One of my goals with making historical clothes is to capture a head to toe outfit from a particular time and place. These are a few of my attempts.
The Sun Dress
1520s German Noble Woman
Rays of light shine down on this lovely lady from Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 1 (1460-1567). This ensemble featuring slashed sleeves and a low cut silhouette was popular in Germanic lands of the Holy Roman Empire in the first quarter of the sixteenth century.
A Wench Takes a Mouse for a Walk
1529 Swiss Camp Follower
This illumination by Urs Graf entitled “Dirne fuhrt eine Maus spaziern” shows a proverb of a frivolous and perhaps loose woman taking a mouse on a walk.
Orpheus
1400-1450 France
I have dreamt of recreating this houppelande since the first time I saw it. This image is from British Library’s Harley 4431, f. 126v. ca. the first half of the fifteenth century. It stars a short houpeland with monster sleeves and a lovely chartreuse green chaperon.
Euridice
1400-1450 France
This gown is a re-do of my first ever overdress from 2019! This style of gown was popular from about 1350-1440 when it started to go out of fashion. This image is from British Library’s Harley 4431, f. 126v. ca. the first half of the fifteenth century.
My second take on this gown features a nice heavy wool over a red linen kirtle and white linen lined sleeves.
Beatrice of Portugal’s Reticulated Headdress
1410-1420 England
I’ve made multiple attempts to make this nonsensical headdress popular very briefly in early 1400s England.
A Houpeland
Burgandy ca. 1412-1416
In an effort to refurbish a second hand houpeland, I’ve recreated this image from month of April in the Tres Riche Heurs of Duc de Berry. I still have a few more accessories I would like to add and the hat needs some work, but I am very pleased with this rendition.
Trossfrau with Cradle
1530s Germany
My first foray into ladies garments of the German Renaissance was recreating this gown from Marketenster en jongen met een dode haan, Virgilius Solis, 1524 – 1562. (That’s a market goer and a boy with a dead rooster”).
I learned a lot making this dress, and made a few mistakes that I will need to correct in the future, maybe sooner rather than later. Regardless, it is a fun gown with a GIANT four panel skirt.
Mary of Hapsberg Hemd
Germany, 1520-1530
This is a recreation of one of the earliest surviving pleated hemds or chemises from the renaissance period. I recreated this hemd featuring embroidery over pleats last summer to wear under my German renaissance garb.
The Betsy Waffenrock
1530s Germany
My first large commissioned garment was a waffenrock based largely off of this illumination in Hofkleiderbuch Des Herzog Willhelm IV und Albercht V. 1508-1551 (Page 72). But, this Waffenrock includes quite a bit of flair, including the circular stars meant to mimic those of the original American flag as designed by Betsy Ross. Star shaped slashing was also popular in Landsknecht designs.
A King’s Shirt
England, 1540s
This is a reproduction of an extant boy’s shirt in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It features blackwork embroidery, insertion seams and embroidery, fingerloop braids and is entirely hand made.
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The Inevitable Scadian 