My Maker Crushes

Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite makers of clothing and historical costumes. I'm constantly in awe of these women and their immense talent. So here are my top 5 maker crushes:

Dames a la Mode

​As a business, Dames a la Mode makes and sells historically inspired jewelry, but Taylor is also an incredibly talented historical costume maker. Over on Instagram, she hosts #georgianjanuary, a photo challenge to celebrate all things Georgian

Marcy Harriell embraces color and pattern like no one else! She's a hobby sewist, so all her creations are just for her to wear, but her Instagram is a magical land of happiness and color that you definitely want to visit!

Modern Mantua Maker

Carolyn makes most of her own clothes using a lot of vintage patterns. She's also a dress historian and has a wealth of knowledge on historical clothing. If you have even a passing interest in vintage or historical clothing, you need to give her a follow.

Grimilde Malatesta is a costume designer and wig maker based in Italy. In addition to her glorious historical clothing, she also makes a lot of costume replicas from your favorite sci-fi and fantasy movies and tv shows (check out her cosplay of Lamia from Stardust! Uh-mazing!). Her costumes, accessories, and wigs are available for purchase on her website.

Virtuous Courtesan

I saved the Virtuous Courtesan for last because Lauren is without question my favorite maker of historical clothing. She's a hobby sewist who only makes costumes for herself (except for one glorious, Fortuny-inspired dress she made for a friend, documented on her Instagram), but her work is some of the most incredible I've ever seen. She's not afraid to incorporate modern aesthetics into her historical designs, and the results are beyond stunning. Her Instagram is a dream world of antique fashion that I just want to live in all the time.