Vintage, Theatre, Covid-19 and I
I have always been a bit of a history geek, specifically the social side of history including a love of historical fashion. I'm lucky enough to have a career that allows me to pursue this passion for fashion and history; where I can often be found trawling eBay/Etsy/charity shops/vintage markets for items to be used in theatre productions (along with acquiring items for myself).
However like many others, 2020 has been a challenging year with Covid-19 hitting my entertainment and creative industry hard! The theatre's have all been closed since March, meaning all of my costume work for the year has been cancelled or postponed until at least January 2021. This current uncertainty has caused myself much distress, with what seems like daily news of productions cancelling or theatre mass redundancies. I know it has tested all of our patience and determination.
One silver lining to my temporary unemployment is that it has allowed me the time and opportunity to finally open my Etsy shop. I have been meaning to do this for years, as I have an ever increasing collection of vintage and pre-loved clothing, accessories, fabrics and haberdashery that I need to downsize.
In solidarity with my fellow theatrical family I will be donating money from each sale in my Etsy shop to 'The Theatrical Guild'. This organisation is there to help those in financial need or those requiring industry advice from all the theatrical departments including backstage and front of house roles, meaning this is a cause very close to my heart! This organisation has recently been publicised and supported by Sir Ian McKellan through a large donation from his recent UK tour of shows to celebrate his 80th Birthday. He, like many others in our industry understand the need to support one another through these tough times!
https://ttg.org.uk/
Hopefully we will all be back to our theatre jobs soon, but in the meantime I hope to continue to share my vintage collection on Etsy and supporting 'The Theatrical Guild'. Please feel free to visit my shop to hopefully find some inspiration or even a goodie or two to purchase!
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DandylyonsWardrobe