What's missing? (medieval peasant H/A)

[GirlChris]

I posted about this a bit in another thread, but I figure I should leave that poor thread alone since it's getting kind of off topic.

I have a character that I play at various educational events. Her name is Molly Taylor. This is what I wrote about her in the other thread.

Molly is a late 12th century English commoner. Her father is a Master in the tailor's guild. They live in a very small village so they are comfortable but not rolling in money. She sews herself and assists in her father's shop. She is unmarried, but has the occasional suitor. She's a bit of a flirt. She enjoys bossing people around, but is VERY deferential to the nobility. She is not so deferential to the Sheriff and Mayor, because they grew up together and she can still beat the tar out of them.

Anything I wear has to have a lot of movement built in, because I do stage combat, and needs to cover a lot of skin because I burn VERY fast.

No preferences on colours, but I should probably stay away from green since we're heading into the rule of Richard the Lionheart, so we might have a bunch of Merry Men running around.

This is a picture of what the costume currently looks like



I'm going to be redoing the costume any which way. I didn't finish the seams on the inside, so it's fray-tastic. The over tunic actually has fallen to pieces.

I know I should be wearing a veil- it was a very windy day when that photo was taken, so I had to remove it because I was spending more time trying to keep it out of my face then I spent saying my lines. If I wear the veil with a circlet of some sort I look like I'm trying to be Laurence of Arabia.

I don't know. The boys in that shot look like they're characters wearing their own clothes. I look like me in a costume.

[DonaCatalina]

Head wear.

[dragongirl]

what is called a viking apron or overdress.

[isabelladangelo]

Some links to extant garments for some help:
http://www.virtue.to/articles/extant.html
http://www.kostym.cz/Anglicky/I_01_03.htm

Now:

A thinner belt.  There's restrictions against white belts in the SCA as a general rule so you might want to switch it up just for that reason but, if you look at the statues from the time, the women's belts were about a width of a thumb.  They are also wrapped around the lowest ribs, turned in the back, and wrapped back around to be knotted in the front below the stomach.  Remember, a rounded stomach meant you weren't dying in those days.   

A long bliaut like I mentioned in the other thread.  The overdress should be "bunchy" around the middle and you might want it pleated at the skirt as well.  I'd suggest something like linen or a tropical weight wool. 

A wimple or a veil of some sort is necessary.  Women in England did not venture outside of the house without a covered head.  Men typically didn't either.  Much later, it became law for everyone -male and female- to have a wool headcovering.   At this point, it's meant as a reverence to God.  It also helped to keep your hair cleaner longer.