SHADY LADIES---- DESIGNING WOMEN


by Pam North

Eight years ago, a group of women called the Shady Ladies of the Central
City Motherlode was formed to acknowledge a local event, Lou Bunch Day,
which has been held annually for over 25 years.  The popular event
recognizes the role of the "ladies of the evening" in the Victorian
West, and the Shady Ladies, while originally formed to play on this
concept, soon expanded its focus to a more westward than wayward
perspective to include historical performance highlighting a more
encompassing variety of unconventional pioneer women.  In the course of
their dramatic portrayals, the ladies have become well-known for both
their theatrical abilities and the excellence of their costumes, the
latter of which ranges from the colorful outfits reminiscent of the Lou
Bunch theme, to authentic reproductions of the actual dress of the
characters featured in their history vignettes.

Just how does a Shady Lady triumph over the costuming challenges?
Resourcefulness goes a long way in solving the dilemma.  Joan Hemm, the
group's founder, is a whiz at this, being strong on imagination and
having studied theatrical costume design before opting for a journalism
degree.  In 1975 she actually costumed the entire 75-member cast of a
"Wizard of Oz" production for a grand total cost of $17, all done with a
bit of wizardry of her own:  scrounging and recycling.

In 1992, as she conjured up the concept of the Shady Ladies, Hemm had a
personal collection of Victorian ballgowns, so her prospective ladies
were recruited on the basic premise that they had to fit in her gowns.
As membership in the group began to grow, it became obvious that the
ladies would have to furnish their own apparel, and Hemm wanted them to
look good.  She still does, and she works hard at helping them make that
happen.

An essential element in the creation of costumes is meticulous
research.  Hemm is continually adding to her own sizeable collection of
resources to draw upon, such as costume and history books, old catalogs
and illustrations, and she further utilizes movies and paintings for
inspiration.  Even Dover Publications' paper doll collections have
proved to be accurate and helpful in contributing to her thorough
understanding of clothing styles in various time periods.  Hemm conveys
this knowledge to her Shady Ladies, ensuring that they assimilate the
background necessary to create an authentic look.

Surprisingly, the ladies do not use antique apparel, finding it too
expensive and fragile for their purposes.  While recreating the overall
integrity of the period of their clothing is vitally important, complete
reproduction is not.  Some details are relaxed for the sake of
convenience and comfort.  Zippers are allowed (in an emergency, even
safety pins and duct tape are discreetly employed), and Hemm admits to
wearing regular socks inside her vintage-looking granny boots.
Long-line strapless bras replace the restrictive corsets of yesteryear.
Despite these minor allowances, the ladies strive for perfection in
whatever period of dress they have chosen (Hemm once spent 3 months
sewing red sequins on a center panel of a dress for her Mae West
character), and in the undertaking of their task they get to prove their
mettle in the many aspects that constitute the birth of a costume.

Patterns are a basic need.  Available costume patterns, until recently,
have generally been of the simple Halloween variety, and haven't been
particularly useful for what the Shady Ladies wished to achieve. Hemm
found more merit in the bridal patterns, adapting them for her needs in
the earlier days of the group.  Lately, re-enactor groups have become
more numerous (50 in Colorado alone), establishing a need for more
elaborate period costumes, and pattern companies have begun to address
this demand, solving the dilemma with a variety of styles.
Coincidentally, the pattern components have become more standardized, so
that the pieces of different patterns can be interchanged, allowing more
flexibility in the effect of the various elements, and further expanding
the design possibilities.

Fabrics are another major concern.  Silks, woolens and fine cottons tend
to be cost-prohibitive to many of the budget-conscious ladies, forcing
them to take a more innovative path with less expensive materials, such
as drapery and upholstery fabrics, unusual prints and anything
vintage-looking.  Garage and thrift shops often prove to be treasure
troves, and the ladies scout them often.  Hemm's mother discovered 7
yards of an unusual black velvet at an Arizona yard sale, shelling out
$2 for it in the hope that her daughter could use it.  Hemm responded to
the challenge by fashioning the yardage into an elegant period dress for
a New Year's Eve gala at the Belvidere.

Next week:  More on the fashion fortitude of the Shady Ladies.