Various sites allows users to create custom baseball sportswear. Individuals can design their own shirt, hat, shorts, baseball jersey, and coaches and athletic directors can design baseball uniforms for their sports teams.They offer the highest quality materials, and an extremely cost effective pricing structure. 
Baseball sportswear is functional clothing; it soaks up your sweat, provides full range of motion, and look fashionables too. The history of baseball sportswear over the past century shows the advances made in fabrics and the understanding of biomechanics. These changes also provide a glimpse of changes in fashion as a whole. At beginning of the 19th century society was very conservative; men's wear included tailored suits with bowties, while women's dresses were floor-length and incredibly tight at the waist. Such attire was hardly appropriate for sports, but the earliest athletes wore modest styles. Nineteenth century players sported long sleeveless t-shirts, baggy breeches that came below the knee, ankle socks, and low-top, inflexible leather shoes. 

By the 1920s, fashions on and off the playing field became much less conservative. Baseball sportswear now included medium-length cotton shorts; cotton t-shirts with cap sleeves, and tight leather booties. At the end of World War II, athletes began to show some skin. Uniforms from the late 1940s comprised extremely short cotton shorts, thin-strap cotton tank tops, ankle socks, and shoes similar to low-top Converse. Then in the 1960s synthetic fabrics became the norm and the development of the modern baseball sportswear uniform took place. The baseball sportswear team uniform is always changing, but the basic materials haven't changed since the 60's. The 1980's brought some color changes. The changes in color were slight, but they ranged from lights to darks, the neutrality or a softer tone. The last decade or so has seen another change in baseball sportswear; jerseys tend to hang looser, shorts also hang low. In the next decade, who knows what to expect- as technology changes new looks will now be possible. Even now you have the ability to design your own baseball sportswear uniform. We all have different styles, whether we are dressing to impress or dressing to make a statement, there is always a rhyme or reason behind what clothes we wear. Baseball sportswear can range from the color, fit, comfort level or simply the style and outside appearance of the material. Fashion has became a foundation of opportunity, fame and fortune for many designers, fans and buyers. Dressing by season and whether has become a trademark amongst the most fashion sensitive individuals and will continue to play importance in the fashion world in the future.

Det kan være forvirrende. Hvordan skal man da vite om personen som kommer inn er renholdspersonale, sykepleier, lege eller portør? Frakken, sier du sikkert da. Legefrakken pleier å være et sikkert tegn. Neppe.

På et sykehus jeg jobbet på gikk det inflasjon i frakkene. Alle portørene gikk med frakk. Bioingeniørene gikk med frakk. De som vasket hadde frakk på. Og mange av sykepleierne gikk med frakk. Så når man skulle gå visitt begynte gjerne gamlemor med å si "Legen har allerede vært her. Han gikk nettopp." Da hadde sykepleieren vært inne og målt blodtrykk og temperatur. Så da måtte man prøve å overbevise gamlemor om at mannen som hadde vært der ikke var lege og at en selv faktisk var den som skulle gå visitt.

Og som om ikke det var nok, brukte ikke alle legene frakk. Forståelig nok, siden det er et utrolig upraktisk arbeidsplagg som alltid henger seg fast i noe. Så hvordan skal pasientene da vite hvem som er hvem? Alle går jo i de samme uformelige, hvite klærne - uten engang et system for hvem som bruker frakk!

Da var det enklere på hospitalet i Kampala. Helsepersonell gikk fremdeles i hvitt, men andre hadde fargekoder. Så når det banket på døren og en blåkledd person kom inn, visste jeg at nå skulle rommet vaskes. Og når damen i rosa banket på var det for å ta opp bestilling til måltidene.

Og selv blant de hvitkledde var det en viss orden. Overlegen gikk rett og slett i sivil, dvs egne klær. Han skulle jo ikke gjøre drittjobbene og trengte vel ikke være redd for å få kroppsvæsker på klærne. I tillegg skulle han jo inngi et visst inntrykk av autoritet med nystrøket skjorte og pussete sko. De yngre legene hadde en hvit frakk utenpå egne, og selvfølgelig korrekte, klær. Sykepleierne hadde kjole. Jada, god gammeldags, knekort sykepleierkjole, sikkert til glede for mannlige pasienter. Men dette gjaldt selvsagt kun de kvinnelige sykepleierne.

For den som skapte full forvirring og rot i systemet var den ene mannlige sykepleieren. Jeg skjønner jo forsåvidt at han ikke ville gå med sykepleierkjole. Men at han måtte gå likt kledd som de yngre legene var jo litt forvirrende. Et øyeblikk tror man at man snakker med en lege, og så er det visst ikke sånn det er likevel. Men jeg visste jo tross alt at han var helsepersonnel, og ikke var der for å vaske gulvet eller spørre hva jeg ville spise.

Kanskje norske sykehus kunne ha begynt med mer koder? Se for deg en fargerik forsamling i korridoren. Røde sykepleiere, gule bioingeniører, grønne vaskere, oransje portører, blå fysioterapeuter, grå sosionomer og rosa administrasjon. Tror det hadde vært mer morsomt å være på sykehus da!

I am making a 22” cloth doll depicting a woman of the 1940’s. I’ve used the material to make a dress that replicates that era and I will give her a “victory roll” hair do. I didn’t know that was what it was called until I looked it up to be sure I knew what I was doing. Apparently the women designed this hair-do in honor of a famous airplane maneuver. Women usually had long hair and when they didn’t want to take the time to put their hair up in pincurls, they would put it up in this roll. You could buy long rolls of cotton wrapped in a soft fabric and covered with hair netting, called “rats” – they could be anywhere from 5 to 15 inches long. These full rolls were placed in a “U” shaped form on top of the hair, the bottom of the “U” at the base of the neck and they shaped upward, to the top of the head. Once secured, the hair was then lifted over the roll, tucked inside and pinned with hairpins, making a large roll of hair – rather like an inverted “page-boy” hair style, only a solid form. The top front of the hair was usually shorter and curled or waved over one side of the forehead.

The doll will have a nice 1940’s style dress with a four flounce skirt, the bodice and some of the flounces made from the manufacturer’s material. She will have classic pumps, complete set of underwear – even a garter belt and hose with seams. She will be wearing pearls complete with powder, rouge, mascara and lipstick , and holding a mop with a mop bucket sitting beside her  – just like they did back then. Can you imagine getting all decked out today just to clean house. This was the uniform of the day for the women of the 40’s, but, the advent of women entering the workforce to help in the war effort changed all that, and today we can live a much simpler life in some respects.

Not going to go into a fact about your body today, but will resume tomorrow. Have a great day and

Think Thin Thoughts!

Adinear.

This lovely photo is by © Stuart Phoenix on Flickr

This is a bit way back, from July this year, but having followed the debate and the problems folks had in the Army, as opposed to RAF and Navy, this is such great news that even after a few months it is still worth posting about.

Army service personnel allowed for the first time to march in uniform at the London Gay Pride March 08.

Last year the Army was not allowed yet, as opposed to the RAF and the Navy, and it seems the chaps and chapesses marched in jeans and red t-shirts instead. Absolutely shocking, that, and I followed the debate, especially on the Proud2serve forum, regarding the permission to march in uniform for the Army. I am glad that 2008 saw a change in policy if not, necessarily, in attitude. But these official steps are what will eventually win hearts and minds over. Institutions as "crusty" and traditional as the Forces have to change from the top down, because from the bottom up or the inside out is most likely not going to work. Thus policies, legislation, rules and regulations are required.

Looking on YouTube it is quite amusing to see the straight-laced marching of service pesonnel, but then they were told by the MOD they weren't allowed to do "hijinks".

Photo © by Pat Ricio on Flickr

By the way, Mr Marquesate just told me that several service personnel were tasked to go to the London Pride 08, not to march but to cheer and to show the face of the Forces. Apparently those folks were straight and some weren't comfortable, and I do worry about the notion of "forced cheer", but alas, I reserve judgement until I know more. Ach well, a soldier has to function even in adversity, aye? ;-) (tongue in cheek!)

Proud2Serve has a lovely photo pool of the 08 march on Flickr.

On October 2, 1758, the first Grand Assembly in this country met in a small wooden building in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This was to be the birth of parliamentary democracy in Canada. There were twenty-two men chosen to represent people from all over Nova Scotia. Although they were all white, protestant, male, and land owners, the democratic process nevertheless grew from that point on, with Nova Scotia leading the way. Read more here.

Nova Scotia is marking this very important historic date with a year long celebration of events called "Democracy 250". You can view the schedule of events here. There are all kinds of things going on, one of which we have been privileged to attend.

On Thursday evening an 18th century costume ball was held at the World Trade and Convention centre in Halifax, in their grand ballroom. Although I don't have the exact numbers I would say that almost 400 people attended the glittering $125.00 per person event. Well worth the money my husband and I agree. Most of the attendees threw themselves happily into the flavour of the evening, the majority arriving in a beautiful array of wonderful and authentic costuming and uniforms.

The hour long reception prior to dinner, gave all a chance to chat and admire the dress of their compatriots. The beverages flowed freely and the appetizers were delicious. These were served by the most conscientious of white gloved staff until the piper called us all to dinner. The decor was lovely, the tables elegant and dressed with pristine white table coverings and silver center pieces. The food, which consisted of a five  or six course meal, was very period and yummy and included a delicious harvest squash soup, roast pork, blueberry dessert and finished off with a glass of Port. Although I've not often sampled Port, my husband rather likes it, and it did seem a fitting way to end the meal.

The King ( George II at the time) was toasted liberally throughout dinner and the conversation was lively and vigorous. The music was provided by the Nova Scotia Symphony which performed in 18th century style. This added a terrific ambiance to the evening. A re-enactment group gave a lovely demonstration of 18th century dance, and the lesson after-wards was greeted with much enthusiasm by the guests, the dance floor being filled to capacity.

We stayed until the Symphony packed up and went home. Although the evening ended early, (it was a Thursday night), I can't say when I've enjoyed myself more. Our compliments go to the organizers, whose skill and attention to detail really made this an awesome evening.

It was our first time out in our costumes and even though we felt we were quite prepared, there were some challenges to overcome. Some of these were getting a five hoop skirt into a modern day car, using an escalator or a ladies room in such a big dress, and keeping track of the large fore and aft hat. These were taken in good stride and indeed, added a sense of hilarity to the occasion. All in all, I would say we managed quite well and are ready to have another go at it anytime!

"To the King!"

Two of our projects are finalized—Passage to India, a lady's gown which Johanna has been working on (read about it here, and here!) and the Royal Marine's uniform. There is still so much to add regarding the Marine's uniform, but we're going to save that for another update until we have a few more pictures. Johanna and Steve recently bought a digital SLR (the Canon Rebel XSI, I believe), and it is rocking—we'll have plenty of opportunities to take some really phenomenal shots, and we'll be sure to get some rapid updates here with some brand new photos.

Johanna and Steve also recently procured two tickets for an event in Halifax, which falls under the year-long Democracy 250 celebration. It was two-hundred and fifty years ago that democracy was first practiced in Halifax, and one of the many events to commemorate this is an authentic 18th Century Costume Ball. Well, how convenient for us that we started these "costumes" a few months ago! Johanna put in some extra time to get the Marine's uniform ready to go, as well as some significant final touches on the Passage to India. As of right now, they should be finishing their meal and getting ready to dance (the event was tonight). Expect pictures in the next few days!

This post, however, was intended to bring to a close the Behind the Uniform series, touching on the few remaining accessories necessary to bring a Royal Navy uniform to life. I believe that in the conclusion of my last post I mentioned the sword, hat and boots. Let's start there!

As it turns out, these three items (along with the lace) would account for some of the most expensive purchases here at Man the Capstan. The sword was the most difficult—there are hundreds of options to choose from, and frankly, nearly all of them are way out of budget. We quickly determined that a functional sword was unnecessary (we figured that the chance the need may arise for cold, naval steel, would be decidedly low, albeit incredibly cool). There are many online shops you can order weapons from—axes, mauls, maces, swords, daggers, bows, muskets and event flintlock pistols. Functional, full-tang, replica, etcetera—it was all available, and usually far overpriced.

The temptation to buy a replica of Lord Nelson's sword (with accompanying sword knot) did present itself, but wisdom and the almighty budget prevailed.

Eventually, we went with eBay. We bought an excellent officer's sabre (in gold), that cost only $20.00. Shipping from California, however, brought the purchase to $80.00. It was worth it, however—it was the cheapest, and finest-quality sword for the price we could find. Alongside the sword, we ordered an authentic R.N. sword knot, the same variety that's used in the present-day Royal Navy.

The sword comes with scabbard rings as well, so when a sword-belt is purchased, she'll hang comfortably from the hip with hangers, as it should.

We still need to buy two more swords for the Marine and the other R.N. uniform (the Marine is using my gold one tonight for the Ball), but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Now, the hat presented a real problem. For months, ever since the project started, we scoured the Internet looking for appropriate hats. The problem here is twofold. First, choosing the right hat was difficult, depending on the time period. Cocked hats were losing popularity towards the end of the 18th century (see attached picture of an older cocked hat). Older admirals and distinguished Captains often held to the old style they were accustomed to. Younger naval officers, however, took quickly to the new fashion that had been appearing in London, in response to a trend that was taking quick hold across the channel in France. The chapeau de bras was a cocked hat of sorts, worn in the fore-and-aft fashion, that could be folded and tucked neatly beneath the arm when not in use. At the turn of the 19th century, the chapeau bras saw widespread use in the Royal Navy. The Hornblower series illustrates this transition nicely, in fact (and I'm not sure if it was accidental or not). Our intrepid hero, Horatio, wears a cocked hat (the older style) in the beginning of the series. Episode 5, on the deck of the HMS Renown, Hornblower has taken to the chapeau bras, and wears it alongside his fellow lieutenants. The insane Captain Sawyer—an old friend of Nelson, and a distinguished naval officer of many years—still wears the older cocked hat.

Eventually, we opted for the chapeau bras. It looked cool, and it fit into our time period more accurately (we're figuring around ~1805 or so).

Secondly, finding an affordable chapeau bras was turning out to be an impossible task. Most sutlery and reenactment sites were charging over $200.00 in some cases (and in others, far far more), and that was far beyond the Capstan budget. Granted, these hats are beautiful hats. I contacted a number of milliners, and while they were exceedingly helpful, and directed me to lovely choices, all of those hats were very expensive. As much as I'd love to have a fully trimmed, velvet-felted hat, it just wasn't feasible. We began to lose hope in finding a decent chapeau bras (and we even were looking to see if we could make our own, a scary thought) until we found Hatcrafters.

These guys were awesome. Within sixty seconds of finding their site, I had navigated to the catalogue and found the hat we needed. Right there, in front of us. The chapeau bras, wool-felt hat, in black. And the best part? It was $80.00! Shipping would bring that up, naturally, but the goal we set was a hat for under $100, and we found it. We immediately ordered two, in the right size, and when they arrived they were perfect. Well-lined, with a quality leather sweatband, with nary a defect. There were a few wrinkles in the shape of the hat, but a bit of steam above a kettle fixed that pretty quick. The third hat just arrived a few days ago, and right now we're all set as far as hats are concerned. The Marine had has been fully trimmed, with silver gilt wire and a black cockade. In fact, Steve (our Marine) should be wearing it tonight at the Ball (I can't wait for the pictures).

The last problem presented would be footwear. This is one of those "blurry" lines in the whole debacle. Taking a look at older uniforms (and particularly in paintings and portraits), officers often wore different footwear, depending on a number of conditions such as style, the occasion, and personal taste. Taking a look at pop culture and mainstream media, for a moment, the intrepid Captain Jack Aubrey of Master and Commander wears white breeches with black leather Hessian boots. It makes for quite the swashbuckling appearance (especially with the white ruffled shirt). Hornblower takes to a number of styles, from long navy breeches with buckled shoes, to white breeches, stockings and shoes. Some officers use black boots with navy breeches as well.

Personally, I liked the look of the longer navy breeches (down to the ankle); the former blog posts show that's the direction we took. With this style, you can't have stockings, though you could wear buckled shoes. Instead, I opted for black leather boots. I like Aubrey's look, and wanted to try to incorporate that into the uniform.

The problem? Leather is expensive. There are polyurethane alternatives, but honestly this takes us back to the "costume" debate; you can spot plastic and polyurethane miles away, and we want to avoid that. The trick was finding a decent pair of boots that looked good, and were a decent price.

The Internet, once again, proved invaluable. A few listings on eBay were tempting. We avoided them all mainly due to size concerns. Large calves run in the family, and as honest as many eBayers tend to be, we cannot afford to order boots that won't fit, and must be sent back (or resold). Amazon.com has a marketplace, and on it we found a listing for a pair of boots manufactured by a company called Pleaser (they do a large assortment of footwear), called the Maverick. (I wonder if this link will still work, if not a quick google search of "amazon.com maverick boot knee" should return some results).

For about $100.00 (with tax and shipping), we had a great pair of boots that not only fit great, but look great. The cuff can be turned down, as shown, or unfolded for a taller boot. I like the flexibility of the pig leather, and the authentic look. We may have to look at getting some extra soles added for extra walking. I have a feeling the rubber will just not cut it.

There are a number of other accessories the uniform will feature, small things sucha a pocket-watch with a gold anchor fob, looking glass, boatswain whistle, etcetera—for the most part, however, the first Royal Navy costume is complete. We are still waiting on about ten metres of bias and stand trim for the front lapels (which is why we've avoided posting more pictures here, like an artist hesitant to show an unfinished painting). We're hoping that the lace will arrive soon, and we can finish this project. October 31st is coming up fast, and come Halloween the Capstan Crew will be out in force for a night out.

I noticed a steady increase in traffic these past few weeks; I encourage any interested parties to leave a comment, or pose a question! Stay tuned, we've many more updates coming!

HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, but this is really an example of how not to do it. This is not sexy. This is not a good use of camouflage cloth, and this is not a substitute for a proper uniform in the uniform fetish department.

In fact, it makes you look like MC Hammer in HammerCamoPants. :-D

Well, perhaps I am alone with my opinion, because according to the company "Our camouflage men's workout pants for bodybuilders are so popular we can't keep them in stock. Order now!" So ... there must be oodles of misguided chaps out there. Oh the hilarity.

Apparently, a university in Idaho is getting new cheerleader uniforms because the ones they have now are too skimpy.

Whatever happened to "Save the cheerleaders' uniforms, save the world?"

They girls wore halter tops and short black skirts with white trim, and was similar to what a NFL cheerleader might wear.

"A number of fans were concerned that the uniforms were inappropriate," said Bruce Pitman, dean of students. "To be fair, there were a number of fans who liked them." (You can read the full story here)

Of course, I watch the games for the football, so this doesn't upset me too much.