It all started with Renaissance festivals.
Falling in love with the costumes of the era, Ukraine-based dance teacher Mila Povoroznyuk started dressing in 18th- and 19th-century women’s clothing every single day.
The first item to gain a permanent spot in her period wardrobe was a blue fall coat in the style of 19th-century institute girls.
“It was sewn eight years ago,” Mila told My Modern Met. “Naturally, I selected harmonious things to go with it, and gradually my wardrobe was filled with more and more garments.”
Mila thrifts many items from vintage clothing stores and makes others herself by hand. In attending her first historical reconstructions around the year 2010, she had to conform to their dress codes. She responded by learning how to sew appropriate outfits herself.
“Then, I got into balls for the 18th- and 19th-century where there was also a dress code,” she told the outlet.
As her passion grew, more of her time outside of teaching dance in Vinnitsa was devoted to expanding her wardrobe.
Mila’s own head-to-toe outfit reproductions are often accessorized with belts, gloves, hats, corsets, jewelry, and era-appropriate heeled shoes. She even fashions her long, dark hair into styles favored by Edwardian ladies.
The Edwardian era of the early 1900s has become Mila’s favorite era to emulate.
