Period garb/accessories for inclement weather?

[theChuck]

Today's crappy weather got me thinking: what would be period garb or accessories for when it's raining or snowing, or otherwise crappy outside? My guess is that the upper classes had umbrellas of some form, but what about the lower classes?

[isabelladangelo]

Actually, umbrellas are pretty modern.  The parasol didn't even come into existence until very very late in the 16th c...and then only in Italy.

Wool capes, coats, and cloaks.  Wool can absorb 25% of it's weight in water and still feel dry.  However, for the most part, you got wet.  There wasn't really much you could do about it. 

[Master James]

Parosols actually existed in more places than Italy during that time and you would find the occaisional one in England but only if someone had travelled to Italy or France usually and also could afford it.  Queen Elizabeth I had 3 parosols in her inventory however she almost never used them.  They did not become popular in England until the latter half of the 17th century.

As far as what you can do to period and also stay dry, you can have a cloak that is made from polyester but doesn't look like it is and then spray the heck out of it with rain guard or some other water proofing spray.  You then basically have a rain cloak that is mostly water proof and keeps you pretty dry.  Although wool works very well also as previously stated.

[Gwen aka Punstergal]

I agree with everyone else.. a good cloak with a big hood is a beautiful thing (think Texas-at-the-tail-end-of-Hurricane-season rain, what fun). I always made my cloak LONG, dragging the ground almost, so that all my clothes were protected, and waterproofed the heck out of it.

One very sneaky trick that I came up with a few years back was to get a pattern for a lined cloak, and cut the lining out TWICE- once out of a pretty fabric for the actual lining, and the other out of thin plastic sheeting (they sell it for various home projects at hardware stores). Then I sew my cloak with the layer of plastic between the normal two fabrics so that nobody can tell it's there, but the water stays on the outside of the garment and away from my other clothes.

Other than cloaking, tall boots are good for inclement weather. Rub mink oil into smooth leathers to protect them and help the shed water (there are other products that do the same, but I personally swear by mink oil). Layering would have been the popular way to conquer cold-tights under pants are wholly appropriate if it helps to keep your knees warm

And if all else fails, enjoy the rain and carry trash bags to put your wet stuff in till you can get it in a wash. Remember, a good spring shower may have been the closest some folks got to a bath all month!

[Tipsy Gypsy]

Kiwi makes a spray-on product called Camp Dry. I've used it on hikers and my faire boots- water rolls off, and mud falls away once it's dry. The stuff stinks to high heaven until it's off-gassed, so I recommend applying it a few days ahead of time, but boy, it works like a champ.

[nliedel]

camp dry on my cloak, shoes and bottom of underskirts and dresses (test to make sure the color does not change. I have one hat that's camp dried too. I cannot live without it.

[theChuck]

Actually, umbrellas are pretty modern.  The parasol didn't even come into existence until very very late in the 16th c...and then only in Italy.

Wool capes, coats, and cloaks.  Wool can absorb 25% of it's weight in water and still feel dry.  However, for the most part, you got wet.  There wasn't really much you could do about it. 

This was actually the closest thing to an answer I saw. I was just more interested in what the history says about the topics. I thought that cloaks were sort of phased out in the 1500s, and coats became the norm. Hm.

[isabelladangelo]

Coats were the norm in the 1500's and capes were mostly for ceremonial use, however, who can forget the infamous story of the cape placed on the mud puddle just so QEI could cross without getting her hems messed up?  :-)

http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/CLOTHING/idxclothing.html

The above is a link to more medieval minded rain gear but I think you'll find at least some of the ideas lasted into the 16th c.

[LadyStitch]

After 3 years of rain at our yearly Ren gathering at TRF most of our guild invested (IE had me make them) a wool cloak just so they could stay dry.

I have tall black boots, water repellant ankle length cloak, and a good water proffed brimmed hat, and I'm off to the faire.  I just don't wear my royal that day. 

My rogue has a think about not likeing to be cold and wet.  He invested in classic Dryasabone.  The classic style of it are based off the oil skin coats of the whalers.  If ladies wanted whale bone in their corsets you had to have whalers around to hunt it so I has it's a slight strech for the H/A, but it keeps him happy and dry.
(On a side note, you can get water bottle/beer bottle holders made out of it .  They can keep a bottle of ice water cold even in Texas's 107 degree all day sun. )


Seriously, waterproffed beyond reason long wool cloaks , and oil skin "highwayman" style coats are the way to go.

[operafantomet]

In at least Italy people long depended on the mantello - the large cloak. This was often made of tight-woven wool or felt, sometimes even inserted with lanolin or another water repellent substance. This kept the water out for a surprisingly long time. But short shoulder cloaks were also in use, especially in the mid and end of the 16th century.

In duchess Eleonora di Toledo's inventory lists we find:
*12 short cloaks
*12 long cloaks
*25 capes
*5 waterproof felt capes
*6 Dutch cloaks (capotti)
*1 mantello (Spanish-type, according to the list)
*Several "mantei", tailored shoulder cloaks (possibly "mantelli")

This lady loved to participate in hunts and travels, and spent much time outdoors. She was also duchess of Florence, so her collection might not be representative of the general renaissance woman. But it shows that there existed cloaks of various thickness, length and tailoring. She also favoured a garb called zimarra, a wide kaftan-inspired overdress. But this was for regular wear rather than travels.

For men leather was also a much-used material. Combined with a felt cloak and a suitable hat you would be fairly protected against the weather. For winter wear the cloaks could be lined with fur - that goes for both sexes. There also existed a kind of parasol. I say a kind of, as it wasn't carried by the person in question, but by one of his/her servants, and it was also a way of making the person more distinctive. But it had a practical function as well. Some pics:



1. Grand duchess Giovanna (Tuscany, originally Austrian) visiting a Tuscan mine. She's the one under the parasol, wearing a zimarra like outer garb. The parasol protects her from the sun; as a substitute one could wear a wide-brimmed hat. The painting is by Jacopo Zucchi, ca. 1572, in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

2. A French lady wears a tailored wool cloak with collar and a broad-brimmed hat. The latter protects her face from the sun, the veil protects her from dust whirled up when riding. From a tapestry of the Tournai workshop (?), ca. 1520, Museo de Cluny in Paris.

3. and 4. German (or Dutch?) ladies out and about. The first show burgerois women; one wearing a short cloak with two rows of trims. This cloak could be worn of its own, or under a larger mantello. It was very popular in Germany, but is also found in other countries (hereunder Italy). The second shows a noble woman wearing a slightly longer cloak. It has a collar and is lined with fur, and it also have three rows of trims. Both these are from Abraham de Bruyn's book "Omnium Poene Gentium Imagines" from 1577.

5. A man out riding, wearing a waterproof cape with either separate or attached hood (hard to tell). The cloak is two layers - one protecting the shoulders, one the rest of the body. Such two-layered traveling cloaks survived well into the 19th century, as the two layers kept the shoulders dry extra long. The book "Moda a Firenze", where I found all these examples, suggests this was made of precious skins, possibly otter, and was "perfectly waterproof". I'm thinking lanolin or a similar substance was applied to the skin before use.

Exclusive skins might not be all that obtainable for the regular faire goer. But felt or tight wools with a modern water repellant substance could be a cool thing to try out. You could also wear something to protect your feet, plus a large hat or hood. Wool in itself absorb a lot of water before the wearer gets wet, and with a little help from a water repellant, I think you'd keep dry.  

Edited to fix links...

[Adriana Rose]

Wow!

My mum has an oiled coat that we used for long trail rides. It is going to go live at the faire from now on. I really wish I had one that fits me, the one I had when I was 9 is gonna be for the monster when he is big enough.

They have a nice highway man look to them

[GirlChris]

For peasants, there were mittens! Cute little mittens with two fingers and a thumb that make you have ninja turtle hands. You get all the benefits of mittens (larger space=more trapped air=warmer) plus you get the benefits of gloves (you can actually move your fingers around and do stuff)

[Lady Catharine]

Fall, winter I have found a 'mink' shoulder  strip...it has no animal face, and is light in color with dark in the middle .
I want want that piece...only 20.00 @ Goodwill...have a few fall events to attend plus a feast in December.

My query is does it look too modern to wear with Elizabethan?

[chainsmith]

I am not sure quiet how period it is, however Panther Primitives makes an oil skin cloak, as well as an optional hood. I know this won't go with everyone's garb but I have been considering it just in case for myself.

[LAVAGODDESSSS]

I'm thinking of trying to find an old fur coat, don't care what it is, and tearing it apart to be draped over shoulders...anyone think this will be ok?