catholic cardinal

[Gimli]

I need a pattern for a cardinal I'm thinking oh doing something close to Tim Curry's Richelieu but I have had no luck finding it online.

[renfairephotog]

Brenda made me one a few years ago. She didn't use a premade pattern. she figured it out from photos.

[Gimli]

As new to making garb as I am I doubt I could do that.

[gem]

Do you have pictures? A quick Google image search is only bringing up headshots; I can't see what's below the white collar.  One quick historical note that might be useful: Richelieu is early 17th century (1600s).

[operafantomet]

Take in account that there might be regional and period differences in what I'm describing... But I once worked in a costume department which had several clerical outfits, one being a beautiful cardinal attire. I had to learn about clerical outfits for that job, and I remember the various parts well.

The basic cardinal garb is called a cassock. It's a long-sleeved, floor-length robe with buttons all the way down in front. Sometimes the number of buttons is 33, symbolizing Christ's age, but it's not set in stone. The cassock is fairly tight-fitting in the waist, but the skirt has some width. A cardinal's official, general cassock would be red, though white, black and purple versions are also used according to the occasion. (As a curious side note, the character Neo is using a black cassock in the Matrix...) I don't own a pattern for such a garment myself, but maybe this can serve as a basis?
http://www.costumes.org/history/victorian/1898cutterspracticalguidepart1/84.jpg
CASSOCK: http://www.am-church.com/images/toomey/RJT400_390_395_Cassocks.jpg

Around the waist, or rather a bit above it, is the "fascia", the belt. It's a wide band with a a fringed or otherwise decorated end hanging down the left side (visible from the front). Usually watered silk is used, with some embroidery at the end. The colour is identical to the cassock. See picture above.

On the head they use a "biretta", a small, round hat with four distinctive folds at the top. Again it's made of silk of the same colour as the cassock. Underneath, or on their own, they could use a red skull cap. When traveling, historical cardinals would use the wide-brimmed "galero" hat with tassels, the ones used in their heraldry (the same hat they received when becoming a cardinal):
GALERY: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/CardinalCoA_PioM.svg
BIRETTA: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Sodano.jpg

Additional wear for ceremonial and/or official use is the "mozzetta", the short, wide cape with buttons in front, used over the "rochet" (alt. rochetta, a shorter, white overdress with fine lace trims, not unlike a renaissance chemise in shape). Today the shape of the mozzetta is circular, but it seems like it could be trained in the 17th century (or used over a trained coat):
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Jacques-Bénigne_Bossuet_2.jpg (copy and paste)
ROCHET: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochet
MOZZETTA: http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/124/thumbmozzettabp3.jpg

(a cardinal's outfit can vary in colour, according to what the ceremonial purpose is and what country the cardinal comes from, but the general colour is red)


Now, to the man himself... http://jordicarreno.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/cardinal_richelieu2.jpg

Looking at his official, full-length portrait can be confusing at first glance. As a ground layer he is wearing the red cassock with a laced white rochet overneath. He is holding the biretta hat in his hands, and wearing the small scull cap on his head. It also appears to me that he wears a trained mozzetta cloak as the very upper layer, being white on top and red underneath, and with a broad white collar. The mozetta is folded back over his left shoulder, and he wears a blue sash with some kind of order hanging from it. The Maltese order? Order of the Holy Ghost?

It's the layer in between that's confusing. It appears to be a random, wide red garb put in there just for the sake of making a dramatic drape... Baroque portraits often wanted to emulate antiquity, and a way of achieving this was to add dramatic drapes whenever possible. It might be a legitime garb of some sort, but to me it looks a bit fictional and without any seams or functions. I might be wrong, though! Another portrait of the man shows him without these cascades of red drapes:
http://www.philippedechampaigne.org/Cardinal-Richelieu-(1585-1642)-1636.jpg

Might be lots of strange words and layers to deal with her, but the basic outfit isn't too difficult to understand if you know what the various layers are. I hope you find patterns to work with, it doesn't seem to be the most common this to find online, for some reason... But maybe the commercial patterns has a basic priest or Matrix robe you can start with? Best of luck, anyhow!

[Dinobabe]

What about these...

http://butterick.mccall.com/b6844-products-3815.php?page_id=916

http://www.simplicity.com/p-2235-costumes.aspx

[Gimli]

Think I'll start with the Butterick button down in red and go from there. This is a M'Crack thing so no need to be to historical with it. Thanks for all the help. 

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Don't forget to add a short cloak that hits just below the elbow. A short cloak can be made from any paneled(gored) cloak pattern, just shorter and lined

There is also a lot of piping that goes with a Cardinal, Bishop, Pope. A good fabric would be a Moire Taffeta or Bengaline. There is a distinct pattern to the fabric that makes it say...Catholic Cardinal. Don't forget the small head beanie.

Good luck.

[Gimli]

Okay the only piping I know is copper and PVC. I'll have to look that up

[isabelladangelo]

Just a side note:

Unless you are a member of the cast, I'd be very very wary of portraying any type of clergy.  It can be disrespectful to those that are Roman Catholic (in this case).   

[Gimli]

Good vid on piping if for anyone is learning like me.  http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-sew-piping-228985/

[gypsylakat]

Without discussing the H/A of the show the Tudors, their costuming always makes me happy inside
http://l.yimg.com/img.tv.yahoo.com/tv/us/img/site/87/63/0000038763_20070327162239.jpg
Cardinal Wolsey

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

The real Cardinal Wolsey was a short, rotund man.



Though the Costume for the show is somewhat similar, though many liberties were taken with the show for modern audiences. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in NO WAY, resembles the real Henry VII. Which was the issue I had with Eric Bana playing Henry VIII in 'THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL'

[Master James]

Think I'll start with the Butterick button down in red and go from there. This is a M'Crack thing so no need to be to historical with it. Thanks for all the help. 

ACK!  Does this mean now I need priestly arraignments too?  ROFLMAO!!!!!

[Gimli]

YES at MDRF the M'Crack clergy was born TJ came in as a bishop and the king promoted him to pope and well it grew from there.