Spanish Garb?

[Obadiah Jib]

Any ideas where to find "Spanish" styled garb?

[Friar Rohn the Chronicler]

I have contracted Lady Kathleen of Olmsted to design a new Noble Class suit (doublet & slops) for my nephew for the 2009 season. She has been a pleasure to work with. We found this type of material for the suit. It was a design that seemed to our family to be the most "Spanish".



Here is a link to her workmanship....

http://community.webshots.com/user/kathy0552

She's extremely professional, sends materials back to you for assessment and always works with requests of specific styles or changes to the best of her abilities.

The only other design work that I have came across that was "Spanish" that seemed to be on the same level of caliber of Lady Kathleen was this gentleman.....

http://www.nimblearts.com/Costuming/Costuming.html

Both could easily be hired as professional designers on Showtimes's "The Tudors".

Friar Rohn

[Squire Mickey]

Try http://www.pendragoncostumes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=pendragon&Category_Code=spanish

[Obadiah Jib]

Thanks Guys!   Additional suggestions are great too!

[Friar Rohn the Chronicler]

Thanks Guys!  Additional suggestions are great too!

Depends on what you are looking for.......Noble Class, Conquistador, Merchant Class would probably look the same across medieval Europe and Britain. Depending on the amount of cost you are willing to spend, my best advice from experience is to locate a talented designer that will customize your garb to the best of your description. Find one that will Tailor make it to you're physical dimensions. This was was best advice given to me by a lady called Queen Mab from the OKRF at The Castle.:

If your looking for Noble Class, keep away from anything described as a "costume". Keep away from synthetic fabrics and always try to use natural fibers like cotton. Shop around at the interior decorater shops for stronger materials and fabrics that can withstand the weather and "wear and tear".

This is probably the best advice I've been given. As for something specifically Spanish, consult the history books to find detailed paintings and illustrations. The material above was from eBay (to us, it was the fabric that seemed to look the most like what a Spanish nobleman would wear), the problem sometimes in buying fabrics is that the seller has a remnant bolt of 5-15 yards and will only sell it as one piece instead of a few yards that would be required to make a suit or dress. The material above came that way and wasn't cheap. I sent the amount needed to Lady Kathleen and donated the rest away.  Be prepared to spend some time tooking for just the right fabric and style.

Accessories make the outfit. Looking around on various websites when we first started getting into garbing....well, we soon found out a lot of it came from the same place and a lot of the websites had the same stuff.

Try to be different.

My best advice is to save your money and go to the first day at your local faire and find materials and accessories from one of the many merchant booths.

Friar Rohn

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

O.J., I sent you a renmail.  I also agree that you can't get any better than Lady Kathleen of Olmsted.

[renren]

O.J., I sent you a renmail.  I also agree that you can't get any better than Lady Kathleen of Olmsted.

I agree!

[DonaCatalina]

Any ideas where to find "Spanish" styled garb?

Spanish style is not very popular among 'off the rack' garb sellers.
I would add my vote for Kathleen of Olmstead. I make my husband's Spanish Noble Garb myself.
There are subtle differences that set the style off as Spanish - sleeves for one.

[mollymishap]

What I'm about to say applies to the highest classes during the reign of Philip II, so anyone with aspirations would probably try to emulate what their "betters" wore, but the working classes still had to contend with the basic need to be able to move...

...having said that, it's my understanding that the nobles favored highly structured and stiffened fabrics that almost made them look like they were gliding (the women at any rate) over the floor.  High necked styles and corsets (maybe even for the men, but I don't know that for a fact) added to the rigidity of the garb and accentuated the stiffness and haughtiness of the whole "look".   Certainly a man's doublet would be highly padded and stiffened to help achieve this effect. 

Just think "statue", and you get the idea.

HTH!

[Carl Heinz]

Keep in mind that you're not likely to see many Spansih other than nobles associated with court wandering around Elizabethan England.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

The Collar and Box Pleated Ruff. The tight rolled hem surge gives the edge a nice finish while maintaining a masculine feel. The Diamond designed decorative stitching through the shirt coordinates with the Diamond design in the lovely fabric Friar Rohn sent me for the Doublet.


The sleeve detail.

[Friar Rohn the Chronicler]

Truly outstanding workmanship. Our family made a few requests, one being a very masculine suit for my nephew.....and Lady Kathleen has not let us down.  What we wanted was a Noble Class suit (not to the level of Royalty....no frills and pearls)  that he could wear and not "get ribbed" by his classmates after Students Day. The shirt looks great along with the detail of the stitching that she put the extra effort into to match the fabric design of the doublet and slops. This shows the difference between a true artist and master craftswoman compared to a seamstress who makes entry level costumes. The local Thread Nazis will be impressed.

I cannot express how much, (with what we have seen with the shirt alone) has pleased our family.

Although there is one view of the backside that also needs to be seen too.....



Friar Rohn

[Friar Rohn the Chronicler]

Lady Kathleen sent me some updated photos of my nephew's doublet.....

[Friar Rohn the Chronicler]

       I'm really impressed with the work that Lady Kathleen has done above. How she designed it was outstanding considering that the base fabric material has all sorts of intricate designs inside of shapes. To me, when I chose it (with her approval) I thought there would be no way it would come out so "asymmetrical". Even the sleeves were lined up to match each other identically. I looks like what a wealthy Spaniard would wear. What surprised me to was the buttons along the frontside. I expected maybe 5-7 down the front but she must have researched some of the paintings made around the time of the Spanish Armada and saw that it was the style they used. He'll look outstanding when he hits the faire's this year.     

Friar Rohn

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I dfid that on purpose, Rohn!!!