elizabethan house - robert and laura mellin clothing and...

Elizabethan House - Robert and Laura Mellin

Clothing and Accessories(University of Atlantia, February 6, 2010)

Clothes - everyone needs them.

Starting with your very first event, you need clothing. Getting garb is fairly easy, even if you're new to the SCA, but once you decide on a persona (or several), putting together a suitable outfit can seem much more intimidating. In the SCA, we have decided that everyone is nobility of some sort, but aristocratic clothing for Elizabethans is complicated and very easy to make "costumey" or fake-looking. Most of us are working on a budget, and silk satins, velvets and brocades are expensive.

It takes time to put together a wardrobe of period clothing, but you only need to start with one outfit. Even if you are a beginner at persona research, you probably have a couple of SCA-suitable outfits already - continue to wear these as you build your period outfit, and don't rush to get it all done for your next event. When you rush, you make mistakes, and an outfit you don't enjoy because it doesn't fit or look right is a waste of time and money. Be patient! Even if it takes a year or more to put together the perfect outfit, you're recreating a static point in time; you'll have the rest of your SCA career to wear it, so take the time now to do it well.

When clothing your persona, think of each garment as clothing, not a costume. Modern sewing techniques and concepts, especially when it comes to making "historic" costumes, tends to go for the look without really understanding how each piece works as part of the whole outfit. Elizabethan clothing in particular is vulnerable to the Renaissance Fair/Movie costume effect, and it's too easy to end up with a bag hat with ten ostrich feathers, a pirate shirt dripping with too much lace worn belted with a giant long belt over velvet tights, and thigh high boots.

(And that's just the women.)

Isobel's first Elizabethan-ish outfit was made with no real understanding of how Elizabethan clothing worked, and only the vaguest idea of how it all went together. It was purple corduroy ("it's just like velvet!" she said) with square "diamond" rhinestones, a US Civil War hoop skirt and corset, and no shift. The ruffs were made of very wide, very stiff polyester lace, and stuck them on the neck and wrists. It looked... well, look at the picture. What it certainly was not was period.

Elizabethan House - Costume1 | Page

Clothing for men and women follows logical rules, no matter the period - an outfit will have undergarments of some sort, the main garments, and some sort of outerwear or coat, plus accessories like stockings, hats, shoes, and gloves. Take the time to properly research each part, and it will be much easier to construct or purchase the pieces as you assemble your complete outfit. These steps will ensure that you have an outfit that is both comfortable and authentic.

(Note: Hand sewing is not required, unless it's something you enjoy. While we recommend hand-finishing all visible hems and seams for a more authentic look, only you can decide how much work you're willing to take on. A well-made machine-seamed outfit is better than an outfit you can't wear because you never finished it.)

To start your research, look at pictures of the period you like (in our case, Elizabethan England, between the years 1580 and 1620), and start collecting a portfolio of outfits that you find especially appealing. You can do this on the computer, or using photocopies, but if you use photocopies, print/copy in colour whenever possible. This will help you get a feel for colours, styles, decorative elements and details, and also hairstyles, accessories, and jewelry. Check out museum catalogs for extant clothes and accessories

- more museums than ever have their catalogs on-line, and you can not only find garments, you can find fabrics, shoes, gloves, hats, and all sorts of extras to help you get a feel for the period. Lots of web sites now concentrate on Elizabethan subjects, and have collected galleries of Tudor and Elizabethan paintings and engravings. Checking out search engines with image searches will also turn up a lot of information. Please remember that the images you find on-line and in books are almost always copyrighted, so use them for personal research only. Where possible, buy the book (that way they will write more of them!), and don't make copies of pictures to give to all your friends.


To make your outfit more authentic, stick to one country and one general (40-50 year) period. SCA members have a tendency to justify all sorts of mismatched clothes and accessories by claiming a persona kidnapped by pirates, sold to gypsies, or married to a foreign merchant who travelled a lot (Isobel's original persona combined all these elements, plus Scotland and Russia). The average Elizabethan, even in a city as cosmopolitan and worldly as London, would not have clothes that were very different from other Elizabethans. The fashions in England were influenced by Dutch, French, and Spanish elements, but the English put their own spin and style on the foreign styles that became fashionable over the years. Influences changed according to whom England was allied with at the time - the Spanish fashions gave way to French, then to Dutch, and the English exported their own style to the Low Countries, especially in embroidery.

The more you research, the more options you'll have. You will, in your time in the SCA, run into people who will try to tell you things that contradict what you've learnt. Trust the research, and if you think something you're told is suspect, go look it up! Over the years, we have been told that the following things weren't period for the 16th century: Pink (an old one), stripes, slanted whip stitching, dyed linen, pastels, separate bodices and petticoats, front laced corsets, knitted gloves, and plaid. The biggest fallacy is that people only ever did things one way. Pre-industrialization, all garments were hand-made, and variations in garments are not only period, they're expected. Of course, it is fine to solicit critique from people you trust, but don't let random one-source-wonders discourage you.


Putting together an outfit and all the accessories is easier if you have a list of all the clothing you want/need. We've put together a checklist at the end of this handout of garments you might want to put together for a basic Elizabethan persona.

Class level matters for the clothes you make/purchase - is your persona lower, middle, or upper class? The SCA says we're all nobility, but you might find it easier and more affordable to start with an elegant middle class outfit of wool and linen rather than an upper class outfit made from substitutes for expensive fabrics, or even the real thing (we have never used anything wildly expensive, but we did get this awesome silk velvet for Christmas...) as the components and sewing skills required are simpler. You might even find it pleasing to make a country persona, or a lower class urban outfit. Choose your fabrics carefully - coarse wool in orange reds and woad blues and greens for poorer people, finer wools in brighter colours and coarse silks (like Dupioni) for the middle class, and silk taffeta, velvet, and satin for the rich. Your outfit should reflect your social status, and the more consistent you are in your choices, the more you'll look like you just stepped out of a painting.


This applies to your accessories, too - it's very tempting to cherry-pick the things you like from various cultures and class levels, but this leads to the "kidnapped by pirates" (stolen by gypsies, forced to become a courtesan in a harem, etc., etc.) look. There's nothing wrong with this look for the SCA - we want to emphasize that - but if you want to go with a particular persona and period, resist the temptation to mix and match. Don't put five ostrich feathers in your knitted flat cap, and don't edge your peasant shift in gold lace. Conversely, don't make your court gown out of coarse woad blue wool,


and don't drink out of a wooden ship's mug and eat off wooden trenchers if you're supposed to be rich. We're going for the overall effect, so be patient and take the time to put together the right things. There's a huge amount of variation in Elizabethan fashion, so you're almost guaranteed to find a look you like.

Remember: Consistency is key. Your persona will thank you. And you'll get lots of compliments on your outfit!

Clothes for Men

18. 19. Shirt, Pants, Doublet


20. 21.Jerkin - a sleeveless doublet worn over a doublet

22. 23. 24.Cloak, Gown, or Cassock

Clothes for Women

25. 26. Shift, Petticoat, Bodies(Most women wore two petticoats for warmth and fashion.)


27. 28.Doublet

29. Gown or Coat

30. 31. 32. Apron, Shawl, Coif

Accessories


Many of the accessories that the Elizabethans wore were suitable for men and women - shoes, stockings, hats, purses, and ruffs were interchangeable. Look for pictures that show the various styles that were popular, and keep in mind that accessories varied more according to class level than gender.

33. 34.

35.

36. 37.


38. 39.

Resource ListThere are a lot of museums with on-line catalogues - a Google search on "museums" or the name of the museum will bring up a number of choices. Names to search on:The Victoria and Albert MuseumMFA BostonThe Manchester GalleriesThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Sites with good information:http://www.elizabethancostume.net/ - Drea Leed's Elizabethan Costuming Page. Lots of resources and good links.http://www.elizabethan-portraits.com/ - A wonderful collection of Tudor and Elizabethan Portraits

Shopping:https://www.reconstructinghistory.com - patterns and sewing notions.http://www.elizabethancostume.net/retail.html - The Elizabethan Costuming Page's list of costume retailers (some links might be out of date)http://www.tudortailor.com/index.htm - the web site of the authors of The Tudor Tailor, a wonderful book on recreating Tudor and Elizabethan costume.

List of Illustrations1. 1628, probably Henry Holme of Yorkshire, and his family. From Design and the Decorative Arts: Tudor and Stuart Britain 1500-1714, Michael Snodin and John Styles, 2004.2. Photo of Laura Mellin, photographer unknown, circa 1990 or thereabouts.


3. Anonymous, 'The Bellman of London' (detail), c.1590s. From Images of the Outcast: The Urban Poor in the Cries of London, Sean Shesgreen, 2002.4. Watercolour, the Folger Shakespeare Library, early 1600s. From Elizabethan England, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin, 2006.5. Sir Christopher Hatton, c.1590. From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).6. English Men and Women, Habitus Varium Orbis Gentium, 1581. Property of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.7. Ibid.8. 'Tittle-Tattle', 1603. From Shakespeare's England: Life in Elizabethan and Jacobean Times, R.E. Pritchard (Ed.), 1999.9. Anonymous, 'A Light Here Maids' (detail), 1599. From Images of the Outcast: The Urban Poor in the Cries of London, Sean Shesgreen, 2002.10. Anonymous, 'The Bellman of London' (detail), c.1590s. From Images of the Outcast: The Urban Poor in the Cries of London, Sean Shesgreen, 2002.11. Anonymous, 'A Light Here Maids' (detail), 1599. From Images of the Outcast: The Urban Poor in the Cries of London, Sean Shesgreen, 2002.12. Hoefnagel - Civitates Orbis Terrarium, 1572-1617. From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date). 13. English and Dutch Men, Habitus Varium Orbis Gentium, 1581. Property of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.14. Unknown Lady, Marcus Geerhaerts, c. 1600. From Elizabethan England, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin, 2006.15. Robert Dudley, later in his life (c.1600). From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).16. Anonymous, Girl With a Basket of Cherries, c. 1580. From Pride and Joy: Children's Portraits in the Netherlands 1500-1700, Jan Baptist Bedaux & Rudi Ekkart (Eds.), 2000.17. Louis de Caullery, A Palace Interior With Ladies and Gentlemen Dancing and Playing Music, 1615?. From On The Trail of The Tudors In Britain, Richard Wood, 1999.18. Hoefnagel, The Fete at Bermondsey, 1570s (detail). From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).19. William Broderick, The King's Embroiderer, 1614. From Design and the Decorative Arts: Tudor and Stuart Britain 1500-1714, Michael Snodin and John Styles, 2004.20. Sir Martin Frobisher, 1577, by Cornelius Ketel. From Armada: An International Exhibition to Commemorate the Spanish Armada, M.J. Rodriguez-Salgado and the staff of the National Maritime Museum, 1988.21. Boy's Leather Jerkin, late 16th century. From Tudor London, Rosemary Weinstein, 1994.22. Elizabeth and her Courtiers (detail), painting c. 1600. From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).23. Hoefnagel, The Fete at Bermondsey, 1570s (detail). From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).24. Woodcut, mid 16th century. From Elizabethan England, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin, 2006.


25. Hoefnagel, The Fete at Bermondsey, 1570s (detail). From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).26. Hoefnagel, The Fete at Bermondsey, 1570s (detail). From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).27. Johan Sibmacher's Pattern Book (detail of frontspiece), 1604). From Gardening With Silk and Gold: A History of Gardens in Embroidery, Thomasina Beck, 1997.28. Habitus Varium Orbis Gentium, 1581. Property of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.29. Hoefnagel - Civitates Orbis Terrarium (detail), 1572-1617. From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).30. A Farmer's wife, late 16th century. From Life in Tudor England, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin, 2002.31. Hoefnagel - Civitates Orbis Terrarium (detail), 1572-1617. From The Elizabethans, Peter Brimacombe, Pitkin (no date).32. Ibid.33. Leather ankle boot, child's shoe, knitted wool cap, wool sleeve, and child's sock, The Museum of London. From Tudor London, Rosemary Weinstein, 1994.34. A Cutwork standing band, c. 1610-1620. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. From Patterns of Fashion 4: The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headware and accessories for men and women, Arnold, Tiramani and Levey, 2008.35. A standing collar of lace and linen made by Laura Mellin.36. Accessories salvaged from the wreck of the Mary Rose, c. 1545. From On The Trail of The Tudors In Britain, Richard Wood, 1999.37. Italian silk and cloth of gold fabric, 1600. From Design and the Decorative Arts: Tudor and Stuart Britain 1500-1714, Michael Snodin and John Styles, 2004.38. Gloves, c. 1620, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo by Laura Mellin.39. Scissors, bodkin, and bodkin with ear scoop, c. 1620, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo by Laura Mellin.

All text copyright 2010, Laura Mellin. All of the pictures herein are copyrighted, and are being used in a limited, non-profit, educational capacity. Please do not photocopy or distribute this handout without the permission of the authors. No part of this article may be published in any format including electronic.You can contact the authors by e-mail at [email protected].


elizabethan house - robert and laura mellin clothing and...

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