Beginnings: Flemish Working Woman's Dress
My wife isn't as excited about wearing experimental clothes as I am, so I decided to make her something that's been thoroughly tested by others. First let me give all due credit to Drea Leed and Jen Thompson for their work both in research and reconstruction of this style of dress. I don't expect to add much to the existing body of knowledge with this project, but I figured it couldn't hurt to document it. The dress is still in the planning stages, but it's a pretty firm plan. Here's a sketch of the color scheme I have in mind. I already have some of the material picked out, a lightweight blue cotton for the kirtle and a fairly heavy brown cotton for the gown. Both are very soft. I'm being good and actually pre-washing them both as I write this. I don't have anything picked out for the gown lining yet, and I may change the color if I find something I really like. The sketch shows guards on the kirtle, even though I haven't noticed any in any of the paintings of this style. I may or may not put them on, but I wanted to see how it would look. I plan to do a rectangular pleated skirt on the kirtle, and a gored skirt on the gown. I also intend to use another bit of Jen's research and stiffen the kirtle bodice with hemp cord. Ideally it will be useable under other gowns as well. The kirtle will most likely lace up the back. I usually avoid back lacing because it's impossible for the wearer to put on solo and I personally think it's unattractive. However, I generally tend to do all the lacing myself anyway, and since it's a kirtle, the lacing will always be covered by another gown. The upside is that it should cut down on the number of eyelets I have to put in. I'll probably engineer a fairly large gap in the back to allow for some fluctuation in size. Again, it should all be covered so no one will see it. I'll also line up the skirt seams with the side seams of the bodice in case I have to take drastic measures in the future and put in side lacing as well. I'm worried that if I have to lace it tighter in the back it'll throw off the shoulders too much. Since there are no sleeves it shouldn't be a very big problem but I want to be prepared. Also in the plan are the necessary underpinnings and accessories: a smock (cotton, sadly), a light partlet (again, plain old cotton, but the partlets don't seem to be terribly sheer so I won't feel too bad), a heavy partlet (I found some black wool this morning that should be perfect), sleeves, a cap, and an apron. I'm very excited about this project. It's a very versatile dress, and seems perfect for dealing with a small child with a minimum of difficulty.
category: /flemish/woman | permanent link