News:

Welcome to the Renaissancefestival.com Forums!  Please post an introduction after signing up!

For an updated map of Ren Fests check out The Ren List at http://www.therenlist.com!

The Chat server is now running again, just select chat on the menu!

Main Menu

Instead of Bloomers?

Started by Lady von Engestrom, March 28, 2014, 02:46:21 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Lady von Engestrom

Has anyone tried these instead of the "standard" bloomers?

http://www.underworks.com/cotton-trunk-leg-pants-8-inch-inseam-3-pack

I'm putting together the final touches on a noble gown.  I'll be wearing a farthingale and bumroll with over-the-knee stockings.  I'm in Texas and with the heat, I need something a little...ahem...more fitted in the crotch than the poofy bloomers seem to provide.  It looks like these undergarments come up to fit and have a panel so you don't have to wear normal undies with them.

Was just seeing if anyone had tried these and what they thought about them.  :)

gem

#1
YES! I have worn those (or something very similar that Penney's used to sell) for YEARS, and like you find them much more useful for protecting against chafing than bloomers. I also prefer a snugger fit. Three for $20 is about what my Penney's version used to cost--can't beat that! :)

Last year I switched to my mundane Jockey Skimmies, which are less bulky and fit lower on the waist (which is nice when you have a lot of layers there--farthingale, corset, bumroll, skirt, bodice, etc). I think they're a tossup in terms of keeping you cool, and the legs of the Skimmies sometimes ride up on me just a teensy bit (YMMV). At one for $20, they're quite a bit pricier than the cotton knickers... but you can find them just about anywhere.

(Neither will make you particularly happy when you put them on & look in the mirror. You have been forewarned. :b)

I do like my bloomers for adding extra "oomph" to skirts, however! :)

theatrekat

I haven't tried those, but I do like dance/yoga capris under a court gown, because most are made from fabrics that wick moisture away from the body.  They also tend to "breathe" better than  my cotton bloomers do.

-kat

Irma

Like GEM, I have something like the JCPenney cotton long- leg trunks.  They actually reach nearly to my knees, so I fold the edge up an inch or so.  They are comfortable in 90-degrees weather, and very comfortable in 50-degree weather.

isabelladangelo

The puffy pants bloomers you typically see are based on bloomers (named after Amelia Bloomer) from the 19th Century.  What you linked to looks fine.  However, here is what was really worn:

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/extdraw.htm

There is a lot more info here as well http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/library/drawers.htm

What is comes down to is this, the drawers ladies wore beneath their gowns were the same as men's trousers but a lighter weight fabric, typically.   There is also a lot of evidence for "normal" looking undies now with the 15th C castle excavation project. 


Rani Zemirah

Reviving this topic, since it hasn't been all that long since it was active...


These do look a LOT more comfy for walking around in than my blouse-y woven cotton bloomers... and it occurs to me that a length of fabric could be added to the bottom of these to create a more traditional style bloomer appearance, while still keeping the nice smooth fitted feel of the knit cotton on top.  After all... it's completely possible that a random gust could expose the lower portion of a pair of bloomers... the below-the-knee parts, of course... without ever even hinting at anything higher up!  Are they sturdy enough to hold a lightweight cotton lawn addition, do you ladies think? 
Rani - Fire Goddess

Aut disce... aut discede

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

Sometimes I have worn a  pair of cotton capris pants with stockings to keep my legs from getting dirty. Very comfortable and no ren rash.
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

Lady Rosalind

I use lightweight cotton sleep pants, either capri-length, or with the bottoms rolled up to be capri-length. Super comfy, and you can usually pick them up on clearance at the end of the season. I don't worry about colors - mine are plaid.

isabelladangelo

Technically speaking, tighty whities are period whereas the 19th century puffy bloomers are not.   That being said, I do wear my Turkish pants sometimes under my gowns.  You can just see the dark purple of the trousers in this photo:

DSC04178 par Isabella, on ipernity

Of course, that's my Turkish outfit - the Italians wore it too!  It's what women really wore in the Middle East and Mediterrianian during the Renaissance. 

isabelladangelo

For those that can't sew, now that it's summer, there are a lot of linen blend capris.  These are great under gowns as they aren't baggy and most of them do have a majority of linen in the fabric.  Plus, you can wear them after faire with a T-shirt.  :-)

On ebay, there is a pair that would work for under gowns

gem

Quote from: Rani Zemirah on May 23, 2014, 12:07:51 AM
These do look a LOT more comfy for walking around in than my blouse-y woven cotton bloomers... and it occurs to me that a length of fabric could be added to the bottom of these to create a more traditional style bloomer appearance, while still keeping the nice smooth fitted feel of the knit cotton on top.  After all... it's completely possible that a random gust could expose the lower portion of a pair of bloomers... the below-the-knee parts, of course... without ever even hinting at anything higher up!  Are they sturdy enough to hold a lightweight cotton lawn addition, do you ladies think?

Rani, do you mean the cotton knickers in the original post? Mine would definitely be sturdy enough to add a ruffle or whatnot, although they only come down to the knee, so that would have to be some gust to expose that much leg! LOL

The Jockies Skimmies, OTOH, would be trickier. They're very, very lightweight--almost like tights, maybe? Although definitely not as fragile. (I don't have any experience with Spanx, so I don't know if they're similar.)

The issue I have, as mentioned above, and why I like these (vs looser bloomers/capris/etc) is the snug fit in the crotch and upper thigh. Before I found these, I *always* wore cotton bike shorts under skirts, both mundane and at Fair. Those became very hard to find, as workout shorts got shorter and shorter, so I was happy to find the knickers, and now the Skimmies. I also have a pair of ancient (and I mean ancient--I've had them since I was a high school freshman, and I'm about to turn 40) running tights that I still wear when it's chilly. They've lasted through several massive weight changes, and, um, a millennium.  :o

Rani Zemirah

Gem... I was wondering about the pair in the original post.  It looks to me like it would be fairly easy to add what would basically be a tube of cotton to the bottom of the leg, to come a bit below the knee, and add a ruffle to that, in something super lightweight so that it wouldn't drag them down at all.  That way you could have what appear to be actual bloomers (I'm picturing what the "lady pirates" or Victorian cosplayers wear, admittedly, but still bloomers) but with a smooth, close fit for the parts that wouldn't ever show.  That way there wouldn't be the bulk of loose cotton bloomers at the waist, and you could still have the pretty ruffles at, or below, the knee... and no chafing.  And if someone wanted to be a bit risque (as Lady Pirates are occasionally wont to be.. ;) ) and hike their skirts up to their knees to catch the breeze, and show off their "smalls", well, they could, and still be well covered. 
Rani - Fire Goddess

Aut disce... aut discede