Re-Search

I've been playing in the SCA for near 18 years now and I have to say that it takes a while to know what you really love in terms of garb. You start out wearing one thing because your friends are wearing it, or another because of the latest medieval-esque movie that came out, or because the event is themed as such. Most people try out a lot of garb styles before they settle.

I came to know my persona because I was a retainer for a set of Majesties who decided upon a traveling honeymoon theme for their reign that began in Andalusia. This was providence for me. Their garb goddess invited the whole retinue over to her house for fittings and instruction on how to make Persian garb (which, in retrospect, had little to do with Andalusia). I made my first Kamis (http://home.earthlink.net/~al-qurtubiyya/14c_Persian_Kamiz/kamiz.html) and short caftan (http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/Rashid/short_caftan.gif).     Then I was told I got to wear pants. I needed no further convincing of this as a permanent garb choice.

Then I did research. Lots of research. I had already chosen a Jewish name (I'm still not sure how I came to that other than I'd always found the culture fascinating) and upon finding the history of the Jews being kicked out of Spain and many moving to the Ottoman Empire I'd finally found my home.

How did I never know this magazine existed?
http://www.cornucopia.net/magazine/issues

Anyway, I continue to do lots of research and I'm starting to write papers now to help make Ottoman garb more correct. In some part that involves research into all things Middle Eastern.

So that, in a nutshell, is how I got here.