by the sidesaddle community.  This narrative will be modified when reviews are provided.

Tattersall’s English Sidesaddles (Canada)
I am posting them because they have J-shaped deep seats and the workmanship looks pretty good. They’re custom made, FLAT sidesaddles so they’re probably more desirable than an import for instance--but these are not cheap. They are the high-end of sidesaddles. They are also built on more western-style trees so the shape is a bit different than the standard English sidesaddle, but it's still a wonderful saddle. The basic English style saddle is $2,600. The saddle comes iwth a balance strap, over girth and stirrup leather. You can choose the colour of the skirting as well as the upholstery leather used on the seat and pommels. The latter can be suede or leather. The padded safe is $100.00. She also makes a three-fold sidesaddle girth for $100.00 (which is reasonable).

Zaldi Sidesaddles (Spain)
These Spanish-made saddles look very nice. The used to be sold in Europe and the US through EquusDomus, but that business is no longer in operation. However Zaldi does still sell their saddles both domestically and to the US, but they do so by shipping them individually at this point.  I do believe that there may soon be a few US retailers that carry Zaldi products, including their sidesaddles, but at this stage, I don't know of any.  The best bet is to go to http://www.zaldi.com/ and to find out for yourself. At present, the saddles are only viewable in their online catalog (pg. 45 and 54 I think), and you can write Zaldi for more information.  Their most popular saddle in the sidesaddle community is the Amazona Lady-England, and it looks like a really great contender. The shipping would probably abount to about $230.  They are priced as following; $2550 (the Amazona Lady-England); to $2120 (The Amazona-Caza) and the tiny one on the bottom the is about $556 (The Amazona-Lady which appears to be a child's saddle).  The Caza and Lady England look both to be J shaped, with a nice breakaway system on the stirrup.. By the picture of the tree, they look solidly made and I've heard only raves about these saddles among the sidesaddle community.  One or two ladies I know of have bought one, so I'm waiting to hear the full reviews when they come in. I will modify this post as they do.

Jean Lemaire (France)
These saddles are custom made to order. I'm still not sure about whether he can pull off exports or not, or what the cost would be, and measuring might prove to be difficult since he makes every saddle to order and are made to measure. I am told the photographs do not do his saddles justice. He apparently makes all manner of artisan saddles, including Western saddles. There is no mention of cost on the page, but they're not going to be cheap by any means. They're beautiful saddles nonetheless.

Sellier Phoenix (France)

The standard saddle on the page is listed (St. Orens) at about $1870. The next one (St. Angely)  $1963. The St. Marie is about $2900. Mind you, these prices reflect a 19.6% Value Added Tax, which Americans would not be obligated to pay.  The prices vary from there, depending on the model and whether you want tooling/quilting on it.  So they're competitive with domestic sellers.This French saddler exports,  They are again, absolutely stunning sidesaddles and might be worth the extra money to ship. The saddler estimates that to ship to the US, the cost would range from about $200 to $325. Seems reasonable enough to me for a custom, beautiful saddle.

Sidesaddle.com (US)
You can obtain newly custom-built or restore an existing saddle. Can't find a tree to fit your horse? They have someone who will carve a custom one for you.  No pricing is listed on the website, but that can be quickly solved with a well-placed phonecall.

EQUXTRA (UK)
The Manorgrove saddle has received much acclaim.  The saddle sells on ebay stores for about $2600. It's a handsome model.  These are custom made saddles. No idea about shipping, but I'm sure an inquiry directly to the store would get you what you need.

Lillian Chaudhary  (US)

Builds and restores sidesaddles, both English and Western. Has tremendous knowledge of riding aside, and can help you identify any saddles you might find along the way and help you determine if it's worth buying and restoring.  She comes extremely highly recommended in the sidesaddle community. Use her email to contact her, in spite of her website being slightly outdated, she is still active and happy to respond to queries.

Laura Dempsey (UK)
Another custom saddler with a lovely product. Contact for pricing. Laura will also reconstruct saddles from the tree-up.

Hilason (US)
For the budget-conscious person, or someone who doesn’t want to go all-in until they’re really sure about riding aside, this saddle sells for about $500 (on eBay, sometimes less), this is a pretty affordable price compared to other sidesaddles, but there's obviously a reason for that. It's not a well-designed sidesaddle. The Hilason is considered a "Sweepy" saddle, so it will sit differently with a slightly uphill position, and your right leg might not be quite as comfortable as it would be in a flat sidesaddle. I do not highly recommend it as I would the above saddles, but I want to make a fair list and let consumers choose for themselves.  These saddles are not perfect by any means, but a few tweaks from someone who knows sidesaddles and it could probably work for you. It’s an affordable option, it’s new and it has all of the safety features on it that one requires, and could work as a starter-saddle if you know someone to make the necessary modifications so it won't hurt your horse or be a danger to you.

Derby Originals
This is not a recommended model, but it's only fair to put it up here anyway. This is also a "sweepy" sidesaddle. Derby is no longer manufacturing them, but there are a few floating around at different sellers and on ebay and such. At the provided link, their current inventory is: 4 of the 21" medium tree in black, 1 each of the 21" wide tree saddles, in black and brown. That's it.  I will say though, in studying the image, that the leaping horn is set quite low from the pommel, and it looks like a symmetrical seat saddle.  I can't imagine the quality of this saddle is going to compare to the Tattersall's or Hundred Oaks saddle by any means. The manufacturer would not tell me where they were made, he said "overseas" and when I asked where, in Asia? He replied 'Something like that." That kind of ambiguity worries me.  Most (and I use the word most with purpose, not ALL Asian imports are horrid or unfixable) Asian saddles are made by companies that are not at all familiar with the sidesaddle sport. Hilason, Silver Fox and its other name brands, Derby and other Asian brands often design these saddles on astride trees, making them improperly balanced and causing the rider to tilt towards the offside. They also often lack point straps for the balance girth, and have been known to have two balance girth straps. The pommels and horns are in awful places making the rider's position and posture uncomfortable for both them and the horse. 

Silver Fox/Silver Cup/Gold Winner/Royal King

As you broaden your knowledge of sideaddles, you will begin to recognize the Asian saddles that are of the kind you need to avoid.  Although some, like the Silver Fox (and its various other monikers), attempt to mimick the high-quality saddles in the flat seat and suede leather, they are still not built properly from the tree-up.  The Silver Fox is available in a flat J-seat with a suede seat. They can be found on eBay and other such places--and they're always at unbelievably low prices, attempting to lure the newbie into buying something vastly inferior. Do not be fooled! Some people recommend you have these saddles x-rayed, because there are stories of some of them being stuffed with medical waste for flocking. I am not kidding. x-raying can show exactly how slapdash the construction is.  I've also heard of leaping horns being made of old metal signs. Although the price, which usually ranges between $250 and $400 as a mean, for these saddles may seem appealing as a starter saddle, I do not recommend them AT ALL, and hope that you would keep your safety in mind, and that of your horse before you spend money on saddles that were not made by people who understand the dynamics of sidesaddle riding. Stick with saddles from sellers who are accountable to you as their customer.  Hundred Oaks, Bit on the Sidesaddle, these may be Asian-made, but they were designed by a sidesaddle rider, and the ladies who sell these saddles are there to stand by their products if there are problems. With these cheap models, there's nobody accountable for shoddily made saddles, bad design or dangerous construction. They are merely thrown together and shipped out to any retailer who wants to carry them.

* A comprehensive PDF list of saddlers, manufacturers, exporters, artisans and retailers can be downloaded HERE.

Do you know of other sidesaddle sources that you think should be included on this list? Then comment here anytime with the saddler's name and website, and I will add it on.  Thanks!

Lots of links on sidesaddle riding:

• Introduction to Sidesaddle riding (Newrider.com)
• About the condition and the saddle itself (Newrider.com)
• Fitting a Sidesaddle (Newrider.com)
• Hitchcockwoods.org – An article “Riding Aside Demystified”

Old Sturbridge Village extant saddle (estimated c. 1790-1810)

• A study of very early sidesaddles and an actual medieval sidesaddle project
• Wikipedia (of course)
• Georgia Ladies Aside – another article on sidesaddle history with some nice photos .
• Hoosier Ladies Aside – History and information
• And finally, this delightful page that has illustrations of sidesaddles through time (it may take a while to load, have patience, it’s worth it.

If you are a member of the Oregon Regency Society (or wish to be) and you are an equestrian interested in pursuing riding aside, or period costume in saddle, be sure to email us at orregency@msn.com to let us know. :)



Recognition well deserved.

The ORS was founded for many reasons; for the delights of dance and the elegance of costume, for the genteel activities and for the sake of history. However, the thing that draws me, the founder, and many others to this period is the society and manners of the period. The kindness and consideration of the discourse, the politeness of society. The Miss and the Mr.; the careful choice of words, the politeness that transcended all walks of life, from pauper to lord. It’s what makes the ORS so unbelievable. We are all drawn to it for different reasons, but what we all have in common is that we all resonate to this polite society. That is why people of such different backgrounds and belief systems, people of such wide ranges of political and social differences in the real world can sit down at a ball, and have a wonderful time. I personally think that this makes our group incredibly powerful in many ways. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, or what your convictions are; we all agree that manners are good, that kindness and goodness is important, that poise and elegance are important—and we all manage to find common ground in that.

That doesn’t mean everyone is the perfect creature. I for instance, often think of myself a as a boisterous, merry Mrs. Jennings. I am not very good at adopting a persona so I don’t even bother, I just cannot help but be me… laughing, sometimes too loud, too forward to ever behave like a true Regency lady. But I always strive to be kind, and gracious and thoughtful to the best of my ability in the spirit of the time period I adore so.

I’m very proud of this group. I think about where it began, and all the hours I’ve spent building, building, building. From the website to the outreach—my incessant searching and recruiting, the search for venues, the negotiations, the fruition of the planning, the discovery of people like Thea from ORS Central Valley, who are as driven about the vision as I am. Yes, I believe over the past year, I’ve stumbled a bit. I’ve let the ORS take the back seat to some personal issues I’ve had to deal with and continue to struggle with. I believe that sooner or later this heaviness that seems to be over me will fade and I will find that freedom again for the ORS, and to find passion again for what it stands for—and the ORS will have vibrant events with all my energy poured into their quality and grandness.

As it grows, I am happy to see the wonderful people who are starting to take the reins in each chapter, and I am proud of what they are accomplishing. We’ve found some really great people to lead the way… wonderful people whose passion for the period is insurmountable. I’ve always pressed the importance of inclusivity and openness and I stress that they should always maintain these qualities with them as they go along as ORS leadership.

So I would like to begin my campaign of recognition to the ORS leadership by recognizing them individually. I will be holding a special event for them as well, but I will begin by posting my personal appreciation to the following incredible souls who have become the heart and soul of the Oregon Regency Society.

ORS Central Valley Chapter

Thea Peck
Thea called me the first time, with her voice bursting with emotion and joy. She could not believe that the ORS existed. The website had been up for a few months and she’d just found it. I had arranged the first event at the Ainsworth House and she was ALL OVER IT. She was pushy and full of ideas and I felt at first like she was going to steamroll me. She showed up to the event and got her hands dirty right away. Thea and I are so alike; we had to lock horns a few times before we finally appreciated how great our friendship could be. She has an incredible vision, a drive that is unmatched by anyone and she is one of the first people to ever truly step up. Thea is the essence of the ORS leader. Pushy, strong in her vision, a control freak and underneath it all, one of the best people I know. From the beginning, she and Lisa have been the strongest support I have had in the group—hands-down. Thea is head honcho of ORS Central Valley, but she is also second in command when it comes to ORS in general. I could not do this without her.

Lisa and Robert Emond.
Lisa and Robert came along with Thea. I cannot praise Thea without mentioning these two; but trust me, they are as crucial as can be. Lisa has acted as Thea’s rock and support and has been at Thea’s side for the duration. Lisa is a soul of incredible kindness; she often pulls Thea back and grounds her—and trust me, that girl needs grounding (tee hee! Like me!). When I was down, it was Lisa & Thea that circled the wagons for me, and continue to be the most supportive people I know. I love them. Truly. The above are the heart and soul of ORS Central Valley and the ORS as a whole.

ORS Northwest

Lauren and Aaron Marks
Lauren appeared on the scene as a quiet little thing. But don’t be fooled by that pretty, innocent little face, she is to be reckoned with, this one. Nimble and smart, this little creature spins hurricanes while looking as serene as a summer day. Who knew what a costume-goddess she would be? Not to mention that voice… This little powerhouse has a very popular costume blog where she has detailed her beautiful late Georgian, early Regency masterpieces. She is like a poster-girl for the group; always stunning at every event. She and her husband Aaron have really gotten into the mire of organization of events this past year or so, and have been really crucial to keeping the momentum going for events while I was floundering with my personal crises. I don’t know what the ORS would be right now if it wasn’t for their efforts. She was also a friend to me when I needed her. I am always gratified to hear her mischievous little laugh and to see her sailing about the room in her permanent state of grace—Adore! Aaron, he is the ORS’s unofficial historian. His photos, which are growing increasingly artful with each passing event, have become the mainstay for me, since I tend to forget to take pictures most of the time. He chronicles as much of each event as he can—and does beautiful work of it. As evidence, see his photos from the Twelfth Night... they’re AMAZING.

Tara Ryan and Christian Stephenson.
The first time I met Tara, she’d come with her husband to meet me at our doomed ‘washed out’ Pride & Prejudice 1995 viewing at Holy Names Heritage Center. It was during December of 2007, when record rains were washing out coastal towns. I drove down for the event, and only a smattering other people stayed for the whole five-hour odyssey of Colin Firth while the rain pummeled the countryside outdoors. Tara had swung by to make my acquaintance. She’d been arranging her own Regency-period style wedding and was so delighted by the ORS. Her husband Christian is a wonderful chef, and they were the ones upon whose efforts the ORS’s 2008 Winter Ball and Masquerade Ball’s amazing dinners should be credited. The couple has a ton of costuming experience spanning many time periods, and they participate in a variety of other costume-related events throughout the year. Christian is a skilled swordsman and fencer, and brings important testosterone-friendly options to the ORS membership. Tara and Christian have teamed up with Lauren and Aaron to become event organizers—creating a series of wonderful events that include tea parties and botanical garden tours. I cannot fail to mention also that Tara is the one who orchestrated the wonderful ORS Masquerade’s theatrical performance of an excerpt of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’; which was one of the highlight events of 2008. Tara is also the spearhead behind a new division of the ORS that will cater to the serious costume/reenactor.

Stephanie Robertson
Stephanie is a sort of newcomer when it comes to the ORS leadership. She is also, I believe, the youngest one—though I’m not entirely sure. She graduated from the Culinary Arts Institute only very recently, and has a tremendous skill for both savoury cooking and pastry. Stephanie, from the moment she arrived, was itching to do an event. Stephanie is a pure romantic, and a very sweet, dreamy sort of soul. I spend a lot of time with her, and she has put up with my tears and frustrations to such an extent that I cannot avoid calling her a dearest friend. She spends many an hour at my home, either sewing, or just happily browsing the web on my sofa. Stephanie is the person behind the food from the Ainsworth House Ball and Winter Ball 2009—and the incredible, and I repeat INCREDIBLE meal she made for the Feast of the Twelfth Night. She also made me the most beautiful birthday cake I’ve ever had in all my life. I realized, as I glanced at my wedding photos, that it was bigger than my own wedding cake.

ORS Cascades East

Bill Armstrong
I have had only a little time to get to know one of our newest leaders; and what I know so far is based on this: One of the first things Bill did was to express concern about my situation and my ability to keep things afloat when my own life was (and still is to some measure) a mess. He wanted to rally the leadership to take some of the reins. That alone spoke volumes about Mr. Armstrong. I knew at once we had found ourselves a true gentleman. ORS Cascades is still very small in its membership; however it hasn’t stopped Mr. Armstrong from expressing a desire to help with our own regional events. He has a tremendous knowledge of history, an acumen for costuming and is quite the dandy. He and his beautiful Lady Stacey have some lovely things in store for not only those east of the Cascades, but also for those of us here in the Northwest. I’m so excited for the wonderful things he will bring the ORS; among them, some activities that will engage the men of the ORS.

ORS Puget Sound

Melanie Mayo
Melanie is the very newest of the bunch and I hardly know her. I know she is excited about the new chapter, and is trying very hard to wrangle her first event. As I get to know her better, I will be able to sing you her praise. However I must credit her, like Bill and Thea… starting a chapter is NOT easy. It’s a risk. You dish out your own funds and resources in hopes that people will support your vision, and it sometimes works, and it sometimes doesn’t. So no matter what, we already know that Melanie is a special kind of person to do what she’s doing.

I think perhaps that because of my personal issues this past year, I haven’t taken the time to give each of these people the proper appreciation for all the things they’ve done… not only for the ORS, but for me. SO I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to them as leaders and as friends.

Stephanie Johanesen
Founder and President
Oregon Regency Society

Regency Ladies' Tresses.

So you’ve got your dress, it’s a few days before an event, and you’re thinking… What do I do with my hair?

The period did allow for a lot of flexibility when it comes to women’s hair. If you look at portraits from the time, you’ll see a wide variety of lengths and configurations for women’s styles, going from very short pixie-cuts to elaborate up-dos.

If you have very short to moderately short hair, and you’re getting ready for a ball or dance (for with day-wear outdoors, caps and bonnets were appropriate) you can always go for the wide bandeau or turban.
You can try to curl the locks around your face, or comb them forward as the men’s style was for that time… and then place a wide bandeau on your hair, or a turban. Turbans are simple enough to make; you can shape it on a foam headform by loosely wrapping it around the crown of the head and then using some strategic stitching to hold it all in place. A medallion and a feather to enhance it, and you can have something truly lovely.

Medium length hair allows more flexibility, including the use of a fall, if you prefer something more voluminous than what you currently have. You can use some of the techniques below to shape the hair around your face, and then use a fall to create your shape in the back. Regency hair was often off the shoulders or partially off the shoulders.

This tutorial by author Mary Robinette Kowal, ORS member, is perfect for women with medium-length hair. She shows how you can take a little hair and make it look like a lot. Click the link below.

• Making a Regency updo with medium-length hair. 

And for those with lots of flexibility and longish hair, you can browse the many links below and choose the styles that you like most. Jennie Chancey of Sense and Sensibility patterns has her own tutorials on Regency hair:

• Simple Regency Updo
• Regency Variation
• Pin curls

Rapunzel Resource is also a wonderful place for historic styles ~ She has done an ‘Emma’ series before for the Gwyneth Paltrow adaptation as well as the newest version of Emma recently broadcast on PBS.

• Style worn for Archery scene
• The Triple Twist Bun
• Knot Bun with Curls
• Engagement Scene
• Emma and the puppies scene
• Emma: Romola Garai Version

Here is a lovely video:

Follow this link to Locks of Elegance's wonderful tutorialfor this lovely coif.

Locks of Elegance has a number of Regency hair-dos that are stellar.
Click HERE to see them.

More Emma-inspired hair styling tips from Miss Philippa Colt, ORS Member:

Emma-Inspired Regency Hair.

Jane Austen's World is also a wonderful source for many subjects related to our favourite period; however this post on hairstyles and accessories is very helpful.http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/regency-hairstyles-and-their-accessories

Here is a lovely overview of Regency hairstyles for you to browse from Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion:
http://www.songsmyth.com/hairstyles.html

And Miss Lisa Brown of Rochester Contra has made this invaluable little guide on how to dress a Regency Lady, which includes a wonderful little tutorial on Regency hair.http://www.rochestercontra.com/WomensBallClothing.pdf

I will be posting a how-to on turbans very soon. :)

Inspiration:

Images courtesy of Miss Cristina Barreto