Garb Question- is that her chemise showing?

[Kindle]

Hi all!

I found a picture of a gown I love. However, is that her chemise/smock peeking out under the gown? I thought that was Just Not Done? Is it a rawther interesting partlet?

[gem]

Yup, that's her chemise/smock/camicia (probably the latter, because it looks Italian to me).  If you look at this thread, Anea (operafantomet) posted the most incredible collection of links to gorgeous chemise paintings. It's jaw-dropping.

In earlier Italian Ren fashion, the camicia didn't show, but through the decades, the simple garment became more and more elaborate, with lace, smocking, embroidery, etc, and Italian necklines got lower and lower to show them off. A fabulous example is Ghirlandaio's Lucrezia Sommaria from 1510 (big pic; you can really see the smock neckline detail).

[isabelladangelo]

It's perfectly fine for the chemise to show.     You can find pictures of ladies with their skirts hitched up to their knees and ones of ladies with slits  up the sides to their knees as well.   From about the mid 15th century on, the chemise was shown.  In fact, there are even illuminations showing ladies wearing nothing but their chemises while working with pottery or the infamous bath house babes. 

The whole "a chemise did not show" is another myth probably brought about by the Victorian era where a lady did not show her chemise at all.   And a lady would never be caught wearing her corset outside of her bedroom either!   Yet, in the 16th c, it's perfectly common to see a lady wearing nothing but her chemise, stays, and a skirt.    

Take a look at Realm of Venus or our own Anea's page at http://aneafiles.webs.com/ for far more Italian portraits.   You'll see the chemise peeking up above the necklines of the gowns and sometimes rolled up to expose the arms.  Because, yes, they did realize it's a heck of a lot easier to wash your skin than it is to ever get linen white again.   So, roll up your sleeves and dig in!

[operafantomet]

Hi all!

I found a picture of a gown I love. However, is that her chemise/smock peeking out under the gown? I thought that was Just Not Done? Is it a rawther interesting partlet?

Hey people, thanks for linking to my site! 

Yes, it's her chemise in that portrait. It was definitely shown in Italian fashion, both in the neckline and at the shoulders and cuffs. The chemises was made of the finest linen, and often embroidered with black, red or gold. These were precious garbs, showing up in inventory lists and wills (=having high value). The dresses were sewn to show off neckline and sleeve details, sometimes to the dismay of the clerics, but it was very much en vogue.

Italian chemises probably didn't depend on a drawstring. I've written a bit about the subject here:
http://aneafiles.webs.com/camicia.html

Jennifer Thompson also have a good instructional site on how to make one. You're getting a square neckline quite effortless with that pattern: http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/chemise.html