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Favourite Court Gowns
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1580s
Spanish Gown with Mangas de Punta Completed for Canterbury Faire, February
2008, and Called a "Spanish Tudor" by some, this slightly later saya entera is my first one with "Mangas de Punta" or "great sleeves". The gold and cream saya is worn over a red silk undersleeves. (An underdoublet was omitted in favour of sleeves tied to the petticoat bodies in order to prevent overheating in what was proving to be an unsually hot summer.) The ruff is made of white lace stitched to a double layer of cream silk organza, before being pleated in accordance with the patterning of the lace. Delustred cream bridal satin was chosen because it
was the best match for the stunning trim Meistern Christian Baier had
found for me in LA. The sleeves are lined with a lightly coloured
fleur-de-lys pattern brocade that was a birthday gift from Lady Elizabetta
Foscari, while the red silk of the undersleeves was another fortunate out
of Because this was my Elevation gown, I wished to wear both white and red, and these colours are seen in portraits depicting Spanish Women between 1570 and 1590 so it was easy to work in with the period use of these colours. The formality of the occasion also seemed to require mangas de punta - the enormous Spanish Great Sleeve that drapes from shoulder to hem and is only caught by an ouch at the wrist - so these were drafted and draped to match portraiture. This gown was primarily inspired by Alonso Sanchez Coello's 1583 portrait of Isabel Clara Eugenia, however, his 1571 portrait of Anna of Austria, Rolan de Mois' 1581 portrait of Juana de Pernstein de Aragon and the portrait of Polixena de Pernstein that was completed by an unknown artist during the 1580s were also considered.
Completed for Midwinter Coronation, July 2007
This late 16th Century Spanish "mourning gown" (for want of a better
translation) is made from the intriguing cutting diagrams in Alcega. Since
first laying eyes on the pattern pieces for this 'sack backed' gown, I
have been determined to make one. However I needed both appropriate fabric
and a suitable event at which to wear it. I chose black satin based on three factors: availability, the frequency
of use of black satin in Spanish Women's garments in portraiture, and the
use of black satin in the mourning gown worn by Margaret of Austria
(Duchess of Parma) in her portrait by Anthonis Mor. Black velvet has been used to trim the gown in a
manner reminiscent of Spanish Women's gowns shown in portraiture. The belt
disappears through small openings at the side waist so that it enhances The gown itself is worn over a foundation of a paire of bodies and
First worn at Midwinter Coronation, July
2007 Another Spanish gown, but one showing some variations in the style. The
biggest difference between this gown and my others of this style is that
it is designed so that it can be worn with the doublet open to the mid
chest. It also sports a fold in the front of the skirt just above the
hem. The de-lustred satin fabric is cutte all over showing the black
interlining beneath. I chose to slash the fabric to add interest to the
gown, and black backing was chosen as it was both subtle and effective in
highlighting the slashing. The gown is lined in dark blue linen, which is
visible around the neck when the gown is worn. Choice of red fabric was based on several
depictions of period gowns, combined with available fabric and the fact
that red suits the intended wearer. The decoration of this gown was
inspired by a 1571 The documentation can be seen here (pdf). "completed" for Midwinter Coronation, July
2006 There really is something about making one of your dream gowns using
fabric that was carefully hoarded for six or seven years. Especially
when you find the perfect silk brocade to match it with. The majority of this gown was completed in two days. Domestic
issues prevented work on this gown for some time. However, just
out from the event, I broke down and made something new. The gown is based on a large number of French images from around the
1570s. Where I lacked details I turned to Patterns of Fashion and
English portraits showing French style gowns. I'll put the details
up here when I have organised my screeds of notes into some semblance of
order. The time constraints resulted in a less
ornate style, which is equally documentable to the period. The farthingale is sitting badly at the hem because
the lowest hoop was damaged during the trip back from Rowany Festival.
There is a documentation summary, and a few pictures of my favourite elements can be seen here. Completed for Canterbury Faire, February 2005 This surprisingly light gown 16th Century Spanish gown was made using a
synthetic, but otherwise perfect brocade. The grey of the dress fabric is further
enhanced by a silver metallic-lace neck ruff. Surprisingly that this works
in perfectly with the gold braid decoration, and gold jewellery. Further exploring the variations within the quintessential spanish
style of this period, this gown has a different falda (train) style,
gathered sleeve heads and explores how the cut and construction vary with
the use of a different fabric. This gown was inspired by numerous pictures of Spanish Royalty, however
the main influence was Alonso Sanchez Coello’s 1572 portrait of Anne of
Austria. Sadly, compromises had to be made over sleeve design due to the limited
amount of fabric available. I chose to use a variation on the common
round sleeve instead of the enormous great sleeve style. Completed for Beowulf Event,October
2004 I found some almost perfect braid that was on sale which made my
dream gown suddenly affordable. Especially once I discovered the full extent of my usable hoardings:
lace I had purchased on a whim in London, pearls I had kept since Estrella
in 2000 and a brooch given to me by the Lady Burgundy at Pennsic the
previous year and some silk taffeta given to me by my Laurel. The carcanet and matching belt (not shown) are constructed from 40
inexpensive brooches I found in a local junk store. The beautiful garnet
and gold collar was a gift from Sir Vitale. Although frequently mistaken for “Elizabethan” (i.e. late 16th Century
English) this is currently my favourite garment. It is so elegant in its
lines, and enjoyable to wear that I find myself looking for formal events
at which to wear it. Constructed of cotton velveteen with linen lining and cotton canvas
interlining (bodice and over sleeves) this gown has a very slight train.
Sadly, many people are unused to giving farthingales room to move, let
alone a train, and so it is frequently stood on by other event attendees.
Fortunately I had anticipated this might be a problem and used an
internal waistband so that the skirt wasn’t attached to the bodice by a
solitary row of stitching like you can see in Patterns of Fashion.
Consequently the strain of such train-stomping incidents is taken by the
waist band rather than the stitching. This method has survived
multiple stomping by a hefty coronet, a Knight in full armour, two
children at once and one household member who shall remain
nameless. A feature of this gown I particularly like are the shoulder
tabs. These had to be left off initially as I could not find any suitable
braid to decorate them with. However some eventually arrived in our shops. A documentation summary for this gown can be found here. Over-gown completed for Carnivale Ball,
August 2005 The red velveteen over-gown is lined with gold satin and trimmed with
various fine gold braids. Also trimmed with gold braid, the cream brocade under-gown is further
decorated with gold fleur-de-lys infilled with small synthetic pearls over
the bust and upper arm. The other upper sleeve bears a silver Caidan cross
on a blue velvet circle that was added for the final Caidan Royal visit in
2002. The ensemble was inspired by the Meeting of the Betrothed Couple, in
the Saint Ursula Cycle by Carpaccio. Incidentally, the mask was also made by Isabel.
It is
a moulded papier mache mask, decorated with gold braid, paint and metal
findings that utilizes Completed for the Wedding of Angus and
Elizabetta, December 2003 Dove grey satin gown with white lace and vibrant blue ribbons, inspired
by various pictures of English Royalty. This gown was constructed in a week with some help from Meistern
Christian, in the week after (ie the week before the wedding) we
finished assisting the Bride and Groom with making their own clothes, and
those of their entourage. The Bride wore Elizabethan, the Groom
& Best Man wore Cavalier and the Bridesmaids wore late 16thC
German. The collar and cuffs are borrowed. This outfit numbers among my favourites. It is so pretty and feminine
and even with the corset, bum roll and all the lace, ribbons and pearls
etc, it still retains a lightness that ensures it is a pleasure to wear.
I hope to explore the clothes of this period a little more in time to
come. Completed for NAAMA National Association of Ancient and Medieval Arts) This reconstruction is based on the archaeological
information given in several academic publications regarding the find in
St Denis Chapel, although I have deviated from their hypothesised garments
in several areas. For example, the caftan is wool (rather than silk) and the
tunic is ground length rather than exposing the lower legs. I am currently completing an article to document my reconstruction and
explain my choices in greater detail. When complete, it will be made
available on this site. While you wait for the documentation, here is a brief overview of the two main
components of the outfit. Please excuse the crummy photograph.
Completed for Canterbury Faire, February 2003 As part of my preparations for the big OE, I created this French gown
so that I would have something to wear to court while overseas. Designed to pack down as small as possible, the gown is fine silk lined
with thin linen. The turn-backs at collar and cuff are of a slightly heavier
white cotton brocade. I left the hem plain to reduce bulk and avoid the mud
and dust at Pennsic. The plan was to add the brocade band around the hem
when the silk was damaged. The belt, worn just below the bust, is made of multiple layers of
canvas covered in fine lavender silk to match the hennin. This is a transitional gown of the period between houpelaunds and the
fitted-bodice "Burgundian" gowns, and is worn over a fitting, front laced
kirtle. The breast-band of that kirtle is visible in the neckline. (It really needed to be re-introduced to an iron
after unpacking but it was Pennsic, what was I going to do?) |
1589 Mongil Trancado
1570s Spanish Gown
1570s French Gown of Velvet
1570s Brocade Spanish Gown
1580s Velvet Spanish Gown
This dress was inspired by the following three portraits: 
1495 Venetian Ensemble
1635 English 'Cavalier' Gown
"Arnegunde"
Ensemble
Silk Transitional Gown of the 15th Century