What Wearing Historical Fashion Every Day Taught Me About Life 

A huge thanks to Babbel for sponsoring this video! Start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with Babbel 🎉. Get up to 60% OFF your subscription ➡ Here: bit.ly/42T7aev Thanks so much for watching and your continued support of this channel 🥰 See you in two weeks for another video!

Yes, I haven't worn jeans for 20+ years. Ugh. Many historic fashion enthusiasts focus on middle / upper class clothing, simply because they have the data (pictures, examples, monographs, etc.) from those social levels. Working class clothing tends to be undocumented. I do know from direct observation that some women's clothing is automatically size-adjustable - eg saris lappa skirts.

The first time my wife seen me making something on the sewing machine she said" i said i didnt know you could use a sewing machine" i told her well its the same as welding or wood working she thought i was crazy said those are completely diferent things . I said are they? all of them involve measuring, cuting pieces from a larger piece sometimes from a pattern and then connecting the pieces together to make something. Some of the tools may be different but the concept is still the same

I always thought it sounded silly when people said they felt more connected to ancestors when making historical clothing UNTIL I attempted making my own 18th century stays. Sewing those, it hit me like a train that I absolutely definitely had women in my family who wore these back in the day. I never wear stays or corsets because no matter how I try, they're always uncomfortable, but that realization and feeling of suddenly being a part of a much bigger family than before was crazy cool.

As a child I hated jeans, but tried to force myself to wear them to fit in with my friends. But it never stuck because the fabric was so rough and uncomfortable against my skin. As an adult I've learned I am on the autism spectrum (explaining a lot of my sensory peculiarities) and it is so empowering to sew clothes for myself that I know I'll be able to wear comfortably.

I like overalls so much better than jeans for doing physical activities. They have the durability and pockets that I need without the thightness. Jeans used to be better in the 70s before stretch was incorporated into the denim. They were way more utilitarian. When I moved back to the USA, it struck me how much people wear jeans, the only difference being what they pair them with. My preference for everyday is leggings and a tunic, with more layers depending on the weather.

No jeans for me! I hate the way they cut through the crotch. I also don't wash my clothes very often with the exception of underclothing and socks. Most of my clothing is linen, all made by me.

I especially love what you said about welcoming a new handmade piece of clothing like it's a new member of your family. I knit and crochet, and in the past year or so I've taken the leap from mainly making hats, scarves, and shawls to making sweaters. That phrasing totally describes how I feel adding a new completed piece of clothing to my wardrobe. You put it so well!

*HOW INTELLIGENT PEOPLE WERE* is the thing that has really been made obvious to me from wearing historical fashion, People worked out how to stay warm and dry and look good and be comfortable a LONG time ago - and if anything we have devolved. Sweat pants and a T-shirt are NOT more comfortable than a handmade bespoke suit. We look at old pics and think "OMG how stuffy" NO, with few exceptions they were astonishingly comfortable and climate appropriate...

I actually genuinely love jeans, but they have to be the right jeans. Skinny jeans are only really comfortable to me if they’re skintight like leggings, so they have to have enough elastane. But elastane weakens the garment and I’d always stretch or tear the knees just from being a very active person so it’s not practical. It also just defeats the purpose of denim imo. If the jeans are 100% cotton, pretty much any cut except skinny, and fit well then I love them! I wore them all the time as a kid but I’ve had trouble finding jeans that fit as an adult because now my waist is small compared to my hips and legs. Once I started altering them for myself I loved them again! I also figured out that for high waisted jeans I prefer buttons instead of a zip for closure, it’s more comfortable and bunches less weirdly when I sit down. Good jeans or denim overalls are very durable although it’s true they’re not made to be adjustable. But denim is significant in my country’s post-colonial history. While most of Australia’s history is full of things that should never be repeated the importance of this durable fabric in workwear of many kinds is still valuable imo. It is actually breathable for being such a tough fabric so it played an important role in people protecting themselves in tough working conditions and a much hotter environment than they were used to. Of course Aboriginal peoples survived much more successfully than us for millennia without it, but that isn’t my history or culture and it would be extremely dishonest and disrespectful for me to take their cultural heritage as mine. So I’ll stick to denim!

I love the purple color of your dress in the video! I also stopped wearing jeans years ago, because I realized they are not that comfortable, and they always wore off quickly. You have very good points there about historical fashion. Also, historical periods can be quite different from region to region all over the earth. History was not always dark. There were better periods of advanced thinking, but then something changed for the worse. However, it seems one is safe to say, medical attention was never as advanced as it is today, provided you are in a country with an affordable healthcare system.

When I was younger, I absolutely _refused_ to wear jeans because they weren't flexible or stretchy enough. However, last summer, I was doing a lot of hands-on farm work, and I really appreciate jeans as work pants- which is what they were made for in the first place!

I have hand washed clothing and sheets, its back breaking work. Just washing sheets takes 45 minutes to : swish , plunge, scrub, wring out and rise 2-3x but it gets cleaner than my washer ! If I had to wash my clothing etc by hand all the time i would only have 4-5 outer clothing choices and 6 days worth of underwear . I am glad I've a Mangle - or hand crank wringing device because it presses water out of clothes. I love wearing things I've made but I can't afford all the fabric I want. I too want to feel connected to my ancestors. Unfortunately for me ..my Irish ancestors were colonized by the british so traditional pre 1700s clothing is difficult to find

Knitters can feel the joy of wearing your own work as well. I love pulling on the sweaters that came off my own needles.

I love how you said that people of the past were quite intelligent! I volunteer as a historical interpreter at an 18th century fort. I get to wear historically accurate French and British clothing from the 18th century. I love how each piece of clothing, each layer has a purpose! People of the past were so intelligent about how their clothing would function for them.

I've always thought of my sewing time, especially the handwork, as time with the Grannies. If they could figure it out and make it work, then I at least have a decent shot. And I agree, every piece of clothing I make is something that's going to be with me for a long time. It means I don't mind putting the effort into it to make it the best I know how to at that point in time. It also means I slow down on what I decide to add into the wardrobe. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi

Jeans were meant to be worn down with heavy work until they fit perfectly and softened. But people who didn't do such extreme work started wearing them so the jeans stopped getting worn down properly. The designers started selling them made from softer "denim", stretch denim (ick), and pre-distressed. Now they're not jeans anymore.

Hi Vasi, not the first time that you make a whole video just face to camera and you are able to captivate your audience just by looking at them in the eyes...

Everything you said was absolutely beautiful. What a blessing to not only have the qualities necessary to learn and work on this craft but also to be so insightful you can express these feelings and discoveries with so much eloquence. I can take a lot from what you shared here. I hope to one day unravel the mystery of the Turkic peoples. Such a rich and complex history that is not talked about enough in the west.

I find that a good pair of well fitted and good quality jeans can be very comfortable. It isn't the same type of comfortable as joggers or leggings, but it's almost like with corsetry; Jeans give support and form to you over time with wear.

Yes! Historical fashion is such an amazing way to connect with others! Also for some reason I actually have always found jeans super comfortable, I don’t why😂

I only ever found 1 pair of jeans that I really liked, that really fit me. I have wider hips and I'm very short, and over the years I've become pretty pudgy, which makes it even harder to find clothes that fit, so I'm in process of working toward sewing my own 18th c. colonial wardrobe, 1780's primarily preferably.

It's odd how so much of modern clothing has sort of abandoned form and function - jeans being a good example. They are generally ill fitting and uncomfortable, even when you wear the correct size. As work clothes they also don't function very well, although this might be due to them being mass produced with cheap materials.

I'm in the very much love jeans category, but.I don't wear skinny jeans and I wear them more as they were originally intended -- as work pants. I tend to think that one of the things we have lost a bit are different types of clothing for different purposes. Even something as simple as jeans as work pants, and even just another style and material of pants for doing something like sitting in an office all day.

I don't like jeans either. And, also, love all my own self made clothes. Although, mine are mostly upcycled, thrifted & altered, and otherwise given new lives from cloth "rescued from discarded garments.

It's funny - I didn't start wearing jeans until I was about 12. Up until then, I couldn't stand the texture of them (autism), and then one day I gave them another try, and have barely gone a day without them since, LOL.

You always make me feel so relaxed and it's really nice for the start of a weekend. Thank you!❤😺

I’ve been hand sewing my skirts for years now & finally getting enough to slow down. I don’t do dresses or pants for texture/pain points. Along with being a modern vehicle nomad it has taught me how to work with more natural materials (other than wools since I am allergic to all of them). Being able to work with nature & around my body’s persnicketiness has definitely increased my overall physical health.

I also wore jeans as a teenager and promptly stopped as soon as leggings became fashionable, lol. I have endo and my size fluctuates wildly so looser/stretchy materials are a must.

Jeans were just painful, and I stopped wearing them as soon as I could.

My mom considered sewing an essential skill for us to learn as children, so from a young age we learned the running stitch and simple embroidery. Most of our clothing was either sewn by my mom or grandma, or came from the local thrift shop. Clothing with holes was patched. When something was too worn out to be patched, it became a rag. Fabric sewing scraps were not thrown away, but collected. I still have scraps that belonged to my grandmother that she had collected over her lifetime of sewing. Of course, she quilted, so that might have something to do with our scrap-saving. I used to do historical theater once a year at our school and dressed as my great-great-great grandmother in garments that I had sewn and crocheted myself.

Thank you for another wonderful video!!! You are very inspiring to me. One set of my grear-grandparents were born along the Volga, to German colonists. Learning about them, what brought them there and why they left, has been important in my life and better understanding myself. Thank you for your content! It is awesome!

I am not a Volga Tatar, but a Volga German so very very very blessed to have found your channel!! It was always very important and engrained growing up that “this is your heritage, appreciate it because _____” and sadly that doesn’t seem as common anymore.

I love the story you tell with your clothes. It makes me happy to see someone tell the story's of clothes. I'm still new at this historical costuming, cause im a musician first. But I always research and tell the story behind a song, because my dad taught me to do that. I love what you bring to the costuming community. Thank you for doing what you do. You inspire me ❤

I thoroughly enjoy your videos, Vasi. You're just a precious human! 💗

You are such an inspiration! I've dabbled in sewing my entire life and have always wanted to dive into historical fashion but never found the time for it. My son recently left home to attend university and I coincidentally discovered your channel. I think it's a sign for me to bring out my old sewing box! I prefer to hand sew, as well. 😊

As a child, my mom handwashed her family's clothes, all of them(including 4 older siblings, and her parents clothes). She loves the modern washing machine and can't understand why anyone has romantic ideas about doing everything by hand. One of my aunts, who also did all the laundry in her family (also all handwashed) before she married my uncle, said that she decided, as a teenager, that once she was married, to never buy any piece of clothing that couldn't be thrown into the washing machine and she never has. About washing clothes less, that's exactly what I do because I rarely wear anything synthetic. I always wear some sort of breathable underlayer that can easily be thrown into the washing machine like a tshirt or a chemise, but anything else, I'll hang it in a spot where there's plenty of airflow and wear it 2 or 3 times before washing, depending on the weather or if it's gotten a stain or sweaty.

Jeans are the worst thing ever! Those and shorts...who's body ever fitted into these items with comfort? Answer is zero I imagine.. I don't wear period clothing as such but do wear dresses that resemble milkmaid type dresses but without the bunched up part around the bust. I found that made me fidget. Another fantastic vlog and looking forward to 2 weeks time already.

i want to learn how to make clothes. i can do running repairs, I was taught that as a child, but not how to make clothes. I don't want to make many dresses, i want to make trousers. I want to make stuff I'll wear, but alas, my son is incredibly untidy and I have nowhere to lay anything out. I'm going to take a course this year though.

I've always found jeans horribly uncomfortable too, and I'm glad to see so many commenters who feel the same! I think it's partially the stiff, thick seam allowances, and the waistband usually being way lower than I want it.

I completely agree with you one jeans! They were never comfortable to me and finding my size was always really difficult

My personal hatred of jeans was because of the denim material. We had a house made in the late 1800s that was big enough to have an indoor clothesline in the basement for drying clothes. But the space wasn't heated, and we didn't own a dryer, so a pair of jeans would take several days to dry after washing them. 😞

I have only one par of pants that I like, they are the only par I have ever liked, and it is a outdoor typ (fjällräven). Other than that I wear skirts I have sewn. And after wearing skirts or dresses instead of pants I feel more feminine, comfortable and worm in the winter - and cold in the summer. 🥰 I live in Denmark by the way ☺ Thanks for the video ☺

I don't own jeans, and only ever did when it was a requirement for a job. I do wash my cloths a bit ridiculously often, I have issues that mean anything worn on my bottom becomes soiled in only a few hours, but I am working on clothing systems that allow me to only wash the bits that get dirty, but its a process!

I love my jeans. I wear straight leg or boot cut, not the leggings or super tight. I like being able to work hard and sit the way I like without damaging my pants or being told to be "ladylike".

I make my own clothing and patterns from a block. But my size is fluctuating and my block is no longer usable so I’ve been thinking more about adjustable clothing. Historical clothing is one of the places I’ve been looking for inspiration.

I like to wear skinny jeans and can find them comfortable enough at times, but a skirt is always much more comfortable, and a dress even better. The down side is basically that nothing is going to stop me from sitting in the strangest positions, so it’s a bit harder to keep all covered up then

5:45 Little Red Ridinghood was a Volga Tatar 😍

Quantum computing and building the Parthenon aren't the same, because there would be no quantum computing without the Parthenon (maybe not directly, but in principle) because everything new is built on the concepts of the old, for better or worse, you don't get corsets without jumps and you don't get fast fashion without Victorian mechanization, it goes all the way back and comes all the way forward!

Regarding jeans: I have one pair, I bought them because I didn’t have any clean pants to wear to work on day and I was desperate. They’re a pair of Levi’s from Walmart, they have a flare bottom, too long and won’t stay up on my waist and slip down under my belly. As nice as they look on me, I don’t like them, I haven’t really liked jeans for a while now but was only wearing them because where I used to work did not allow skirts. My thighs have nearly worn the seams open near the crotch. I still have them, until such a time I have enough winter appropriate skirts. I wear leggings under all the ones i have now

I'm so glad I found your channel :D I am from Germany and I wanted to get more into historical fashion because I love the modesty and the comfort of not wearing tight jeans every day! Your videos are really inspiring :)

never shut up about your history. it is lovely to hear! every detail is fascinating.

Jeans suck, indeed! I stopped wearing them about five years ago. They’re not comfortable, and I never liked showing off my lower body that much. I’ve eighty-sixed all pants and I feel so much better. Now it’s all skirts and petticoats and bloomers. 🙂 I find the ancestor thing works for me too, even though I don’t have a particular ethnicity. The more I sew, the more appreciation I have for the women that came before me. Whether I’m making a skirt, or an apron, or mending socks, I can be sure that a hundred years ago, one of my great-great-grandmothers were doing the same.

I love you outlook & appreciation for past wisdom without standing in judgement. Well done, you are gaining value from the best of both worlds 💞🤔

Also I did not know this about the Tatar culture. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I love learning about people's cultures

This was such a great video

all of that stuff you're talking about here is so amazing actually, you really inspire me with those kind of videos🔥

Loved this

I always love your videos, Vasi! Always happy to see a new one!

Honey - you're beautiful, talented, and intelligent! Keep doin' what you're doin'!

"Jean kind of suck." There's a fun one to debate. They don't HAVE to suck. When I think of the clothing I've outgrown or wrecked that I most miss, there is one pair of denim jeans that make that list. They fit well enough to stay put on my hips and hold my thighs, rather than just hang, but didn't cling too tight and flared gradually, beginning somewhere mid thigh--so they felt well-fitted without being confining. I think it isn't that jeans, or women's pants for that matter, have to suck, but denim begins as a heavy, durable fabric, so the compulsion to make it ever more fitted feels like it's driven by marketers thinking in visual terms, rather than folks wearing, making and altering clothing, who think about how clothing moves, feels, and functions. Anyway, it's poignant to me that after a good chunk of history of women trying to wear pants for greater utility and freedom and not have it be scandalous, it wasn't THAT long after women's pant became accepted in North America that the fits became uncomfortable and the pockets useless. Good women's pants and jeans do exist, but why are there whole denim wear stores which seemingly don't do roomier cuts at all? I reserve the right to rant about this one. I love the idea of adjustable "forever-clothing", but something as simple as a trend for looser pants and jeans would be enough, on it's own, to fix a multitude of small and big clothing problems.

I hate jeans I wear a splint side skirt and tunics

I've made a s.c. national dress from the area I come from - tightly based on existing examples from the late 18th century. But unfortunately that isn't adjustable to more than 2-3 sizes. Unfortunately even ordinary folks have copied fashion from the better-off people in the history...

I second that jeans are uncomfortable. I only wear them on on rare occasions, as intended for hard work outside.

How cool to hear that you're learning Turkish!! You look super cute in Volga Tatar clothing, I hope to learn more about historical fashion of turkic people

The pieces you've created are beautiful! I'm not sure if you've mentioned this on your channel yet, but would you consider making pieces to sell?

I used to love wearing jeans. But as i got bigger, they stopped fitting. They dont make them without stretch the larger you get. So i need to make my own. I DO find jeans comfortable. (When they fit.) I dont like wearing shorts. All of my pants are full length. And jeans were harder wearing than others and were, i dont know, secure? in how they felt on. I really just like denim fabric as ive learned. Dont really know why, but the texture and sturdiness pleases me. I miss jean skirts. I miss jean jackets. I miss jeans. But sewing is allowing me to make them in my sizes.

Let's see more of the clothes!

Pausing the video to answer this question, as I looove languages: I'd like to learn mongolian, because I recently discovered the coolest most beautiful music from mongolian band (the HU), and I desperately want to sing along 🤟

Finally, someone said it publicly that jeans kinda suck 😂 I hate them. Only ones I can wear is my pair of dungarees, but they're old, made from recycled jeans, so they were softer already when I bought them and they're 100% cotton, because I despise those ones with elastane. But anything other than them? Absolutely no. And I only wear them when it's really cold outside and I don't have clean tights 😂

Oh thank you. No one I know doesn't understand my loathing of jeans.

About 30 years ago, two years after I moved out of New York City, I decided to no longer wear pants and jeans. I wear dresses and skirts with leggings underneath. I feel I am presentable and have never wanted to resume wearing pants.

I'm someone who loves wearing jeans because they feel like a form of armour on my body. I really like the feel of them. That having been said, I only wear boot cut jeans or jeans with a looser lower leg (like flare or bellbottoms). I hate tight legged jeans. With my calves, I can't fit a skinny leg jean to save my life and I really don't want to.

There’s jeans and ‘jeans’. I quit buying women’s stretchy petro fabric jeans while ago. Classic 505s here. I do like a skirt with under layers too, but not when working outside getting filthy.

Last weekend I got rid of all my jeans. I also hate them 😂

I haven't worn jeans in months. I don't think I'm ever going back to modern clothes.

I have had rather muscular thighs since my early youth and finding jeans that fit has nearly always been difficult...

I've heard you talk about being a Volga Tatar before, but like probably a lot of people, I always assumed that was some kind of Russian ethnicity. Thanks for clarifying that it's actually Turkic!

I want to increase my knowledge of Spanish but also very much want to learn Korean!

I have not been wearing jeans for the longest time. Haremtrousers are much more comfortable!

People interested in the Volga Tatars may enjoy Layla Sun's RU-vid channel. She films many Tatar families. They seem to be hardworking peaceful people leading satisfying lives.

I don't like jeans either. Marketing made them cool in the seventies, and now they're a uniform for everyone... I still own a pair and wear them occasionally, until I find or make suitable replacements in slacks and trousers. Women's trousers today are a travesty, and vintage trousers are few and far between.

the Tartars along the Volga River?

I have been wanting to delve into wearing historical clothing for so many of these reasons, but it seems so impossible with the day jobs I have at shops, AND being non-binary adds an extra layer of complexity in figuring out how I would want to present in historical clothing to begin with.

Something that caught my ear. Society IS encouraging humans to fight against nature, and that fight against nature is what got you your Parthenon, your silk farms and literally every piece of human creation. Balance is important, but not accepting nature and just letting it happen to you and trying to somehow tread water is precisely what lies behind the human genius. Nature and its changes are to be accepted... to a certain degree. Else you're just paying blood tithe to nature who's red in tooth and claw, and you simply exist to be consumed by it. That applies to our bodies as well. Accept what cannot be changed, but be an active participant in your own change. Concurring on jeans sucking though. For me they're work wear. The material is uncomfortable but sturdy and can take a beating. That's all they are.

I also hate denim jeans. I haven't worn them in years and never plan to wear them again.

I hate jeans.

Cool 😀

Jeans are 19th century clothing. You can get the same cuts that were available in the 19th century. Jeans are historical clothing.

I actually find jeans comfortable, but I also own vintage jeans from the 70s and jeans that are made like vintage jeans, so they have durable, yet soft fabric and a looser cut. Modern skinny jeans and cheeply made fast fashion are unwearable for me.

Jeans make a lot of sense for what they were made for. Wearing them in the house, office or around town is just silly.

You know another garment people wear now which I do not understand? Leggings. I actually do not find leggings or tights comfortable... the tights kind of say why: they are tight around my waist and hips. It is Not comfortable; they never fit me right, and they don't really adjust with my body (I mean, they do, but they don't feel good). This is an area where I think a lot of women won't agree with me, probably. I don't really know how it works for them; maybe I have a worse digestive system. But it just does not help my digestion (give women apparently often suffer from constipation, I'm wondering, does this contribute to that?). I also never liked jeans, and was very confused as a child that people told me that I had to wear jeans for work and horseback riding. So I deigned to waer them then. Same thing about sneakers: you Have to wear sneakers to hike, to work, this and that. I hated wearing sneakers. Now I often work and hike barefoot... and I have not worn jeans for years. I can make myself something hardwearing that can get dirty if I need to, but it won't be jeans (1940's trousers of various sorts? or just skirts). I think there are kind of a lot of myths about clothing. Fashion influences us, but also ideas of what you have to wear for certain tasks. I did NOT get why, because I would think, what things could possibly happen to me that would require me to wear these? I tend to be rather careful. And even when I'm not appropriately dressed for a task, I just take extra care. I have very occasionally hiked in a fancy dress. It CAN be done.

Hi, thank you for your videos. I'm not particularly into sewing (only a little bit), but your clothes caught my eyes. I guess, that your video got recommended to me because of the "Girl with a Pearl Earring", by Vermeer. I'm sure you know this painting, if not, I recommend it to you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KQ-CMRENm2k.html Tatar clothes are similar to clothes from other folks, like Samen (Sami) in the North of Scandinavia or even Slavic or old Asian (Chinese). I guess that layering was quite common in the old times.😃

Jeans have always sucked! I grew up riding horses in leggings. 😂

What do you wear for exercise or yoga? 🙃❤️

We aren't any more intelligent than our ancestors (either historic or pre-historic), we just have a wider accumulated knowledge base on which to build. We don't have to spend our time and imagination inventing the wheel and practical clothing because they already did that... and all the stuff that people actually need to live physically comfortable and emotionally fulfilled lives, frankly. But because "we" are apparently impelled to keep inventing, we must spend our time and imagination inventing ever newer stuff like quantum computers and reaction videos. Makes me wonder, will our descendants ever reach the point where nothing more can be thought of to invent?

Spraying vodka on the crotch of trousers does seem to help with airing out the smell.

You're not wrong, jeans 100% suck! They are bunchy, pinchy, chafing is a thing and they don't fit almost anyone! It was jeans being ridiculous that made me try historical fashion!

Jeans absolutely suck! I hate buying and wearing jeans. The whole process sucks!

Yeah, dude. Jeans really do kind of suck.