Victorian Dressing from the Inside Out A free public event

– In Victorian times, you didn’t change your clothes to fit your body; you changed your body to fit your clothes. What all those hoop skirts, bustles, corsets and slips added up to will be revealed in a special presentation by “Miss Tabitha” (aka Sharon Guli) at a New Mexico History Museum event, 2 p.m., Sunday, March 14. The event is free with Museum admission (attendance is free on Sundays to NM residents).

As an added treat, Rene Harris, assistant museum director, will give a free guided tour of the Fashioning New Mexico exhibit from 3:30-4 p.m., with a special focus on (ahem!) underwear through the decades.

In “Victorian Dressing from the Inside Out,” Guli begins in a chemise and drawers, adds a corset, petticoat, bustle and more, offering historical anecdotes about each item as she goes. By the end, she’s “properly and decently” attired, behatted and accessorized for greeting the public.

Guli’s presentation augments Fashioning New Mexico, now showing in the Museum’s Albert and Ethel Herzstein Changing Exhibitions Gallery. Featuring a taste of the Museum’s collection of nearly 4,000 costumes and accessories, Fashioning includes a glimpse at underwear through the decades and offers visitors a chance to try their hand at tying a corset.

With her husband, Mike Guli, Sharon Guli offers a variety of programs that bring to life the Victorian era and the Wild West. The Bellvue, Colo.-based couple have drawn kudos for the period fashion design and artwork. For more, log onto http://rivercrossinginc.tripod.com/present.html

Fashioning New Mexico is on display through April 11. A variety of high-resolution photographs from the exhibit are available upon request.