as requested, here are some photos of last weekends big SCA event.

the dress is stunning, as you can see, and very comfortable to wear (even for the 16 or so hours I was in it. eep!) Gwen and crew did an AMAZING job! The belt rocks too (thanks Jeff ).

I was the prettiest girl at the prom .

the event went really really well. We even got to have a two hour "period" reception time before the general hootenanny that ensued. We turned a hotel suite into a hall more medieval than some I've seen used for events. We moved all the furniture out and hung tons of wall hangings and banners. We put in our period furniture and laid out period snacks. The lighting was all dimmed and we even used candle lanterns for the court. All in all, it was lovely.

here's a shot of us and the whole crew. "One of these is not like the others" but he's a nice boy, really. He is just confused and thinks its the year 1002... we humor him as we would any other harmlessly mentally ill person .

there's tons more photos, but its an SCA event and really not appropriate to this forum. If you're interested, I can point you at our websites, though!

all in all, TBD (as we affectionately have been calling The Big Dress) was a huge hit. The scary part is that everyone here now expects me to dress this way all the time

--AM

[ 01-16-2002: Message edited by: Anne-Marie ]

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Supoib! In your incarnation as baroness at court events, oughtent you dress like that?

The fellow sitting next to you in the group shots, we need to get him into hosen, doublet, and ankle length gown if he is the baron, and a chaprone or tall hat. If he refuses, the lads and I could fly out and give him a "Burgundian blanket party" There is historical precedent, after all. Look at Peter Von Hagenbach shaving the heads of the young men forcebly when they refused to do it themselves, when Pillip the Good lost his hair.

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quote:

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Originally posted by chef de chambre:
Hi Am!

Supoib! In your incarnation as baroness at court events, oughtent you dress like that?

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thank you very much as for oughtent I dress like that, bien sure . the tricky part is what do you where when the court event is out in the woods somewhere, and its raining, and you have to set up your own tent because all your retainers decided to stay home and watch the superbowl?

ah, the trials and tribulations...

quote:

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The fellow sitting next to you in the group shots, we need to get him into hosen, doublet, and ankle length gown if he is the baron, and a chaprone or tall hat. If he refuses, the lads and I could fly out and give him a "Burgundian blanket party" There is historical precedent, after all. Look at Peter Von Hagenbach shaving the heads of the young men forcebly when they refused to do it themselves, when Pillip the Good lost his hair.

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poor Patrick. He's horribly outnumbered, and one of the first things he said to me when we started talking about this whole thing was that there was no way in #$% that he was going to change his portrayal. Not that I dont suggest it at every opportunity....("gosh, are you cold? sure you dont want to wear this nice warm soldiers coat? oh, are your feet wet? too bad you dont have pattens...want some pork roast with gorganzola? oh wait, its not appropriate to your portrayal. sorry!" )

as nutso as I am about 15th century stuff, he is about migration era Viking. If he doesnt insist that I wear an apron dress or anglo saxon, the least I can do is tolerate his horribly out of date ideas .

besides, what better illustration of period fanatics working well and playing nicely with others?
or at least that's the plan...I'm still hoping that someday, at least ONCE we can get him kitted out...

--AM

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Need a picture of the belt! I am dying to see it.

As an aside, you could conspire with your minions to make him 15th century clothes, to only be worn at court ceremonials. Just an idea.

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IF YOU CONVINCE HIM I'LL FIND SOMETHING TO LOAN HIM FROM THE RED COMPANY LOANER STUFF!!!!!!!!

Gwen

quote:

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Originally posted by chef de chambre:
Hi AM,

Need a picture of the belt! I am dying to see it.

As an aside, you could conspire with your minions to make him 15th century clothes, to only be worn at court ceremonials. Just an idea.

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dont think I havent thought of it myself

--AM

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Here's the belt. It's fabricated from sheet brass. Buckle is based on an extant one, plate and chape are speculative, but plausible, I think.

Jeff,

I'm pretty sure Jenn would be interested in one to wear for dress occasions with her up and coming overgown.

Gwen,

What type of material did you use for the dress? I ask, because that 'patterned' look to the cloth is the sort of thing I want for my livery cioppa.

I still think it is one of my ultimate goals to get La Maiseinne, Red Co., and Wolfe Argent all together in one spot for an event, doing an encampment of Antoinne or some similar personage, with a whopping tent for a centerpiece, and the rest of us filling the roles of his servitors, administrators, and guards - literally bringing the place to life. I toyed with the idea of doing something like that as a "period" encampment at an SCA event, set up as a real LH education project, the 'visitors' being shown around, but his lordship being absent.

One of my day-dream pipe-dreams.

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The "squid" shaped urn sprouting a spray of 3 flowers and surrounded by more flowers is an almost exact match for the central motif of a design identified in Friedrich Fischbach's "Historic Textile patterns" as being a "Northern Italian pomegranate design, 14th or 15th C" (Plate 3). The same "squid" shaped urn with flowers design is used in a 15th C. Italian brocade in Plate 21 (left).

A trellised border separating the design is seen in a 15th C. Florentine velvet (Plate 9e) and a 14th C. German design (Plate 16, right)

AM and I talked a lot about what was most historical and what she would feel most comfortable wearing. We agreed that a multicolor cut pile velvet would be the most expensive cloth available in period and therefore the best choice. Since AM wasn't comfortable in a multicolor pattern ("too much like my grandmother's curtains!"), the next best thing would be a deep colored plain velvet. Unfortunately, we also agreed that plain velvet would not be fully appreciated in an SCA context and might be perceived as "plain" and possibly in need of "trim". . We decided the next best choice would be a large scale single color damask. Luckily, I was able to find this fabric. It was AM's first choice in color, first choice in fabric (single color damask instead of multicolor brocade), and the scale was very 15th C., each motif being probably 12 inches tall. It met all the criterion including price- so the rest is history. The undergown is made of a 16th C. patterned 2-tone gold brocade which is acceptable because it is mostly hidden under the overgown.

This is not an exact reproduction, but it is close. The place I bought this fabric specializes in high-end imported fabric, and I feel pretty confident that this is an Italian brocade produced by a mill that has been reusing design elements for centuries. While 16th C. brocade designs are very popular, I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to find something which is so clearly based in 15th C. design. The most I worked with this fabric the more I liked it, and plan to see if I can find more the next time I go to LA. I plan to buy up the rest of the roll and stash it away in case someone else wants a 15th C. garment....

And Congrats on the elevation to the aristocracy, AM!

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Well, that is precisely the sort of fabric I was looking for for the livery cioppa exterior, in the obligitory blue & white of course. As you know, that project will be coming up rapidly. One of velvet would be abouve my station, but a brocade tallies in with various livery issues of clothes to minor functionaries in the ducal court.

At some point, I want a "best" short gown, just like I have now, but out of a patterened brocade in a hunter green, with fox fur trim, but that is down the road aways.

You are turning me into a 15th century clothing horse.

You know, someday we have to do a prope Rene of Anjou style mounted club tourney, and have all the ladies in the stand kitted out in similar dresses, with Anne Marie presiding. Finish it off with a feast afterward.

[ 01-17-2002: Message edited by: chef de chambre ]

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jeff Johnson:
Very nice, "Wonder Twins".

And Congrats on the elevation to the aristocracy, AM!

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give me good sturdy reliable middle class status any day. Suddenly I have to filter everything I say, do, wear.

still, its rather fun...I've got a crew of SCA sewers suddenly interested in 15th century stuff. I'm teaching a class on 15th century costume in February (mostly a glance through all my picture books and documentation) and one on hats and headdresses (how to make a medieval headdress out of a tea towel ), and folks for once have seen with their own eyes the fact that CLOTHES look and wear much better than COSTUME, and that if you do it RIGHT, it looks RIGHT, because it IS right.

there were a half dozen ladies at the event in "burgundian". Only one other had the right layers and materials, and so the right look.

I'll say it again and again, I have very talented friends. All I did was let them run with the ball .

--AM, who had a "wardrobe consultation" last night to figure out what she's going to wear for the next three events so as not to embarrass anyone by appearing a schlumpf.

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quote:

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Originally posted by chef de chambre:
. You know, someday we have to do a prope Rene of Anjou style mounted club tourney, and have all the ladies in the stand kitted out in similar dresses, with Anne Marie presiding. Finish it off with a feast afterward.

[ 01-17-2002: Message edited by: chef de chambre ]

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small problem. If I'm presiding, I wont be able to pet the horsies or cook. what fun is that?

--AM, who without thinking, moved a sofa in her fancy Italian dress and got yelled at last weekend...

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"Leadership by Example" - A good thing.

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