After waiting for this book for months and months it was finally published, and shortly after it arrived at my door step. It took a full day (the pain!) before I could gorge in it, but I immediately understood it was worth the wait. This book is fantastic ( Read more... )

As soon as I can afford some god quality black velveteen or wool, I'm gonna make a mid-16th century dress in the Roman style:

"...Spanish fashion did not appear totally dominant: as well as the Tuscan cities, only in Rome, and even more so in Venice, did the ladies continue to display their throats and part of the bosom" (Moda a Firenze page 84)

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Though jackets are usually seen as Jacobean and typical for 17th century England, I've come across a couple of Italian 16th century paintings showing similar garments. Far from being as detailed and embroidered as the Jacobean ones, and often sleeveless too, they're not at all identical. But it seems like they're the predecessor, or early ( Read more... )

Originally I thought green wasn't that popular for dresses in 16th century Italy. I thought there might be a link to the Ottoman empire and the muslims, where green were (and is) a sacred colour, and that Christians of this reason avoided green. I was very wrong ( Read more... )

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I fail to understand the difference between a "gown" (veste) and a "petticoat" (sottana) as described in "Moda a Firenze ( Read more... )

Thanks to various Livejournal friends and their feedback last time I asked, I will start a cardboard stiffening experiment. I will make a mid 16.th century dress in Florentine style, and see how cardboard can be used to "bone" the bodice.

fiofiorina pointed out that historical cardboard most likely was highly different from todays versions - whereas ( Read more... )

Concerning mid 1500 Florentine fashion and the eventual boning of bodices:

The bodice of the 1540's, despite being already longer and stiff, continued to be ample in form and with shoulders set well to the sides. Over the following decade, the profile tended to become more slender, not only because of the lowering of the waistline but also ( Read more... )

I took some photos at Palazzo Pitti before I understood pictures wasn't allowed (it really varies when it's allowed and not... Surprisingly many allows photos without flash, for example the Vatican museum, the Capitol museum and the Palazzo Vecchio. In other places you almost get knocked down for even asking...). The pics I took didn't turn out ( Read more... )