Contemplating the lack of wool
2005-08-18 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liadethorneggeSeeing as how I was missing a layer or so of wool at Visby this year I have now, snug and warm at home, started pondering how to make my surcote for the 1410's where I am currently very lacking in wardrobe.
My thoughts go to high necks and large sleeves. I don't want to do ridiculous sleeves, however, and looking at pictures shows me that the surcotes with high necks are all made with a collar and a slit down the front (if not a completely open front) and they are all belted right beneath the bosom in the typical houpellande fashion. Now, I am not a big fan of the houpellande for myself. It's lots of fabric, it's ostentatious and it may be warm as Nosferatu's bedchamber, but I don't want it.
So the options I am seeing is basically depicted in this miniature - side by side. I would much rather go with the more form-fitting one, red in the previous link and the blue in this miniature. The sleeves there also appeal. They are long and extravagant but does not use up three square yards of fabric. I just need to lengthen the sleeves and open them up from slightly below the elbow. Sweet.
Problem with this type of dress is they show no closure. Well, I figure I could get this form-fitting line with closure in the back or under the arms, and I am really very tempted to go with hidden lacing under the arms. It's meant as an outer layer, which means I'll be wearing at least two layers underneath it, so any incidental gapping in the sides will not be indecent. It is also good in that I would not have to unlace the sides very much in order to get in and out of it. So I might leave a long lace fully laced in there, just loose, and then pull it tight to close the surcote. Fab! Which means this would also work as a quick pull-over dress to throw on in the mornings.
The fabric then. Well, I bought four metres of purple wool with this type of garment in mind, so I have that already. Ideally the overlong sleeves should be lined in white fur, but, really, get a grip, so white linen is good enough for there. I don't have enough white to line the entire thing in it, but I can do the sleeves, and the rest of the dress in whichever colour linen I do have - light blue maybe. Should I want to take this to the nth level and make it extra super-warm I can line it in the wool I bought yesterday, but the purple wool is fairly thick in itself and likely to be quite warm enough. Counting also the layers underneath it I don't think I can get too cold in it.
The low - compared to a houpellande - neckline and inevitable chill there can be helped with my ever faithful hood. It may be a slight anachronism, but![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
frualeydis tells us hoods were willed from males to females and the other way around so even if the style is most often seen on men I have no qualms about wearing it as a woman. Besides, it is warm and also the first garb-item I ever made.
Since this is a surcote and I would like some figure-hugging capability, but it really doesn't need to support me, it means I can probably get away with only slight shaping in the side seams. Make the front panels straight at CF. Maybe do it as a 2-panel gown, but that makes it awkward to add gores at CF/CB should I wish to do that - and I think I do. Common to all surcotes of this period is the silly amount of fabric in them, shown especially in quite full skirts. Full skirts are good for warmth. You can wrap your legs all up in all that wool and be cozy long into the night.
My thoughts go to high necks and large sleeves. I don't want to do ridiculous sleeves, however, and looking at pictures shows me that the surcotes with high necks are all made with a collar and a slit down the front (if not a completely open front) and they are all belted right beneath the bosom in the typical houpellande fashion. Now, I am not a big fan of the houpellande for myself. It's lots of fabric, it's ostentatious and it may be warm as Nosferatu's bedchamber, but I don't want it.
So the options I am seeing is basically depicted in this miniature - side by side. I would much rather go with the more form-fitting one, red in the previous link and the blue in this miniature. The sleeves there also appeal. They are long and extravagant but does not use up three square yards of fabric. I just need to lengthen the sleeves and open them up from slightly below the elbow. Sweet.
Problem with this type of dress is they show no closure. Well, I figure I could get this form-fitting line with closure in the back or under the arms, and I am really very tempted to go with hidden lacing under the arms. It's meant as an outer layer, which means I'll be wearing at least two layers underneath it, so any incidental gapping in the sides will not be indecent. It is also good in that I would not have to unlace the sides very much in order to get in and out of it. So I might leave a long lace fully laced in there, just loose, and then pull it tight to close the surcote. Fab! Which means this would also work as a quick pull-over dress to throw on in the mornings.
The fabric then. Well, I bought four metres of purple wool with this type of garment in mind, so I have that already. Ideally the overlong sleeves should be lined in white fur, but, really, get a grip, so white linen is good enough for there. I don't have enough white to line the entire thing in it, but I can do the sleeves, and the rest of the dress in whichever colour linen I do have - light blue maybe. Should I want to take this to the nth level and make it extra super-warm I can line it in the wool I bought yesterday, but the purple wool is fairly thick in itself and likely to be quite warm enough. Counting also the layers underneath it I don't think I can get too cold in it.
The low - compared to a houpellande - neckline and inevitable chill there can be helped with my ever faithful hood. It may be a slight anachronism, but
frualeydis tells us hoods were willed from males to females and the other way around so even if the style is most often seen on men I have no qualms about wearing it as a woman. Besides, it is warm and also the first garb-item I ever made.Since this is a surcote and I would like some figure-hugging capability, but it really doesn't need to support me, it means I can probably get away with only slight shaping in the side seams. Make the front panels straight at CF. Maybe do it as a 2-panel gown, but that makes it awkward to add gores at CF/CB should I wish to do that - and I think I do. Common to all surcotes of this period is the silly amount of fabric in them, shown especially in quite full skirts. Full skirts are good for warmth. You can wrap your legs all up in all that wool and be cozy long into the night.
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 02:11 pm (UTC)http://myra.hem.nu/costume/images/CostumeGallery/French15thC/Pisan1_standing.jpg
/m
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Date: 2005-08-18 02:31 pm (UTC)That pink surcote looks awesome - is it silk? I will try my damndest to make the neckline of mine smaller than my middle layer ones so that I won't have any of the layers beneath sticking out, except where they are meant to (ie the sleeves!)
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Date: 2005-08-18 03:14 pm (UTC)the whole dress was made reversible, so i could wear it as a linen garment lined with silk if i would like to (haven't liked to yet though ;)
it's side laced (with grommets *blushes* but i was in a hurry to make it wearable) and a four panel dress with gores i think. did not have time when i made it to ponder about any documentation for this construction...
it's not as fitted as the very fitted cotte worn beneath, which is in a reddish-pinksih-salmon and gold brocade fully lined with dark red wool. this set kept me warm even though it was -10 below :)
i'm very much in love with this one, although it was only worn for one event. if i made another one, i would probably choose to line it (at least sleeves and edgings) with white wool? might also reconsider the side lacing also, haven't made up my mind about that one yet.
my next addition to my 15thC wardrobe is probably going to be this one:
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/herjol39.html
it's slightly later period than the christine de pisan ensemble, but with a more well documented construction than my rusty red wool dress which has become my favourite for working and camp life!
http://myra.hem.nu/costume/CostumeGallery/RustRed_1470-90s/RustRed_1470-90s.htm
/m
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 03:36 pm (UTC)I've got a blue cote similar to the rusty red one you have. Only mine is cut slightly wrong and gores are in the wrong place. Anyway, it's short sleeved, not too long and I wore it to tear down the camp at Visby last week, so it's practical to work in. Mine's a bit tighter and buttons, which makes it a pain to put on first thing. Forcing all those buttons through my uneven buttonholes *grumble*