New year, new gown

Oh what I naughty girl I am for not posting about my new gown. Not only that, but I have no pictures yet and I didn't finish my chemise to go with it, I haven't hemmed it or the surcote that goes with it, it's not in the century I had researched, and it has to be completely finished by February 9th for Val Day.

...Aaaaaand it just occured to me that that is my freaking anniversary and *that* is why Bryan was put off when I told him I was going...jeeeez I'm dumb.

Well, maybe I can come home early.

Onto the dress:

So in the previous post in November, I was planning an extravagant Gothic fitted gown with underpinnings and accessories. Well, I didn't get my shoes for Christmas, so that's out. I also cannot fit a GFG without help and Bryan doesn't fall into that category.

So I settled on underwear-out for a mid-13th century gown based on the extant example of St. Clare of Assisi's gown. It's simple, and with a few modifications (read: extra side front gores), my ample bosoms fit right in.

(Short note, I made this dress, with a lining, and the surcote, from scratch, no patterns, jsut drafting straight to the fabric, in about 48 hours. I forgot about 12th Night and the Baronial Investiture--Hoobah for Odo and Dulcinea!--until about 3 days before the event. So kudos to me.)

The idea for the gown came from this site. It's pretty well known amongst garbers of this era because of it's simplicity, clarity, and accuracy. I have not been able yet to verify this source, so if you have been able to have access to this research or the book it comes from, let me know.

The reason for this change was not only because of the difficulting in fitting a GFG alone on a fat figure, but also because my linen is very heavy coatweight and it really didn't drape right around my curves.

While this gown is actually based on St. Clare's clothes as she would have worn them as a Bride of Christ and head of her Order of Poor Clare's, I was able to support my theory for the look with other sources--specifically the Maciejowski Bible and Manesse Codex. The Bible being of French origin and contemporary time, I can show a wide swath of style from Assisi in Umbria, Italy to other continental kingdoms. Most particularly or note is the picture of the Benjamites winning wives from Shiloh, and the women of Israel meeting David after slaying Goliath. These two illuminations display the solid color, floor length, belted gown with a simple circlet and no veil.

The Codex is a little later, being 1305 C.E. and are of what we would call German origin, but because of the lack of unity of the many pricipalities and kingdoms of the region, I'm going to say that there are Swiss and German people represented, but not in our modern sense. The styles have changed a little, but here I can find documentation of my surcote on a female. In this illumination of
Count Konrad von Kirtchburg is climbing up to his lady love, who is wearing a sleeveless surcote over her gown.

Also supporting are the illuminations of

Herr Gottfried von Neifen
Herr Jakob von Warte
Herr Walther von Klingen
the poet Kuerenberger
and several others. I suggest these sites and a Babel Fish translation to get the gist of what the illuminations mean.
The University of Heidelberg
and
Tempora Nostra


I have not finished the underwear yet, but I'm working on it.

More updates soon, hopefully with pictures, but don't quote me since I haven't produced the promised Pennsic pictures yet.

In Service to The Dream,
Gillian de Chelseye.