Marianne's new dress: Italian, Italian, or Italian?
Boy, have I ever a good excuse to start on that Italian. I've been pining to make a Venetian, and now I'm starting to slowly get there. Marianne has possibly got some money to spare for a good dress, even if she doesn't sell that diary she has got her hands on, and both she and Victor will need new things. Victor will be working on some armour, still staying in the landsknecht theme. As for Marianne...I did mention Italian, right?
I did some research, mostly in the Italian Showcase of the Realm of Venus. There's two very inspiring paintings. And there's three very inspiring dresses. So I'm forced to make a choice between five possibilities or to design a cross-over between them. All of them are Italian.
1. Unknown Venetian Artist, 1520s: Portrait of a Lady.
The first painting is a painting of an unknown woman. This is a black and white image, I don't know if the original is also black and white, or what medium the artist used - charcoal springs to mind though it doesn't match the style. 16th century Venetian Lady.
The lady wears a dress with a rather high waistline. It looks like the waistline is above the navel. The front of the dress closes with ties, leaving what looks like a 4 to 5 cm gap, but perspective can throw me off here. Other painters, Palma Vecchio and Giovanni Cariani have painted similar closures.
There is something that looks like a sash in her lap, but it could also be that the front of the skirt has edging along the mid-front, allowing the skirt to fall open, showing a different coloured underdress, as can be seen in other paintings from Italy (unsure if that's the same period though).
The lady wears a scoop-necked chemise (camicia) underneath her gown, and the camicia is gathered or pleated to the neck band. The bodice straps run over the shoulder, and have the same trim as the rest of the neckline of the bodice. The sleeves are very wide and full, though a peek of the camicia sleeve can be seen in the far left corner of the painting. She wears a veil in her hair, but wears no necklace or partlet. The hair is parted down the center, and seems curly.
This dress reminds me very much of dresses from Florence, but I like the fact that the dark trim edges the front opening.
2. Moretto da Brescia, circa 1535: Portrait Of A Lady.
Another portrait of a lady, only roughly 10 to 15 years later. Fashions have changed somewhat! The artist has protrayed the lady nicely, making sure to display accessoiries. I love the fact that you can tell the kind of fabric from the painting: nothing shines like silk, does it? The creases match this too. The sleeves look to be velvet.
The bodice is longer than in the style above, and if I were to guess it runs to the natural waist at the navel or possibly a couple of centimeters below. Can't really tell how tall the lady is and if she is long-waisted. I see no real evidence of boning in the bodice, but it looks to be stiffened. The front gap is puzzling. It seems to 'stay up' and 'stay open' without any kind of ties or lacing. The way the neckline runs in the right half of the picture suggests that there is some kind of support for the bosom in the bodice, because there is some lift or push going on there, but that would hardly be possible without lacing.
The bodice is decorated with double strips of dark blue velvet. The artist took care to paint how the strips overlap, which shows the horizontal strips were sewn on before the vertical ones. The single vertical strip of velvet at the side of the bodice makes for a slimmer silhouette and runs over the shoulder strap. The straps are closer to the neck than in the above painting. An extra roll of fabric on the shoulder is also decorated with dark blue velvet strips. Some fur animal is over one shoulder.
The skirts are very full and appear to be gathered or pleated in some way, but the decorative belt of what appears to be some kind of metal plates obscures the attachment point, if there is one. I can't make out if there is a mid-front split in the skirts.
The sleeves appear to be loose from the gown, but I can't see any attachment points. Drape of the chemise suggests it is tied to the gown somewhere, or the chemise is poufed on purpose at the front of the arm. The green velvet sleeves are slashed to allow for the chemise to show through, and are more form-fitting. On the left sleeve I can see some sort of etching in the velvet nap.
The camicia looks to be square-necked, and has ties in front that run a few centimeters from the edge. I am unsure of the cuffs.
The lady wears a string of pearls with an enameld brass pendant, a ring, and has her hair braided around the crown of her head.
3. Jen Thompson's 1515 Florentine gown.
Part of me is squeeing in glee at seeing this dress. It's very beautiful because of its simple lines. The bodice is smooth and I love all the contrasting, dark strips on the bodice and skirts, and the sash. But part of me thinks that this is too 'peasanty' for Marianne. The full sleeves have never worked for me before, and I think they would get in the way.
4. Jen Thompson's 1480s Florentine Gown.
Another of those bodices that aren't too long, so they won't be fighting over my tummy. I love the front closures and I already have gold-toned eyes (from hooks and eyes) to do the lacing. This dress is special because of that closure in the front, and the veil partlet can do wonders too. It's a dress Steelweaver suggested to me long ago, and it's still up there with the others. It's rather simplistic, but I guess if I make it in lovely fabric it'll pop.
5. Jen Thompson's Venetian.
I simply adore this dress, but oh, the amount of work is staggering. The sleeves alone would keep me busy for years if I don't watch it.
There's several theories, if you read the Italian Showcase, on how to create enough support. Hemp rope and reed are options, but they've never really worked for me. You could use steel bones in the bodice, but you'd never be able to clean the dress properly. The dress itself will be heavy enough as it is, so to add boning would be a bad idea twice over. So...an effigy corset would be needed, with a gathered white strip of linen as corset cover. It's been done before! Really!
The Kharnun Boys aren't much help, as they'll probably go "...err...a new dress. You know. Like, with skirts. And stuff." So: I'd love to hear your imput!
I did some research, mostly in the Italian Showcase of the Realm of Venus. There's two very inspiring paintings. And there's three very inspiring dresses. So I'm forced to make a choice between five possibilities or to design a cross-over between them. All of them are Italian.
1. Unknown Venetian Artist, 1520s: Portrait of a Lady.
The first painting is a painting of an unknown woman. This is a black and white image, I don't know if the original is also black and white, or what medium the artist used - charcoal springs to mind though it doesn't match the style. 16th century Venetian Lady.
The lady wears a dress with a rather high waistline. It looks like the waistline is above the navel. The front of the dress closes with ties, leaving what looks like a 4 to 5 cm gap, but perspective can throw me off here. Other painters, Palma Vecchio and Giovanni Cariani have painted similar closures.
There is something that looks like a sash in her lap, but it could also be that the front of the skirt has edging along the mid-front, allowing the skirt to fall open, showing a different coloured underdress, as can be seen in other paintings from Italy (unsure if that's the same period though).
The lady wears a scoop-necked chemise (camicia) underneath her gown, and the camicia is gathered or pleated to the neck band. The bodice straps run over the shoulder, and have the same trim as the rest of the neckline of the bodice. The sleeves are very wide and full, though a peek of the camicia sleeve can be seen in the far left corner of the painting. She wears a veil in her hair, but wears no necklace or partlet. The hair is parted down the center, and seems curly.
This dress reminds me very much of dresses from Florence, but I like the fact that the dark trim edges the front opening.
2. Moretto da Brescia, circa 1535: Portrait Of A Lady.
Another portrait of a lady, only roughly 10 to 15 years later. Fashions have changed somewhat! The artist has protrayed the lady nicely, making sure to display accessoiries. I love the fact that you can tell the kind of fabric from the painting: nothing shines like silk, does it? The creases match this too. The sleeves look to be velvet.
The bodice is longer than in the style above, and if I were to guess it runs to the natural waist at the navel or possibly a couple of centimeters below. Can't really tell how tall the lady is and if she is long-waisted. I see no real evidence of boning in the bodice, but it looks to be stiffened. The front gap is puzzling. It seems to 'stay up' and 'stay open' without any kind of ties or lacing. The way the neckline runs in the right half of the picture suggests that there is some kind of support for the bosom in the bodice, because there is some lift or push going on there, but that would hardly be possible without lacing.
The bodice is decorated with double strips of dark blue velvet. The artist took care to paint how the strips overlap, which shows the horizontal strips were sewn on before the vertical ones. The single vertical strip of velvet at the side of the bodice makes for a slimmer silhouette and runs over the shoulder strap. The straps are closer to the neck than in the above painting. An extra roll of fabric on the shoulder is also decorated with dark blue velvet strips. Some fur animal is over one shoulder.
The skirts are very full and appear to be gathered or pleated in some way, but the decorative belt of what appears to be some kind of metal plates obscures the attachment point, if there is one. I can't make out if there is a mid-front split in the skirts.
The sleeves appear to be loose from the gown, but I can't see any attachment points. Drape of the chemise suggests it is tied to the gown somewhere, or the chemise is poufed on purpose at the front of the arm. The green velvet sleeves are slashed to allow for the chemise to show through, and are more form-fitting. On the left sleeve I can see some sort of etching in the velvet nap.
The camicia looks to be square-necked, and has ties in front that run a few centimeters from the edge. I am unsure of the cuffs.
The lady wears a string of pearls with an enameld brass pendant, a ring, and has her hair braided around the crown of her head.
3. Jen Thompson's 1515 Florentine gown.
Part of me is squeeing in glee at seeing this dress. It's very beautiful because of its simple lines. The bodice is smooth and I love all the contrasting, dark strips on the bodice and skirts, and the sash. But part of me thinks that this is too 'peasanty' for Marianne. The full sleeves have never worked for me before, and I think they would get in the way.
4. Jen Thompson's 1480s Florentine Gown.
Another of those bodices that aren't too long, so they won't be fighting over my tummy. I love the front closures and I already have gold-toned eyes (from hooks and eyes) to do the lacing. This dress is special because of that closure in the front, and the veil partlet can do wonders too. It's a dress Steelweaver suggested to me long ago, and it's still up there with the others. It's rather simplistic, but I guess if I make it in lovely fabric it'll pop.
5. Jen Thompson's Venetian.
I simply adore this dress, but oh, the amount of work is staggering. The sleeves alone would keep me busy for years if I don't watch it.
There's several theories, if you read the Italian Showcase, on how to create enough support. Hemp rope and reed are options, but they've never really worked for me. You could use steel bones in the bodice, but you'd never be able to clean the dress properly. The dress itself will be heavy enough as it is, so to add boning would be a bad idea twice over. So...an effigy corset would be needed, with a gathered white strip of linen as corset cover. It's been done before! Really!
The Kharnun Boys aren't much help, as they'll probably go "...err...a new dress. You know. Like, with skirts. And stuff." So: I'd love to hear your imput!