Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration

Historical dressing refers to the act of wearing clothing that is authentic to a specific time period, while historical reenactment refers to the act of recreating past events (such as battles). These two overlapping activities and communities have much in common but are rarely analyzed together. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by considering the psychological motivations behind historical dressing and reenactment. They then detail the various types of historical reenactment, where to buy reenactment clothing and supplies, and why some people chose to wear historical clothing daily. Amongst other things they discuss how “farb” is used as a pejorative term to describe inauthentic reenactors, how tailors like The Progressive Tailor hand stitch their clothing, how Dandy Wellington popularized the phrase “vintage style, not vintage values,” and what the debate around vintage values in the community really means. 

Links:

I was obsessed with the mid 19th century as kid Blunderyears post 

Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear by Paul Fussell

The Grenadier Company

The Grenadier Company’s crashing out Instagram post

The Ragged Victorians – The Great Unwashed

The Milwaukee Vintage Style Society 

Deer Hunting in the Oregon Cascades, circa 1925.

The Progressive Tailor - Instagram Page

The Progressive Tailor - Facebook Page

Pinsent Tailoring - https://www.pinsenttailoring.co.uk/ 

Pinsent Tailoring - Instagram Page

Dandy Wellington - Instagram Page

Mistress Pennywhistle - Instagram Page

What We Each Wear in a Week: 3 Daily Historical Fashion Wearers

‘I don’t see jeans in my future’: the people who wear complete historical dress – every day by Ammar Kali

Victorian Era Couple Live Like It's The 19th Century

Millennial Lives His Life In Victorian Era

This woman lives every day like it’s 1958

This man lives every day like it's 1965

The Meaning of ‘Vintage Style, Not Vintage Values’ in the Modern Age by Lena Bramsen

Fashion-focused Jan. 6 rioter who snapped selfies with Roger Stone and white supremacist arrested thanks to Instagram: Feds by Brandi Buchman

Artwork:

Farb

Recorded on 4/22/2025