Hello my lovelies!
Again I am in need of your help. My husband is in need of a new shirt to wear underneath his doublet. Eventually we will be adding ruffs to his garb but he would like a shirt that would accommodate them. We were looking at something like a men's partlet but we would greatly appreciate the knowledgeable opinions of everyone! My lords, if you wear ruffs...what shirt do you wear underneath?
Ruffs were not always a separate garment. There are several lovely extant examples of shirts and shifts here:
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/chemise.html (http://www.elizabethancostume.net/chemise.html)
Any of the high neck shifts could be worn by either a woman or man and would accommodate a ruff if one isn't built in. Most shifts are very easy to make - I've made an embroidered high necked shift in 2 weeks. Without embroidery, it would have taken a day to put together - by hand. The biggest difference you might see from men's shifts - they tend to be slightly shorter.
I dont know if we will be able to afford a shirt with ruffs at the moment. We were thinking of something that can accommodate them in the future... this is the style of what we're looking at. I dont trust my skills to make one for less than $40 with the pattern and fabric. I guess the main question is would it look "off" if the neck collar had these pleats?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131050541777?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/131050541777?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648)
I think that shirt is lovely, and would be a particularly excellent choice for a man who's afraid of ruffs. (Not you guys, but folks like Milord.)
Extant men's smock with itty-bitty ruffled collar:
(http://elizabethcbunce.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/va-smock.jpg?w=1106&h=702)
And my partlet, with box-pleated collar:
(http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL417/1033223/22511199/376230390.jpg)
Forum member InsidiousRaven has a beautiful linen shirt with tiny box-pleated collar and cuffs, and it's gorgeous and looks amazing with her working-class kit. I don't have a closeup of her shirt, alas, but here's her whole ensemble (http://elizabethcbunce.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gem-christina-e1379288395990.jpg?w=630&h=902). You can't really see the collar or cuffs, but you can tell how beautiful the rest of her garb is, just to get an idea. :) (Oh, she's the one in green, in case that's not obvious!!)
So my lord Bogie has in formed me that this shirt is what he would like...I know you can barely see the shirt but the collar and cuffs are the look he's going for- now where to find it...
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20117472/B_Costume%20Shirt.jpg)
It's not hard to make your own ruff and cuffs.
http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/04/historical-fortnightly-7-accessories.html (http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/04/historical-fortnightly-7-accessories.html)
Use either ribbon or a piece of folded & ironed white cloth, sewn into a very long ribbon.
Quote from: isabelladangelo on November 23, 2013, 09:04:15 AM
It's not hard to make your own ruff and cuffs.
http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/04/historical-fortnightly-7-accessories.html (http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/04/historical-fortnightly-7-accessories.html)
Use either ribbon or a piece of folded & ironed white cloth, sewn into a very long ribbon.
I got good results using 2" organza ribbon, and it's very cheap.
If at all possible find a spool that has the longest yardage you can find. I had to sew 2 spools together end to end for a neck ruff, because they only had 3 yards on them. Depends on how tight you want the setts.
This shirt is made from exactly the same pattern I use, except it has narrower sleeves. (http://www.tudorshoppe.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SS-SRS&Category_Code=MS)
The actual pattern is Period Patterns #53 (http://www.etsy.com/listing/167938899/period-patterns-53-early-tudor-mens?ref=listing-shop-header-0)
I have used silk, linen, cotton/linen and silk/linen to make his lordship's shirts. The early Tudor shirts did not have a seperate ruff. That is more post 1547.
Prima!
The shirts I make for the Earl are very similar to mine with the Figure 8 ruffs at the neck and wrist. I use a fine Broadcloth or Linen when it is on sale. Decorative stitching that doubles for Blackwork adds a period look.
The Earl prefers Buttons and Loops to Ties.
(https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1236847_10151843845441280_658441727_n.jpg)