Introduction

And so I greet the lang of Blog with a cheery hello. My name is Jenny, but do forgive me if I don't learn all of yours- there are such a lot of you out there. I'm currently living in York, UK.

I've been interested in clothing and costumes for a number of years now, and I sew a lot. Pretty much all of my seamstress skills are self-taught, relying on the bounty and wonder of the internet, in particular the sewing blogosphere. So having drawn on the skills and experience of the Internet for so long, I thought I should start giving back. I'll be posting images and commentary on all areas of fashion and costume, with a particular emphasis on taking clothes apart and finding out what makes them tick. This isn't your average fashion blog- I won't be predicting trends, scanning red carpets or giving style tips. Instead I'll be posting pictures of garments I find interesting and beautiful, and looking at how they came to be. I'll also be showing you my progress on garments I'm making for myself, on costumes for shows I'm working on, and on the third corner of my workbench: my hats.

I design and make fully-customisable top hats, often with a seriously geeky bent. My mission is to reclaim the top hat from its stuffy and outdated image and reclaim it as a real option for day-wear. Wherever possible, I use salvaged and reclaimed materials.