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Venetian Gown Dress Diary
I will be fully documenting each step of my Venetian gown project here with the hopes of of sharing my process and research and to make it easy to submitt to the realm of venus showcase.
I am hoping to have this finished to wear at 12th night this year.
I have fallen in love with my Courtesan Persona and intend to make a full switch from my Elizabethan garb to all italians all the time. Of course being the type of person I am I want to have an amazing show dress for use in my courtesan classes. The theme for this year's 12th night is 1492 spanish so I figure I will do an early 1500's italian gown and I will be "visiting" from Italy
Portrait Of A Lady and a Lute Player Unknown Artist of the Venetian School, 1520s
I have found the fabric I will use to make this dress!! and it was on sale!!!
It's hard to tell from the picture but it is a lovely shade of blue with a gold pattern I love it!!
Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd. A picture of extant stockings, possibly silk, with embroidered tops and silk knitting stockings and the hose of Queen Elizabeth's Fool, made with cotton and faustian They were 'trimmed with lace alover'. (Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd p.206)
So my first project is to create a pair of linen stockings I plan on hand sewing them so this should be interesting
I think I have my stocking pattern!!
the leg laying open
the leg showing the calf shape- yes I have huge calves! I was a dancer for years after all
the foot shape with the ankle gussets
showing the stocking pieced together
Linen stockings sewn together all by hand!
Hard to see little detail of a running stitch done in blue thread up the back of the calf
Stocking on- I just need to add a welt and garters!
My gaters from Fetter'd Cock arrived I adore them!!
A portrait once called two venitian courtesans but now is considered to be two venitian noblewomen
A close up of the shoes in the background of the painting which I used to base the style of my first pair of chopines on
Starting work on chopines- platform made with foam the band over the top of the foot is done with canvas and moleskin
side view
Finish chopines covered in black moleskin and trimed with gold gimp the picture is awful I know but in person the shoes look amazing!
Is compleated I decided to make it side lacing
here it is laid out flat before I added my lacing rings
here is a close up of the beading All the pearls used are real that I bought at pennsic- It makes me remember all the good times I had there and I plan to wear it next year at either midnight madness, the Casa or when I teach my courtesan class there
Are based on the pattern by Danielle Nunn-Weinberg in her showcase at Realm of Venus (sept. 2003) I just left them puffy and did not tack them which she does for her dress. The sleeves are made up of three pieces. A straight sleeve made out of white linen, a blue velvet fore arm cut from the same pattern as the straight sleeve ending just below the elbow. and lastly a large stretched sleeve head that is gathered at the top of the sleeve head and again to the forearm. Each sleeve is created seprately then whipstiched to the bodice from the front of the armpit to the back leaving the underarm open so the camica can be seen.
Chopines, stockings, garters, drawers
Petticoat - red linen commonly listed in household accounts red kept away sickness and the evil eye
The dress with girdle belt
My hair most of it is fake and I used a blue velvet ribbion to sew it to my hair so bobby pins were not needed. Hair jewels were made with eye pins and left over pearls from the girdle belt.
I wear the yellow veil to mark myself as a courtesan and not a noble lady out of respect for the crown and his court
