wed-attire-FAQ - 3/18/96
Medieval and Renaissance Theme Wedding FAQ: Questions about Attire.
NOTE: See also the files: weddings-msg, p-weddings-bib, wed-FAQ, p-marriage-msg,
Ger-marriage-msg, Scot-marriage-msg, beadwork-msg, silk-msg.
************************************************************************
NOTICE -
This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set
of files, called Stefan’s Florilegium.
These files are available on the Internet at:
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be
reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first
or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris
AKA: Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************
Medieval and Renaissance Theme Wedding FAQ: Questions about
Attire
***************************************************************
(c) The Medieval and Renaissance Theme Wedding FAQ was compiled
by and is maintained and copyrighted by Barbara J. Kuehl. All
suggestions and additions should be emailed to her at
bj at csd.uwm.edu. This document may be freely redistributed
without modification provided that the copyright notice is not
removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in
commercial documents without the written permission of the
holder.
****************************************************************
3.1: Those who were married in a medieval-style ceremony, what
did your wedding party and guests wear?
From ladyjane at cyberverse.com (Lanfear)
My dress was upper-middle class, Spanish style in forest green
with mint green trim and pearls. My husband wore garb from the
same green but his was trimmed in gold.
-------------------------
From michelle.campbell at stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Miche)
The bride wore a Renaissance style cartridge-pleated, side-laced
dress of purple, lilac and black satin. The groom wore Tudor
style gears like you see in the pictures of Henry VIII,
including codpiece. The guests all wore their favourite garb.
The bride lent me a dress - Renaissance style back-laced dress
with plunging v-neck, in blue and silver, with a line of tiny
bells round the waist line.
-------------------------
From Susan Carroll-Clark <sclark at epas.utoronto.ca>
My husband and I wore ivory and gold Elizabethan garb (not so
much because these were wedding colours, but because they were
popular Elizabethan colours). Another wedding I attended had
the male and female attendants in red and blue cotehardies,
while the bride and groom wore houppelandes.
-------------------------
From: byrdie at serv.net (Renee Ann Byrd)
In a 1993 wedding I attended, the bride's attendants wore angel
dresses -- basically these were long tunics with tied around the
waist with a rope-like belt.
-------------------------
From bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu
In a trendy dresshop, I found a white, gauzy, A-line floor
length dress with a white-embroidered bodice. I dyed it green
because medieval brides did not normally wear white. I did,
however, wear it with a white lace shawl and a wreath of fresh
ivy for a tiara. I carried a bouquet of green ivy and white
sweetpea which I tied together with trailing white and green
ribbons. My bridesmaids wore long, green, crushed velvet
dresses and carried candles. The groom dressed as a medieval
huntsman in green velvet britches, knee-length leather
mocassins, white shirt and leather jerkhin. The groomsmen
dressed similarly (except they did not wear jerkhins). I made
their britches but they obtained everything else from Museum
Replicas Ltd.
-------------------------
From: ojid.wbst845 at xerox.com (Orilee Ireland-Delfs)
The bride wore a cream brocade dress (a bit of fantasy here - it
was modeled after one in the Princess Bride) with her hair
uncovered. Her bridesmaids each wore a dress in a jewel tone to
match their own persona: one was in a deep red tudor, another in
emerald green cotehardie. She also made matching outfits for
her parents and his parents (the fathers discovered how much fun
tights can be - we complimented them on their legs quite
regularly!) Guests were encouraged to wear garb (although the
SCA guests wore garb as a matter of course). The groom, being
Irish, wore a saffron yellow tunic with embroidery and went
barefoot most of the day.
-------------------------
From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)
One of my cousins decided to do a Ren wedding on Twelfth Night
the same year we did ours. When I finally saw the pictures I was
quite disappointed in the quality of her "production". Not only
did she wear a white dress, the bridesmaids all wore the same
color and kind of dress. Both TOTALLY inappropriate for the
period. They were also more of an Arthurian fantasy style and
not authentic to the period. However the groom did get to wear
a full suit of armour! (Way cool!)
-------------------------
From: Patricia D. Mooney
About half the guests dressed in costume, including the parents
and several newborns! Although I had a regular, off-shoulder
wedding dress (ordered before we got this bright idea!) and
wreath, Alan wore tunic, tights, and sword. The sword became
quite a prop for pictures -- my favorite photo is of all
costumed guests surrounding me as I knighted Alan. After we'd
chosen our garb, we ran across the most beautiful medieval
wedding costumes in a shop -- but it was too late and the wrong
season. (The costumes were appropriate for winter, not August.)
-------------------------
From: "John A. Resotko" <Resotko at ahdlms.cvm.msu.edu>
I already have a good portion of my clothing (leggings,
knee-high hand-tooled moccassins from Bald Mountain Mocs, etc.)
since we frequent RenFests in the Michigan/Illinois/Ohio area.
I'll probably buy an exceptional quality shirt and a brocaded
jacket/vest to dress my usual garb up for the occasion.
-------------------------
From: platypus at glue.umd.edu (Amy E. Rottier)
My dress was made by a bridal shop that makes dresses in Takoma
Park, MD. I found the perfect material after many weeks of
intensive searching - an ivory brocade with gold strewn through
it. The fabric was $25 a yard. I wanted the majority of the
dress made with this fabric, and the rest in an ivory antiqued
satin. The way it ended up: dropped waist gown with full
skirt, slim long sleeves, pointed. Low neckline. Plain
shoulders. The brocade fabric was used everywhere except the
sleeves and a front placket that ran from neck to hem. I had a
gold cord criss-crossed across the front of the bodice and tied
at the dropped waist. Everyone said I sparkled in the sun. I
felt so beautiful in that dress. My then-fiance decided he
wanted to wear a cloak and tights, so tights they wore. We had
the cloak made (reversible, in black and burgundy, with glorious
trim), found burgundy leggings in a clothing store, he made a
belt, and dyed his moccasin boots. He wore a tunic of an ivory
color, with a stand-up collar. He also wore leather bracelets
(the manly kind!). He was stunning. Anyway, it turned out that
Mark's outfit cost as much as mine. How's that for equality!
My bridesmaids wore a version of a dirndl pattern - a
floor-length skirt (in burgundy) with bodice-vested top (in
mauve). The pattern also included a shirt, but we made the
sleeves from a muslin-type cotton (off-white and speckly) and
just attached them to the vest. The guys wore a version of
Mark's outfit - black cloak (not as ornate, and not reversible),
black shirts with burgundy belts, burgundy tights, and black
ankle-high moccasin boots.
-------------------------
From: june at netcom.com (June Petersen)
I suppose my dress was more like "fantasy Ren", two layers of
beige gauze skirt with lace, and a beige gauzy top with a
lace-up center (upon which were sewn pearls and brilliants).
I've always been a fiend for lace, so there was lots of it,
including a 5 foot lace "train" veil (carried by my "page"). We
bought the basic dress stuff (skirts, top) and embellished the
hell out of it. It had detachable sleaves of lace, very big and
trailing at the bottom. He wore breeches and boots, a loose
cotton shirt and a big cloak. Our parents were also dressed in
Renaissance mode, as were my Mom's folks. A lot of the guests
came in Ren or pseudo-Ren, which made it a lot of fun!
-------------------------
From: Guinevere1 at aol.com
My fiance and I will be wearing traditional wedding clothes
(since he couldn't manage to talk his ushers into wering period
clothing!) My dress is ivory, with a V-neck neckline and
brocade detailing on the bodice, with matching detail an inch
above the hemline. My fiance bought me the necklace I will be
wearing. It is a Medieval cross (purchased through Past Times),
even on all four sides (rather than a traditional cross, which
is longer at the bottom) with a garnet in the center. The four
"ends" are in the shape of Fleur de Lys, with a pearl on three
of them. It was believed back then that this type of medallion
was good luck. The ushers will be wearing tuxedoes but not with
the traditional bowtie and cumberbund. Instead, it's the type of
tuxedo with an ascot (wide tie) and vest. Danny (the groom) will
wear tails, and the ushers will wear shorter jackets. The girls
will be wearing emerald green velvet dresses.
-------------------------
From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)
The hardest thing to do was getting enough GOOD costumes for
everyone. It is much easier to do if you do peasant or lower
middle class dress, but we did a noble wedding which is harder
to pull off. We used our costume colors in a dramatic way.
Andrea's family and attendants were dressed in yellows & browns,
while my side was predominately in blues & grays. We were both
dressed in green. Andrea had gold trim, myself with blue. Even
though it was slightly 'theatrical' it represented a symbolic
merging of the families -- Andrea's family in Earth tones, my
own family in the colors of water and sky, and us in green, the
color of new growth and renewal. It turned out that the hardest
thing with the costumes was convincing both mothers that they
REALLY had to wear them. Both fathers said "It sounds like
fun!".
================================================================
3.2: Any ideas on how I can encourage my guests to dress in
period clothing, too?
From: peterscc at whitman.edu (Chris Petersen)
I attended my first SCA event last summer - as a guest at a
friend's wedding. With each invitation, she included a small
SCA-published pamphlet that talked about how to quickly, cheaply
and easily make period dress for just such an event. Many
people chose to follow this and some even wore towels clipped
together to form tabbards. Others chose simply to come in
mundane clothing.
-------------------------
From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)
We encouraged our guests to come in period attire, but did not
make it mandatory. I included a brouchure that I had bought at
the Southern (California) Faire about assembling an outfit that
would give a period look using clothing that most people might
already have or could get easily. We also included info about
where people could rent or purchase costumes in the area. About
half of our guests at least made an attempt to come in period
attire, the rest mostly wore traditional modern dress clothing.
At least they came, so I didn't mind that they were in modern
clothing. Also try to get a caterer, photograher and minister
who will dress in period clothing, and be prepared to get the
clothing for them. We interviewed a few before we found some
that would be willing to 'dress up' for our wedding.
-------------------------
From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)
Try to get a minister who will dress in period clothing and be
prepared to get the clothing for them. We interviewed a few
before we found some that would be willing to 'dress up' for
our wedding.
-------------------------
From: ladyjane at cyberverse.com (Lanfear)
The gentleman that did our wedding was a personal friend but is
on a referal list the Faire keeps of ordained clergy that will
do weddings in period garb, style, etc.
-------------------------
From hamilton at adi.com
Some friends of mine had a Renaissance-style wedding a couple of
years ago. The reception was themed as a masked ball (so the
family and friends could wear any costume they wanted). The
wearing of masks was prevalent throughout the 15th and 16th
centuries, especially during the Carnival season. The film
"Much Ado About Nothing" (the Branagh version) has a very nice
masked party. The Liz Taylor-Richard Burton version of Taming
of the Shrew has a Carnival procession wandering through Padua.
And of course, there's Zefirelli's Romeo and Juliet, where R&J
meet at a masked party.
-------------------------
From: ????????????
For those guests who cannot come up with a suitable costume I
am making 'slip on' costumes -- tunics over pants for men,
dresses for women.
================================================================
3.3: HELP! My fiance wants a medieval-style wedding but I
don't know the first thing about that time period, much
less about the clothes they wore.
From fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
Go to the library and take a look at some historical costume
books and pick out a time frame that suits you. Here are some
basic categories to help you decide:
1. Royalty (the most formal and fanciest clothes from the era)
2. Merchant class (good but not showy, modestly prosperous)
3. Peasant (casual, carefree, outdoorsy, little decoration)
A. Medieval (women in long, slim-fitting gowns; men in
tights and tunics)
B. Renaissance (women in tight bodices and full skirts; men
in tights, breeches, pirate shirts, laced vests)
If you want your whole bridal party in period garb, think about
what styles everyone will be comfortable in. Renaissance
peasants and Medieval clothing will probably be easiest to wear
for those not accustomed to heavy, confining, or unusual
clothing. These are also the easiest styles to create!
-------------------------
From: Anne Reynolds <apr at hpesapr.fc.hp.com>
For any given century, there was usually one or two "cultural
centers of the world." Everyone else tried to imitate that
culture. For example, the British Isles spent most of the
11th-13th century trying to imitate France. In the late
14th-15th centuries, Italy was the place to imitate. In the
16th and 17th centuries, Spain and then England were considered
cultural centers. The cotehardie was *the* fashion for women in
the 12th - 13th centuries. The best examples of the style are
in french books of hours. Most of those books also show women
in houppelandes which was the second most popular fashion from
the 12th - mid 14th century. The houppelande is a much
"bulkier", gathered dress that is also very lovely. The main
style of clothing for most of the middle ages (popular from
Roman times through the 12th century) is the T-tunic. It is
very simple to make but has millions of variations and can be
elaborately decorated. You can decorate the sleeves, the hem,
the collar, the front, etc. It can be as long or as short as
you please, the sides can flare out instead of being cut
straight down, and the side seams can be left open below the
hips for greater range of movement. The T-tunic was worn by
both men and women and it is cut like:
-------------------\ /-------------------- <- on the fold
| ----- |
| _________ _________ |
| / | | \ |
|/ | | \|
/ | | \
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
------------------------
================================================================
3.4: My wife is desperately in need of a source of patterns for
medieval/Renaissance wedding clothing for the bride, groom,
and all of the wedding party. Where can we get such
patterns?
From: bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl)
There are a number of different pattern companies that
specialize in historically-accurate period clothing. Four that
I have heard of (and there may be others) are Folkwear Patterns,
Period Patterns (by Medieval Miscellanea), Past Patterns and
Fantasy Patterns.
-------------------------
From: ???????????
Folkwear Patterns is a large, popular company that makes
patterns inspired by folk costume, ethnic clothing, and
historical fashions. The patterns are historically accurate,
and include historical/ethnic/folkloric notes & ideas for
embellishment. Many of the ethnic clothing patterns work for
Med/Ren styles, esp. peasant clothes. The historical fashions
are mostly 19th & 20th century. Medieval Miscellanea is one of
the few makers of specifically Med/Ren clothing patterns. They
have a lot of historical annotation, but can be hard to follow.
Past Patterns makes 19th & early 20th century patterns,
historically accurate, often with historical info on the
patterns.
-------------------------
From: susan-o at metronet.com (Susan A. Ondrick)
I have Period Patterns No. 56, Late Tudor and Elizabethan Gowns.
Historical notes are included with the patterns.
-------------------------
From: bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl)
Period Patterns, Fantasy Fashion Patterns and Folkwear Patterns
are also available through Chivalry Sports (see catalog list),
although their selection is very limited. Period Patterns are
available through MacKenzie-Smith.
-------------------------
From: liversen at physiology.medsch.ucla.edu (Lori Iversen)
Both Folkwear and Medieval Miscellanea brands are available
through the Raiments catalog as well as Amazon Vinegar Pickling
Works and Drygoods Emporium [see catalog list], along with lots
of other pattern brands and costuming sundries. I would
recommend getting catalogs from both places instead of just
asking for a particular pattern brand; that will give you a much
larger base to work from.
-------------------------
From: connect at aol.com (CONNECT)
Fantasy Fashion patterns are in the Raiments catalog.
-------------------------
From amberly at magellan.cloudnet.com
I have ordered Folkwear patterns and have been very pleased with
them. I have seen Folkwear patterns carried in specialty
pattern shops, but they carry a very limited selection.
-------------------------
From: jjones at atlas.ontos.com (JJ)
Try Folkwear Patterns. They have various enthnic patterns as
well as historical ones. Not all fabric stores carry them. I'd
recommend sitting down with the yellow pages, looking up
"Fabrics" and calling every fabric store listed. Talk to the
managers if you have to - if they don't carry Folkwear they
might know of places that do. I've made several of the Folkwear
patterns. Many of them are DIFFICULT (and I'm a *very*
experienced seamstress). Many of them are constructed in ways
that are close to the originals, which means odd pieces and
attachments. They also tend to have several sizes in the same
envelope. Proper body measurements are a must, and you need an
experienced seamstress to do it. By the way, some of the
patterns are absolutely gorgeous - so they're worth the effort.
But not for the fainthearted!
-------------------------
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
If historical accuracy matters, I *highly* recommend buying the
Raiments catalog of historical patterns. There are some very
easy to use patterns for men's & women's medieval and
Renaissance garments, plus they sell readymade corsets & hoops
(for noblewomen's costumes). If you aren't too concerned with
history, look through the pattern books at your local fabric
store. The Halloween sections have many simple Robin Hood style
outfits, plus there are a few Christopher Columbus patterns
still out there. You can also modify modern patterns by
extending hemlines, adding fullness to sleeves, cutting pants
into breeches, and making vests lace up instead of button. The
books _Elizabethan Costuming_ and _After a Fashion_ both have
great tips on modifying modern patterns to create historical
costumes.
-------------------------
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
COSTUME REFERENCES
Winter, Janet and Carolyn Savoy. _Elizabethan Costuming for the
Years 1550-1580_ 1987. Other Times Productions, 386 Alcatraz
Ave., Oakland, CA 94618. Available from the publisher and from
Raiments (see catalog list). Includes pattern diagrams,
detailed instructions, and lots of helpful drawings. Perfect
for beginners.
Grimble, Frances. _After a Fashion: How to Reproduce, Restore,
and Wear Vintage Styles_ 1993. Lavolta Press, 20 Meadowbrook
Dr., San Francisco, CA 94132. Available from the publisher and
from Raiments (see catalog list). Very useful overview of
historical styles, including Medieval and Renaissance. Tons of
wonderful sewing, pattern modifying, and clothes re-modeling
tips.
Holkeboer, Kathleen. _Patterns for Theatrical Costume_
Available in bookstores and from Raiments. Scale-able grid
diagrams of patterns for historical costume from Ancient Egypt
through 20th century (men and women). The Medieval and
Renaissance patterns are attractive and give options for several
different styles.
-------------------------
From kithatton at aol.com
I highly recommend picking up a copy of "Elizabethan Costuming".
It is by far the best practical book for Elizabethan costuming
of all classes. It includes info on dress, hair styles, and
head coverings.
-------------------------
From: Victoria (address unknown)
The best place to get authentic patterns for the 16th Century is
from a book by Janet Arnold - ["Patterns of Fashion", published
in 1985 by Macmillan London Limited]. What she does is take
REAL clothing from the period, carefully studies it and makes
actual patterns from the original garments. In the book there
are a series of pattern drawings from her research. Of course,
these are to scale, and you'd have to get your own pattern paper
(or butcher's paper) to redraw the patterns - but it includes a
number of mens and womens' and children's outfits - plus it has
photographs of the actual pieces - including some close-ups of
the insides...amazing detail information that will make any
costumer drool.
-------------------------
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
The only way to get really period garb is to sew it yourself, of
course. If you're going for a very early period &/or for
peasant classes, the clothes are pretty easy to make & you could
round up everyone you know & have sewing parties. When doing
period events with non-costumer folk, it's always a good idea to
make it as easy & comfortable for them as possible. You might
not want to stress historical accuracy if you're dealing with
people who rarely wear anything but jeans and sneakers!
================================================================
3.5: I can't sew on a button. Where can I buy medieval
clothing?
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
Look in regular clothing stores for things with a Medieval or
Renaissance flair. Women look for: long velvet gowns with
fitted bodices, long sleeves, and full skirts; velvet or
tapestry vests (especially those that lace up the front),
peasant blouses, ruffled blouses, long skirts. Men look for:
full pirate-style shirts, velvet tunics, velvet or tapestry or
leather vests, baggy trousers, boots. For simple peasant
outfits, go to thrift and second-hand stores for gauzy peasant
blouses, pirate shirts, long cotton skirts, and leather boots
and belts.
-------------------------
From: apr at fc.hp.com (Anne Reynolds)
For about the past eight years, I've KNOWN what I wanted my
wedding dress to be like. If you look in french books of hours,
you see it all over the place - it's sort of an A-line dress
except much more fitted in the chest/rib cage area, scoop
neckline, fitted sleeves, huge skirt and train. Then, while
flipping through some bridal magazines, I saw this one
bridesmaid's dress, and I just kept coming back to it. So
finally I said to myself, "if you don't go try on that dress,
you'll never be happy with any other dress, not even your dream
dress." So I went to a store and tried it on - just that one
and no other. I just about cried at how pretty I FELT when I
put it on. Especially when the saleslady pulled out *the
perfect veil* to wear with it. It was THE DRESS after all. As
an added plus, since it was labelled as a bridesmaid's dress, it
was cheap compared to most wedding gowns. I paid about $400 for
the dress and veil which was less than I had planned to spend
making my original dream dress.
-------------------------
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
Check out local costume rental shops -- this way bridal party
members & guests don't have to pay for whole outfits they'll
never wear again. Also, take a look through thrift shops for
accessories like belts, cups, jewelry, etc. BTW, a decent
costume shop will be as "approximately period" as any of the
readymade supposedly period clothes I've ever seen for sale!)
Some stores will even sell you the costumes, if you want to keep
them or make alterations. One warning -- do not expect to be
able to do this in October. Costume shops are swamped in
October (for Halloween), so prices go up and selection goes
down.
-------------------------
From Tina Schutte (spires at one.net (Lee Spires)
I think I may have found a gown! There's a costume shop here
that supplies our local theater groups...They have something
that, although it's too big, they may be able to make me a copy
in the colors and fabrics I choose. Now I've got to pick
fabrics, check costs, and pray it can be done in the time I've
got!!
-------------------------
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
Ask everyone you know if they have anything in their closets.
People who do living history sometimes get tired of their
costumes and sell them. Place a small ad in the local
costumer's guild, Renaissance guild, and SCA newsletters. Ask
around on rec.sca.org and alt.renaissance.faires, too (these are
also good places to search for a costumer/seamstress).
-------------------------
From ladyjane at cyberverse.com (Lanfear)
I contacted my local SCA chapter and arranged to have our
wedding outfits made by someone into costuming. We made sure
they were done period so that we could use them for later Faires
and events. She went to the fabric distrinct in downtown LA and
found an elegant wool imported from England at only $5 a yard.
The total cost on our outfits was $350.
-------------------------
From aam0709 at is.nyu.edu (Aliesha A. Murray)
For the costumes, we're getting a costumer who's also involved
with local Renaissance festivals. Groomsmens outfits will be
about $65 to rent, bridesmaids about $100, groom about $100 (his
costume is more elaborate). The people we're working with are
actually willing to make the clothes to our specifications, then
rent them to us. This way they get to keep the clothes and rent
them out to other people later. You may be able to get a
costumer to do this, too, especially if they do weddings a lot.
These people are also willing to make my dress, and they said
that if they can't do it then they know people from the Ren
Faire who can. If you have a Ren. Faire in your area I
definitely recommend going there, if only just to get some
ideas. By the way, we're sticking with tunics for the men and
princess-seamed dresses for the women. That way the men don't
have to wear tights, and princess dresses look good on almost
any body type. We're going with capes, too. They look really
dramatic.
-------------------------
From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)
One of my best friends is a costumer who happens to specialize
in renaissance costumes. He agreed to do our outfits as well as
clothe the rest of the wedding party and our parents. He worked
with us to design our clothing and incorporate our ideas. After
several discussions and much research, he did some renderings to
show what the final product would look like. We then went
shopping for fabrics and trims, and then he went to WORK. The
final version exceeded our expectations! They were simply
marvelous! Without his support and well-stocked closet, I don't
think we could have done it. All told, he provided 22 costumes
-- the ones he made for us (which we kept) and 20 others that he
either pulled from or made for his stock.
-------------------------
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
Check with local theatrical companies and college theater
departments to see if they've done any Shakespearean plays
recently and want to sell their costumes. This is a long shot,
but it doesn't hurt to ask. Also check to see if they have
particular times when everything in the wardrobe's up for sale
(some places do this once a year as a fund-raiser).
================================================================
3.6: Does anybody know of a catalog which offers readymade but
affordable period clothes? I can't possibly sew for
everyone!
From: bj at alpha1.csd.uw.edu
There are a number of mailorder companies that carry readymade
period clothing. Some will even rent clothing. See the list
of catalogs in this faqsheet.
================================================================
3.7: Does anyone know of good Web sites regarding medieval
clothing?
From: markh at risc.sps.mot.com (Mark.S Harris)
You might check the CLOTHING section of my SCA Rialto files at:
http://fermi.clas.virginia.edu/~gl8f/rialto/rialto.html. The
file patterns-msg details a number of modern patterns that can
be modified to medieval style clothing. I believe there is
another file that lists the names and addresses of various
merchants selling medieval patterns. There are various other
files on making gloves, headgear, shoes, undergarments and other
clothing apparel as well as files on Scottish and Irish clothing
and other clothing files.
________________________
From: bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu
There is another website that I know of which offers costuming
information: http://www.bibiana.com/velvet/peasant.html
contains directions for making Renaissance peasant clothing.
Two other sources of information about period clothing is the
Historical Costuming FAQ at
http://reality.sgi.com/employees/lara/lara.html and the Historic
Costume Mailing List (see following message).
________________________
From: close at lunch.engr.sgi.com (Diane Barlow Close)
The Historic Costume Mailing List focuses on the re-creation of
period costume, from the Bronze age to the mid-20th Century. We
discuss accurate historical reproduction of clothing, historical
techniques for garment construction, and the application of
those techniques in modern clothing design. Other topics
frequently discussed include adapting historical clothing for
the modern figure, clothing evolution, theatrical costumes,
patterns, materials, books, and sources for supplies. We have
over 600 members, of varying levels of ability, education and
interest. Members include re-creationists and reenactors of all
eras, historians, museum personnel, students and professors of
both theatre and history, and other academics, authors,
directors, dancers, professional costumers, wearable artists,
sewers interested in learning "lost" techniques, and some who
are simply "fans" of history. This is a list that brings
together many different types of people, all sharing information
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3.8: My fiance has informed me that he hates tuxes and would
prefer to get married in a robe rather like the ones worn by
Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons. Anyone have a
clue where I would find such a beast?
From: Mistress Aidan Morgana Evans
I believe that the garment for which you search is called in
period a "loose gown". Patterns for several may be found in
"Patterns of Fashion, vol III" by Janet Arnold. The scaled
patterns may look complicated but this was the first garment
which my lord husband patterned and made for himself. Your lord
will look splendid, but don't skimp on the fabric.
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3.9: Does anyone know where I could get a velvet cape? I am
thinking about an evening wedding and an off the shoulder
gown, and I get cold easily (Plus I just love them!!).
From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)
Capes are probably the world's easiest thing to sew -- a
beginner can do it, even in velvet (if you're patient). Many
pattern companies have simple cape patters with variations like
collars, hoods, etc. Look in the "coats" and "evening wear"
sections of pattern companies. Depending on your gown, you
might want a full-length cape or a fingertip length one or even
a short elbow length cape. It can be simple and unadorned or
you can edge it with fur, maribou, lace, ribbon, cording,
metallic braid, etc. This is *such* an easy project! Don't
waste a lot of time searching for one readymade in stores --
just go to the fabric store. And if you don't sew, ask around.
Grandmothers, older aunts, and even mothers are often of a
generation that knew how to sew. It could be a lovely wedding
present too.
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