Doublet for ladies? How to keep warm

[operafantomet]

Isabella: thank you for the name of the English equivalent.

Another thing to keep warm: muffs!


The first shows a Venetian lady from ca. 1595. The other is also from 1595, but shows an outfit "in the French style". The third is a Venetian courtesan from the early or mid 17th century.

More info + a gorgeous recreation here: http://renaissanceitaly.net/mygarb/muff.htm

[Adriana Rose]

that looks yummy! On my if I had the time list is a rabbit skin lined cloak. I think it would be fablous but I just dont have the time and well my faire is in June and July. Maybe if I take the shop on the road for a fall show I will do it then,

[Captain Dungcaster]

Y'all are so very generous with your time and info. Thank you all very much. Nancy's garb is very basic. We are in Virginia and attend VARF in May and June. Her garb is "Seasonal" Basic stuff as in a skirt, Bodice, and chemise. We are planning on a visit to Carolina Faire on Nov. 12 which is why I asked.
Here are a couple shots from Varf in 2010.

[Adriana Rose]

Definatly closed toe shoes you dont want cold toes!

Like I said earlier warm leggings, fluffy socks and a long sleeve under shirt gets the job done.

[Anna Iram]

What a handsome couple you make, Captain.

I agree your wife might be fine with some warm underthings. I' m thinking Carolina would be chilly during the mornings, but turn pleasant by mid day. Of course, the weather being what it is this year......

[isabelladangelo]

She'll need an entire new outfit.    I'd go with a high necked smock -it looks more complicated than it really is.  It's basically two big rectangles for the body, two smaller rectangles for the sleeves, your basic collar and wristbands, plus a few gores tucked in on the sides of the body and at the neckline where it gets gathered.   Do it out of a light or medium weight linen.   

She'll need a new pair of bodies.  It looks like she might have lost some weight since she originally bought them in the photo because it looks a bit loose.   The doublet is designed to go over a pair of bodies.  There is actually a very good Simplicity Pattern out that she might want to look at.   http://www.simplicity.com/p-2009-costumes.aspx  See if she likes the red dress.   The "underwear" for it is here: http://www.simplicity.com/p-1576-costumes.aspx

Since time is an issue, what you might want to do instead is make a new pair of bodies, the new smock, and a couple of new skirts.  I wore my 18th Century quilted petticoat last night and was perfectly warm.  It also gives the overskirt some body.   You can get pre quilted material pretty easily at joanns.  Just cut it out in gores or pleat it up (take the stuffing out of the waistband area so you can pleat it).  It shouldn't take much time at all.  Over the quilted petticoat, she can wear either heavy linen or a velvet skirt (wool is best but it's $$$ right now).   That with a velvet Spanish Surcote (very simple to make.  I made one the other day out of fleece for my Mom in about an hour and a half) and she'll be warm.  :-)

[McGuinness]

A nice warm cloak will go a long way too, for both of you. I have a couple made from blanket-fleece that are VERY cozy (one actually WAS a throw blanket that someone used to make a cloak for me, the other was yardage from the fabric store). I also have a fur wrap that I ADORE and get tons of comments on that is quite literally just 2.5 yards of faux fur - mink, I believe - that I sewed (inside out) down the long edge and across one end, flipped rightside out and stiched the open end together. Really simple but it looks rich and expensive. I would like to do another with some lining on the inside, maybe flannel.

[Anna Iram]

Isabella, you are a wonder that you could make all that in two weeks. I envy your sewing skills.

A wrap is a great idea. It would suit the style of her garb and be more versatile. I wore a liteweight one before I purchased my cloak and the nice thing about it was you could bundle under it or when the day became warm pin it to one shoulder and let it hang open.

Mine was simple a large square of wool flannel.  Didn't even need sewing as I fringed the edges all around with scissors.

Fur lined.....yum.

[isabelladangelo]

Isabella, you are a wonder that you could make all that in two weeks. I envy your sewing skills.

A wrap is a great idea. It would suit the style of her garb and be more versatile. I wore a liteweight one before I purchased my cloak and the nice thing about it was you could bundle under it or when the day became warm pin it to one shoulder and let it hang open.

Fur lined.....yum.

A regular skirt shouldn't take more than a half hour - you cut the edge of the fabric for a waistband and you pleat the rest of it up to your waist size.  Last week, I made two in the morning for work since I had no idea what to wear that day. 

A chemise shouldn't take much more time if you are doing a basic Italian style.  A high neck shouldn't take more than an hour.

Really, the only thing time consuming is the pair of bodies and that should be around three hours.  (Cutting the duct ties takes forever)

Even the Spanish Surcote is really simple.  I use the http://www.wodefordhall.com/surcote.htm but make regular armscyes and not the sideless.  You have a front opening rather than a pull over and add sleeves.   I also like to add the shoulder rolls which are nothing more than strips of the same fabric -sometimes covered in trim- pinned to the shoulder area.   You just make little loops out of the strips. 

If you do one item a day, you can have an entire new outfit in a week. 

[McGuinness]

Fur lined.....yum.

Oh, not even fur-lined.....just fur. I got petted a lot. :-)

[Adriana Rose]

There is a vendor on Etsy that has some really good looking faux fur by the yard. I am working with her for some for a christmas present for my mom and she is very nice!

[DonaCatalina]

Colleen, the pair of you look scrumptious. How do you keep your faux fur clean without it looking ratty?

[McGuinness]

Colleen, the pair of you look scrumptious. How do you keep your faux fur clean without it looking ratty?

It really hasn't been a problem. I only use that one on dry cold days but I've just thrown it on the washer and dryer a couple times during the season and it has held up really well for the past couple seasons. It still looks almost good-as-new.

[operafantomet]

For this I would suggest:

*Modern tights, preferably of wool (and the ones which stays up!)
*More period looking knee highs, of wool also (H&M has a great selection)
*Mary Janes for the feel. Put a wool or thinsulate sole in there, and the feet will stay fairly warm.
*A thick cream or flesh coloured jersey (the wool/silk mix ones are divine) with a fairly open neck.
*An underskirt. Partly for warmth, partly for lifting the current skirt.
*Maybe a partlet to close the exposed throat area. But this is a give-or-take.

And then the hard part: some sort of long sleeved overgarb. This will have to be made rather than store bought. There are many alternatives to what it can be. Most have already been suggested:

*Zimarra/wide overdress. If the opening is lined with fur it'll be cooooomy.
*Short jacket, tight in the waist and wide over the hips. Think Jacobean jackets.
*Doublet bodice with sleeves.
*Also a shawl or wrap of some sort, though this is more 19th century than 16th century.

And as for the hands, both leather gloves and muffs is perfectly period. Another popular item was the "zibellino", the fur with elaborate gold-and-gem studded animal head. It could be worn around the neck, or one could "hide" the hands in it. It was much in vogue in the 16th century, at least in Italy. It was usually attached to the girdle (the precious metal belt).

This portrait of Livia da Porto and daughter shows both a fur lined zimarra (wide overdress) and a zibellino worn over one hand. Something tells me this portrait was painted during wintertime!



More picture examples here: http://larsdatter.com/zibellini.htm

Basically I just wanted to show that you can wear modern wool underclothes under your costume, and they can easily be purchased at H&M and similar large stores. Hope it gave you some more inputs!