I just fell in love with the Katherine of Aragon black velvet dress shown here, it has such elegant and clean lines.
Is there a pattern out there for something close to this?
http://www.rossetticouture.com/16th-2.html
It is a Hnerician gown with a split neckline bodice.
Period Patterns has the closest thing I know of in a commercial pattern for this.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rd7l-NctL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Like Dona C was saying, I haven't seen a pattern with that exact split front bodice, either. The Simplicity Tudor (http://www.simplicity.com/p-1547-costumes.aspx) has the basic Tudor silhouette, but you'd have to alter the bodice to have that front opening.
I'm planning to make a copy of a portrait gown that has a tiny opening in the front like that, and I'll be using the Margo Anderson Elizabethan gown pattern for it, since it has a front-opening option for the bodice. My plan was simply to leave the first couple of hooks/eyes open at the top. But your bodice has a much wider opening in front; I wonder if you wouldn't want to adapt some Venetian techniques to achieve that wide V. Alternately, you could just sew the bodice in three sections instead of one, so that it's permanently fixed that way, which is probably the easiest method.
Holy cow i love the 1st commedia dress!
If you use Simplicity 2589 as the pattern, and you cut a triangle piece of the foreskirt fabric and sew that to the front of the bodice and add the trim along the sides then finish putting the bodice together, I think it would give the split front look without having to find an exact pattern. I could be wrong, as I'm not a very experienced seamtress, but I think it would work and that's what I'd do if I wanted to copy that dress.
Ann
look at simplicity 3782, dress B. might be able to deepen the "v" and put some contrasting material in.
To be honest, if the sleeves were removed that dress looks spot-on Venetian. The silhouette and the V split in the bodice is so typical for the Venetian style. Biggest difference (apart from the sleeves) is that they've added a kirtle or modesty panel with matching underskirt underneath. Venetians would usually let the chemise show through in the bodice. I mean, look:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/venezia2/blicinio1560sladywithbook.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/venezia2/veronschool146070.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/venezia2/fasolo1565concertwhole.jpg
I don't think there are any commercial patterns on Venetian dresses, but Jennifer Thompson has a good dress diary for her Venetian dress with cutwork sleeves:
http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/venetian/index.html
Such English hanging sleeves can be found in many patterns, including the one Dona Catilina posted.
ETA: I should add that the Venetian dresses lace up in front, in a ladder lacing. The one you posted a link to might be closed in the back with a zipper or hooks and eyes, seeing it is a theatrical costume. Sometimes quick changes are needed. You could still use a Venetian dress as basis, though, but move the functional opening to the back and let the front be purely ornamental.
http://compare.ebay.com/like/290496535751?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=196745140426&crlp=1_263602_309572&UA=WXF%3F&GUID=759b10d612d0a0aad533cb53fff847fd&itemid=290496535751&ff4=263602_309572
You'll have to modify it a bit (I took the princess lines down the front out and made it from two pieces into one piece) but it will work.
The current Margo Anderson Tudor Women's ensemble pattern works as well. Clean lines with the fullness of the skirt from the hips back. I would recommend this pattern highly, though there are a few quirks to work out with , as I found out when making Lady deLaney's latest ensemble.http://www.margospatterns.com/Products/TudorLady.html (http://www.margospatterns.com/Products/TudorLady.html)
Thanks! I will probably buy both the Margot and the Simplicity pattern. Once the basic dress is made, it's mostly trim, trim, trim.
My daughter used to make jewelry for craft fairs. She gifted me with a TON of beads, pearls, tools, findings, wire and charms. I have an equal amount of furs, both natural and fake. We'll see what happens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Holbein_d._J._034.jpg
Love this dress. It also shows the HA practice of using a chin strap for the hood.