In my decades designing and crafting historical attire, I’ve been privileged to outfit everyone from museum curators to film actors in intricate period dress. But few patron passions run deeper than those who dedicate weeks of their year embodying roles fully by reenacting past eras through interactive education and performance art.
I recently sat down to interview long-time client and history enthusiast Julia Santos about her decade portraying 15th-century Spanish noble Doña Elvira de Castañeda at various Renaissance Faires and historical events across Southern California. She shared cherished details about her treasured Spanish gown, beloved persona backstory, and the joys of time-traveling through interactive dress-up opportunities transporting both wearer and observer centuries back immersed in authentic ambience.
MH: What made you first interested in historical reenactment as a lifestyle and art form?
JS: “Even as a little girl, I obsessively read fantasy fiction constantly dreaming of magical realms where I played the brooding romantic heroine. Historical reenactment lets me live out those childhood dreams by fully inhabiting a magical realm where I design every detail of my fictional backdrop from clothing to love trysts!”
MH: How did you settle on the late 15th century as your era of choice versus the many history offers?
JS: “I’m captivated by the early Spanish Renaissance, so right around Columbus’ 1492 voyage feels like the brink of a brave new world. Lords and Ladies on the cutting edge of exploration while still bound by medieval court hierarchy. I wanted all the drama, scandal and privilege! So I picked a tumultuous period in Spanish nobility across Inquisition culture clashes.”
MH: Please tell me about your persona and backstory. What details did you want highlighted through your costume design?
JS: “Doña Elvira de Castañeda comes from a prominent Aragon family newly elevated to titled aristocracy through merchant wealth from rich Italian trade. As the family navigates court intrigues balancing faith and new ideas equally, Elvira embraces fine Flemish fashions chasing advantageous marriages furthering the family’s political agenda. Her blood red brocade gown must balance Inquisition piety with flirtatious refinements befitting new money. She’s a social climber, so the costume demands ambitious mobility.”
MH: Your exquisite ensemble features stunning embroidery details – please share some behind them!
JS: “Since Elvira comes from merchant pedigree despite enjoying new rank among Hapsburg circles, I sought fabric embellishments reflecting her family’s worldly sensibilities. My glorious brocade overdress captures that through Arabic, Venetian and Spanish techniques woven together just like history intertwines Cordoba’s advanced mathematics into Catholicism. The curling vines echo Elvira’s own heartbeat reaching toward the heights of society!”
MH: How does wearing such elaborate costumes impact your experience portraying Doña Elvira versus everyday attire?
JS: “Getting laced into the weighty gown instantly shifts me into the noblewoman mindset through the sheer engineering. I learn more about Elvira from wearing her dress than any book could teach me. The restriction of movement in voluminous bell sleeves, the comforting swish of silk-lined overskirts with each step. I decipher so many social cues – fabrics keeping me cool hinting at Moorish influence versus structured stays demanding perfect posture and etiquette constantly. Each detail immerses me deeper into her reality.”
MH: Any advice for those exploring historical reenactment as a hobby for the first time?
JS: “Embrace the fantasy and make it your own! Few creative outlets exist today where adults have full permission for dramatic make-believe storytelling adventures. Want to be a queen? Go for it! I encourage newcomers to forget – at least initially – notions of accuracy. Lean instead into imagination possibilities – the history will come in time!”
Hopefully this behind-the-scenes peek into one remarkable woman’s dedication to bringing history alive through intricate Spanish Renaissance dress offers fresh inspiration to unlock your own era-bending alter egos waiting patiently to time travel their way into 2023 imaginations. Stay tuned for more reenactor profiles in coming months as we continue marching ever boldly into the historical horizons calling our names!