Wearing Noble Garb

[Lady Ellie]

After wearing my noble garb 3 times now, I give a deep bow to all the ladies who wear theirs for hours on end. The first time for me was my wedding (4 HOURS),the second was for TRF (7 hours) and about the same for halloween. It was a little uncomfortable at first but then it got aggravating. Especially at work.  Does it get more comfortable as time goes by ? I hope so because I really like wearing my garb.

[isabelladangelo]

What is aggravating about it?  You might be wearing the wrong size or have another fitting problem with it.   I could wear my gowns all the time and they are extremely comfortable.

[Lady Ellie]

It kept getting in the way and my shoulder straps kept slipping down.

[sealion]

It sounds like the straps need to be shortened and/or repositioned to keep them from slipping. You could try pinning them to your partlet to keep them in place. As for your gown getting in the way- you do need to move differently than you would in a pair of jeans but you get used to it the more you wear your gown. (And noble ladies didn't work in their fancy clothes. lol)

[isabelladangelo]

Yes, the shoulder straps sound like they need to be redone.   Are you wearing a farthingale under your skirts?   Do you have any pictures of you wearing the dress?

[DonaCatalina]

One problem with commercial patterns, which are also what a lot of garb makers use, is the shoulders. I find that I have to shorten the shoulder slope considerably on the inside of the neckline to keep the shoulder up.

[Lady Amy of York]

Sounds like  the shoulder staps  are too big.  I have had that happen on a couple of  my gowns.     You can  take   liitle  safety pins  and pin  the straps   down.  ( sometimes  you can  find    even pretty decorative   pins.   I  found  ones  one  time that had  pretty liitle pearls on them  and  blended  right in  with  the  trim  on  my  gown  )    or  if  you  have   grommet holes on your straps   you can   take   a pretty ribbon  and  put it thru  the  grommet  holes       and pull your  straps  up with the ribbon  and     tie it in back.
   By  the  gown  getting in your  way,  do  you mean  that  you are steping  on  it  ?    I had  that happen  with one of  my gowns.    But as soon as i started wearing a hoop skirt under it, it lifted the  gown enough off the  ground.
   You may try using  a hoop  skirt under  your  gown.  if  it still gets  in  your  way, you can  either have  the    gown hemmed  a bit, or  do like   alot of us  do  when  we are  walking.  Just  hold  the side of your skirt in one of  your hands  and  lift  it  a  little.
   Don't give  up.  it takes  a little  getting use  to wearing a noble  gown  , but it can be  alot of  fun to wear,  once     you get use  to  it  !

[Margaret]

Does it get better?  Yes it does - as you get more used to wearing it.  Wearing garb is so much different than our jeans and t-shirts.  You just need to move in an entirely different way.

However, after a time, I was able to wait tables at our Feast of Fantasy while weaing my middle class clothing - corset, hoops and all. 

That is why when I have new garb to wear, the first couple of times wearing it I claim as my 'test drives'.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I can wear my Noble Garb all day long and feel absolutely great.  It's more my feet that are a bit moe tired  after a 10 hour day.

Fit is most important when wearing Noble garb. Most annoying are the straps. Some bodices, like the ones made by Royal Coffers, are too wide acrossed the  upper bust, thus causing the straps to fall. Lady Renee's bodice does that despite my lifting the shoulders quite a bit.

The next important piece is the corset. It does take a few wearings to feel your body mold to it. Elizabethan corsets allow for some movement, but they do take  a little getting used to. The back support is fabulous, while bending is severely limited. One of my corsets is already 6 years old and is still comfortable after many wearings.

When one has on the layers, that is where the Noble Character and posture comes out. One feels the part of a Noble when  wearing the garb.

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

I feel very comfy in two out of three of my noble gowns. One was made by LKoO, the other I got off ebay and had it modified to fit me better.

In my Katherine Parr dress at CoRF so many of the people asked if I were hot. It wasn't bad with all the layers. It causes sweating which is the bodies method of cooling itself. When there is a breeze then it really feels good. Many layers in dark clothing is how the Arabic peole stay cool. Body sweat. One MUST drink plenty of liquids.

This year was the first time I wore a nobel dress all day long and I did it four times. savoring each one. I prefer nobel over any other garb I have and only one... so far is custome made for my odd body shape and type.

[Dayna]

My Noble garb is more comfortable than my modern clothing.  I wear skirts all the time anyway, two in winter 'cause the wind is Cold walking to the bus stop, so that probably helps.  Hoop is essential, as is getting the hem right, and Walk Upright Eyes Front Puppies Out Butt Tucked.  I see a lot of women walking with their heads down, which leads the whole body to lean forward and you actually end up doing the very thing you're trying to avoid, treading on your skirt.  If you're standing straight and looking ahead, the skirt takes care of itself.

Definitely more comfortable in a corset and bodice than a bra and shirt, no straps to slide down or other things to "readjust", everything stays where it's supposed to.

The only problem I have with Noble garb is using the toilet, my arms aren't long enough to reach everything I need to, if you catch my drift.

Dayna

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Going to the Privy wearing a corset and skirts is a challange indeed. Perhaps that is why the Nobility had PEOPLE!!!!

We seem to give ours the day off when we dress up!!  I wonder why that is???

[Miranda]

My shoulders are pretty much non-existent.  And I have found one of the Jean Hunnisett styles of bodice works best for me.
It's very similar to the bodice pattern seen here.
http://freespace.virgin.net/f.lea/kirguide2.html
Much easier to get exactly the kind of fit you want, as you can adjust the angle and length of the strap with just a bit of repositioning.

[Taffy Saltwater]

The only problem I have with Noble garb is using the toilet, my arms aren't long enough to reach everything I need to, if you catch my drift.

The first times I was at TRF this year it was warm, I kept hydrated, sweated & didn't have to pee once.  This last time it was cold, no sweating, & damned if I didn't have to go & go & go some more.   

Once nice thing about skirts is they stay away from the body (speciall w/hips like mine) so you can get a little air circulation, which helps keep you cool.  I am fluffy & hate to sweat under the puppies, so I give that whole area a good shot of spray anti-perspirant - works a charm.

[Adriana Rose]

I remember one of the ladies that is on the Court at the Colorado fair had told me once that she has two ways of keeping cool..

circular air: she swung her hips around like a hula hop
and
forced air: she jumped up and down..


and the one time that I wore my hoops I tripped over them more often than not... but then again I trip over my own feet all the time

[DonaCatalina]

The trick to wearing a long skirt with hoops is a staely, deliberate walk. 
Walking fast, running or scampering does not work with hoops. 

The skirt part doesn't bother me at all unless I'm walking uphill.
It can be a bit of an annoyance then.

Medieval gowns are the reall problem with walking. Imagine walking with a dress 4-8 inches longer than you are.

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

Amazingly, some of the ladies of court at CoRF walk in a method they look like they are floating. I think the key is many, many tiny steps very quickly as they do move rather quickly. I just can't get my body to take those tiny steps to make myself glide/float.

[Adriana Rose]

Practice practice

[Lady Ann of Draycott]

I love wearing noble garb! 

[Lady Ellie]

I want to thank all who have responded to my post. I will put the good advice to work.