2020 was a whirlwind of a year (or in many cases, lack thereof), to say the least, and my inability to travel meant weekends at home and the growth of bustle!
It's been a goal of mine for the past couple of months to be able to offer the following, hopefully in 2021:
Searchable online collection of the items in my collection, complete with measurements, detail photographs, videos, and any other information that may relate to the item. Sort of like a museum's catalog, but with more information out there for you - many of which are behind the scenes
Youtube videos on objects relating specifically to items in my collection, showing details of construction, embellishments, and other items that photographs just don't capture
Web store of an assortment of vintage items
Patterns of items in my personal collection - for those that like to sew recreations of historical pieces
Obviously, this is a very ambitious list! It's going to be my goal for 2021 to try and accomplish some, if not all, of these by the end of the year.
But first and foremost, I've been working on getting items in my growing collection photographed and measured, and have gotten the bare bones of a database together. I now have more than 100 pieces in my collection, and I've only just begun this process. I'm excited to share the start of it with you! This database can be accessed here, as well as from the main bustle page under the 'More' section in the upper right. It's not quite searchable yet (my coding skills are dreadfully poor), but I'm hoping to knock out that frustration soon (fingers crossed).
You'll notice there's not much up there now. Of course, this database will grow and shift over time as I develop my collection, the knowledge that I gain on fashion history as a whole, as well as what research has been done. I also plan to have a separate section just of photographs in my collection, as well. Photographs are such great visual primary sources, and I definitely want to include those, too!
It's my hope to make extant garments more accessible and out there for everyone who is interested to see and use!
While we can't all be out celebrating together this New Years, I hope you all have a very happy 2021!