Underdress for the English Burgundian
Based on the test pictures I did comparing the curved-front GFD to the straight-front GFD when worn under a Burgundian, I decided to make the underdress for my English Burgundian with a curved front - multiple etchings have the double arches over the bosom and I get that with the curved front dress but not the straight front version.
Top Left: Burgundian over straight front GFD
Top Right: Burgundian over curved front GFD
Bottom Left: 1475 Elizabeth Seyntmour
Bottom Right: 1479 Sir Thomas Playters' wife
Since there’s a decided lack of pictorial examples showing English ladies circa 1475 in their under-dresses I have decided to assume that their under-dresses are similar to the continental under-dresses, which I do have occasional pictorial references for:
Left: 1473 Book of Hours of Anne de France
Middle: circa 1470 French, The book of simple medicines, illustrated by Robinet Testard
Right: Le Roman de Lancelot du Lac
Happily, since I already have a pattern for a curved front GFD, it only took a little tweaking to make it work for this purpose (mostly lowering the front and back gores - thus lengthening the torso area slightly, and lowering the level where the skirt starts falling in noticeable folds. This means I’ve made quite a bit of progress really fast, and then spent the next month tweaking the details. And then another month adding the eyelets. *sigh* however, this is what I’ve come up with so far (I still have to add the sleeves and hem it):
Actually, looking at it I think I should've fit it closer through the hips - the folds in the rubbing start at the bottom of the belt dangly whereas the folds in my dress start at the belt. It doesn't help that the dress has a lot of stress wrinkles. I tried making it looser, I tried making it tighter, neither worked. *grumble*
Anyway, I decided to use black for both the overdress and my underdress; most of the evidence I have is etchings, so the black-and-white contrast just sticks in my head…. Plus I have lots of black wool due to my mother’s decommissioned stash (black is definitely her color-of-choice). I adore this particular fabric, it’s got such a lovely flow to it; unfortunately it bleeds all over everything - my hands turn a brownish-purple whenever I work on it. Obviously I should’ve thought to dry-clean the fabric before starting on the project. I was just too precipitous… I hope the “bleeding” is the worst thing I have to put up with - if it shrinks when I dry clean it I’m going to be very upset with myself, because I knew better. I just didn’t think about it ‘cause I was in such a rush to get started.
Top Left: Burgundian over straight front GFD
Top Right: Burgundian over curved front GFD
Bottom Left: 1475 Elizabeth Seyntmour
Bottom Right: 1479 Sir Thomas Playters' wife
Since there’s a decided lack of pictorial examples showing English ladies circa 1475 in their under-dresses I have decided to assume that their under-dresses are similar to the continental under-dresses, which I do have occasional pictorial references for:
Left: 1473 Book of Hours of Anne de France
Middle: circa 1470 French, The book of simple medicines, illustrated by Robinet Testard
Right: Le Roman de Lancelot du Lac
Happily, since I already have a pattern for a curved front GFD, it only took a little tweaking to make it work for this purpose (mostly lowering the front and back gores - thus lengthening the torso area slightly, and lowering the level where the skirt starts falling in noticeable folds. This means I’ve made quite a bit of progress really fast, and then spent the next month tweaking the details. And then another month adding the eyelets. *sigh* however, this is what I’ve come up with so far (I still have to add the sleeves and hem it):
Actually, looking at it I think I should've fit it closer through the hips - the folds in the rubbing start at the bottom of the belt dangly whereas the folds in my dress start at the belt. It doesn't help that the dress has a lot of stress wrinkles. I tried making it looser, I tried making it tighter, neither worked. *grumble*
Anyway, I decided to use black for both the overdress and my underdress; most of the evidence I have is etchings, so the black-and-white contrast just sticks in my head…. Plus I have lots of black wool due to my mother’s decommissioned stash (black is definitely her color-of-choice). I adore this particular fabric, it’s got such a lovely flow to it; unfortunately it bleeds all over everything - my hands turn a brownish-purple whenever I work on it. Obviously I should’ve thought to dry-clean the fabric before starting on the project. I was just too precipitous… I hope the “bleeding” is the worst thing I have to put up with - if it shrinks when I dry clean it I’m going to be very upset with myself, because I knew better. I just didn’t think about it ‘cause I was in such a rush to get started.