ABSTRACT
The art of costuming-creating a style of dress characteristic of another period, place, or person, including accessories and hairstyles-has a long and fascinating history. Since the beginning of human culture, people have created their own clothing both for covering/protection from the elements and for decoration/ fashion. This double duty of function and aesthetics has always affected the look of finished garments; over time, however, once human culture had truly established itself, fashion gained the upper hand, and clothing styles/ornamentation have come to serve a variety of other functions such as designating social class, military and political affiliations, professions, etc. In particular, fashion has come to represent our own expressions of who we are-our choice of fashion expresses something of our heritage, (sub)culture, mood, personality, and, most importantly, our innermost self. This is especially true in stylistic costuming, whether for Mardi Gras, the theater or other costumed social events, where we have the opportunity to create and wear even more elaborate representations of who we feel we are or would like to be. From playing dress-up as young children, to dressing up for a Halloween party as adults, the desire to express and/or re-invent ourselves through fashion and costuming is a centuries-old practice, and common to cultures throughout the world.
