About Me
It’s my mission to make you look like you just stepped out of the past
Have you ever dreamed of looking gorgeous in one of those big dresses? About wearing hoop cages under your skirt or wearing a tailcoat and top hat? To indulge in that fantasy of living in some past times? I know that nostalgic feeling all too well, and I want to make that fantasy come to life for you!
Hi, I’m Ilse,
And I am a Historical Costume Designer. I spend every day at my sewing machine, between bolts of fabric, or looking at amazing dresses that are hundreds of years old. From the moment I created my very first historic dress, I have known: this is my passion. This is what I am supposed to do. And I want to share that with you. There is something so magical about recreating the past from just fabric and thread. That’s why I want to help you learn more about the history of fashion. Whether that is through reading the articles on my blog, by inspiring you with a new historical costume in my portfolio, or by making you your own custom costume. So you can indulge in that nostalgia with me.
My Background
When I was little, my mother used to sew. I would watch her, wear the clothes she made me, and I wanted to learn that too. I have always loved to create, whether that was with a pencil, a piece of fabric or anything else. When I was ten, my mom deemed me old enough to use a sewing
After studying Theater Science at the University of Amsterdam, I continued to study to become a costumier at HCH Modevakopleidingen, because I realized I wanted to combine my knowledge of theater with creating the visual aspect of the performance. However, my specific fascination lies with historic costumes. The way people used to dress. I love to know everything about the clothing of a specific time period and find a way to recreate that. However, there is no specific course combining the study of history and how people used to dress with the practical application of that knowledge, so I taught myself. I read lots of books on
