Leonor of Portugal Gown (fabric hunt)

[momtoast]

So now begins the hunt for fabric. I'm hoping to do a good deal of this out of materials I have at home, and keep the main expense limited to the fabric for the gown itself.

Image of the dress I'm trying to recreate http://momtoast.livejournal.com/26896.html#cutid1

Comments

[tashabear]

Any chance of a link to the image of the dress so people might be able to help? Or was this just general musing meant for your personal journal? I'm unclear as to whether there was supposed to be a question.

[momtoast]

I did post the picture in a post a little while ago. I will add a link to it back here again. Sorry.

Just looking for advice. :)

[tashabear]

That would be useful, thanks. I'm sure I'm not the only one who missed your original post.

[cats_are_snakes]

I am not certain the tapestry fabrics will have proper drape. I use them a lot because of the stiff quality (in Elizabethan). I would opt for look and wear over comparison to the painting for two reasons. First, my art history professors noted that painters took license with reality at the time of painting to make patrons happy and thus may have make color more even than it actually was, added jewels, or any number of other things. Second, there is a "creative" in anachronism and you are spending time an money. Make something you want to wear. YMMV.

[holyschist]

I suspect based on wardrobe accounts and rank that that dress was made of silk--the only other options are linen (not used for outer garments like that) and wool, and I don't think a figured wool like that is terribly likely. It's a stylized art style.

I would guess probably a heavier, drapier silk than taffeta, but it's tough to get silks that resemble period silks--I'd go with figured taffeta over upholstery fabric any day, personally--upholstery fabric generally does not drape anything like natural fibers. :-/