1480s Florentine Hair - A Tutorial

One of my personal soapboxes about SCA garb is that people should pay more attention to the details - you put all that work into making a dress/doublet/tunic. So why stop just short of your goal? Make and wear some accessories! And ladies, if you're not covering your head with a hat or hood or veil, then do your hair!

And so, to further this goal, here is my tutorial for one Renaissance hair style, popular in 1480s Florence. In addition to the inspiration portrait from the previous post, here are some additional examples of the style in portraits.

And lastly, this lady is wearing almost the exact same hair style, but without the white snood/cap thing. Instead, her hair is elegantly twisted in a coil and taped down with ribbons.

All of these ladies have their hair parted down the middle. The top and back sections of the hair are pulled back, pinned in a bun, and covered with a cap, while a section of curly or wavy hair hangs down near the temple. My hair is very fine and straight - the only way I can get it to hold a curl is to curl it wet with sponge rollers or rag curls, and let them dry that way. I have no luck with curling irons or hot rollers. So, for this tutorial, I chose to curl my hair using the rag curl method. I haven't researched whether this method was used in period, but it is certainly technology that would have been available to them at the time. And it works well for my hair type. Please feel free to curl your hair using whatever method works for you. Also, please excuse the self-portraits, as I had no one to help me with the picture-taking side of things.

So, to begin. Wash your hair, towel dry the excess water from it, and comb it out.

Pull back the hair from your temples to just below the crown of your head and secure this hair out of the way in a bun or ponytail. Section off two pieces near your temples by making a part from just behind your ear straight up to meet the top section. Secure the remaining hair at the back of your head out of the way.

Now you are left with two sections of hair between each temple and ear. Curl these sections however you like. I'm doing rag curls. With the hair still damp, place a strip of fabric over a finger or two and wind the hair around your finger(s). Then you can roll the curl up the last couple of inches and secure it it place by tying the fabric strip in a single square knot.

...and proceed with the rest of the hair.

I braided the uncurled sections of hair, mostly to keep them from getting tangled with the curling rags while I slept.

And then I went to bed. The hair dries overnight, giving me beautiful curls that actually stay in my hair for at least most of a day. Woot! And here we are the next morning:

I went ahead and removed the braids from the uncurled hair sections, and pulled this hair back into as smooth a bun as I could manage. I kept the center part in place. I tried to arrange the top section so that the sides kind of swooshed over the top of the curled sections.

Then, start taking down those rag curls!

If you hair is shorter than mine, you can probably stop here and just leave the curls hanging loose. I'm convinced that the ladies in the period portraits had the temple sections of their hair cut shorter. My hair is about waist length, and I am not willing to cut it. So I decided to swoosh these sections back and pin them to the back bun. They look a bit short here, but it worked out well, because my hair fell a bit throughout the day, and the curled sections looked longer.

I ran my fingers through the curls a bit to break up the ringlets, then wrapped the very ends of these sections around the back bun and pinned it in place. Then, I pinned my cap/snood/caul over the back bun, and was ready to go!

It held up relatively well throughout the day. As I mentioned, the curls fell a bit and the side sections looked longer. I got several compliments on it. It's amazing how much of a different in your overall look it makes to put a little effort into your hair. I encourage all SCAdian ladies to try their own period hair styles, then show them off and spread the word!

1480s Florentine

So, a few weeks ago, I was scrolling around on Pinterest and saw this painting (Portrait of a Lady by Domenico Ghirlandaio, painted in the late 1480s), and my first thought was, "I have some linen in that exact color!!!"

I have also lost some weight recently, and most of my (self supporting) garb doesn't fit correctly anymore, so I needed some new things. And of course, it's way more fun to make new dresses than to alter old ones. So, here's my 1480s Ghirlandaio dress.

And here's a detail of the sleeves. The top of my head got cut off in this picture, but it's so cute I decided to use it anyway.

I made a sheer silk partlet to go with this gown, which is pinned in place with straight pins. And my hair is covered with a simple white linen snood. I found the necklace inexpensively at a consignment shop - I still need to get a pendant for it.

I'm very pleased with this dress. The linen is fairly thin, which keeps everything nice and cool in the hot Caidian summer. The only thing I would have done differently on this gown is change the cut of the front opening. I created this pattern for another gown which closes completely in the front (which I have yet to post about), and altered the pattern for this dress by cutting a couple of inches from the front opening to create the gap. Everything looked fine when I initially tried it on and stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes. However, as I wore it longer and moved around, everything shifted. Because the front opening is curved, the gap doesn't stay even - the top and bottom of the opening are too narrow and the middle is too wide. In the pictures, I just have it laced with some satin ribbon from my stash. I'm going to make a matching lucet cord for it and experiment with the lacing technique to see if I can fix it.

I'm planning to do a post later this week showing how I did my hair.

Burgundians for Twelfth Night

My friends Lizzy and Joella attended Highland War with me, where we dressed up in chitons and played in the sun. They enjoyed themselves so much that they said they'd like to come to another one that's less fighting oriented. I had also been meaning to try a Burgundian for a while. So, of course, this was the perfect opportunity.

Several websites were very helpful in collecting period images for study and sharing construction techniques, including this one, this one, and this one.

Each of these gowns has three layers: a chemise or shift, a 15th century, short-sleeved fitted kirtle, and the overgown. We all also have accessories; hats, belts, and necklaces.

All three chemises were made of handkerchief weight white linen. Lizzy and Joella's kirtles are made of linen, and mine is tropical weight wool. All three are fully lined and lace up the front through hand bound eyelets. Sadly, between my inexpensive and aging camera and the bad lighting as we were hurriedly dressing for the event, this is the only semi-decent picture I got of our kirtle layer.

Joella's overgown is black wool, and trimmed with and acetate red velvet. Her hat and belt are covered in a silver and black brocade, and the veil is the lightest, sheerest silk I could find from Dharma Trading Company.

Lizzy's overgown is a gold polyester brocade that I found ages ago for about $4 a yard. I think the pattern fits with this period well. The trim is green cotton velvet from my stash. The pink on the belt and hat are a synthetic satin. She did the beadwork on the hat and belt.

Her unusual, upward padded roll hat is inspired by these images.

My overgown is green silk velvet (which I found at the LA fabric district for $10/yard!) trimmed with black faux fur. I ended up lining the overgown with a lightweight green wool because the silk velvet was too light to drape properly on its own. My hat and belt are black silk dupionni, and the veil is the same lightweight silk.

On my necklace, I was attempting to recreate this piece, but didn't quite make it.

Our garb got good reviews at Twelfth Night, and we had a blast.

I did notice one thing about my overgown that I will do differently if I make another. I cut the "V" of the neck a little too wide, and it emphasizes the bust, an area in which I don't need any additional emphasis. I think that adding a couple of inches would make the "V" more narrow, and fix this problem.

I also had trouble keeping my hat on. It was a bit top heavy. A kind lady at Twelfth Night who sometimes wears this style told me that I should have a strip of velvet tied tightly around my head, and a matching strip of velvet, with the nap going in the opposite direction, inside the edge of the hat. I'm going to try that.

Also, here's my favorite picture of Lizzy and Joella - they were talking and didn't know they were being photographed. If I had photoshop skills, I would remove the background and replace it with a nice medieval landscape.

My next project is to (finally!) get to the red Eleonora of Toledo dress. And I'm going to try very hard to make in-progress posts this time.

Three Burgundians Before Twelfth Night - Preview

I'm ecstatic to report that I was able to finish the three Burgundian ensembles (one for myself, two for friends) before my self-imposed deadline of December 18th. I'm going to be visiting family for Christmas and New Years, then we're wearing the gowns to Twelfth Night on January 5. More pictures are, of course, to come, but here's a preview photo. It's at an odd angle, as it was taken with the camera self-timer from a stump in my back yard. I'm looking forward to the event. It should be exciting!

Yet Another 1480s Florentine dress...

... But this time, I think I finally perfected my pattern!

I've made two other attempts at this style, here, and here.

The first rendition, the blue gown, had some weird issues with the front closure. I learned a lot on that one. The second one, in turquoise, is much better on the front closure issue, but the bodice pattern isn't quite right. It's not as supportive as it needs to be - things creep downwards, and have to be periodically readjusted.

But no longer! May I present the purple gown!

This is my, "Ta da!" pose.

I basically took the bodice pattern from this project, moved the closure to the front, and took it in a good three inches directly under the bust, and inch or so from each seam. There's no way for the bust to creep downward, so everything stays where it's supposed to be. With no boning whatsoever. And, it's more flattering.

The skirt is still a giant rectangle knife pleated to the bodice. And on this gown, all stitches visible to the exterior were sewn by hand. It does develop a crease under the bust after wearing it for a while, but this doesn't bother me terribly.

The sleeves are in two separate pieces. The top portion laces to the shoulder and extends to just above the elbow. This is laced to the bottom portion, which is open along the outside of the arm, and held together with ribbons. This allows for some nice chemise poofs at the elbow and along the back of the forearm.

And here's some photographic proof of my hand stitching:

I also got some pictures in my overgown. Which looks awesome with this dress.

I also had to get a profile picture, like in so many of the period images.

One more...

Thanks to the crazy-talented Daisy Viktoria for taking all these pictures for me.

I've got several projects that I've been working on. I'm making three (count them, three!) Burgundian ensembles before Twelfth Night. Because I am overly ambitious, and perhaps a bit crazy. But seriously, why make one when you can make three? And I'm working on my red silk Eleanor of Toledo gown. Not as quickly as I'd like - I've been out of town too much recently for serious sewing. But I'm getting back to it now. More updates are coming soon!

Another 1480s Florentine Gown and Overgown

I enjoy wearing my 1480s Florentine gown so much that I had to make a second one.

The gown itself is made of a turquoise linen. Probably not a period color, but I enjoy wearing it. The bodice is interlined and lined, and has about five cable tie bones along the front of each side. It laces down the front with hand bound eyelets. In this version of the pattern, I eliminated the front curve from the pattern of my blue one - it laces much more smoothly. I also attempted to fix some of the shoulder weirdness present in the blue one, which was somewhat successful, but not completely. The skirt is simply a large rectangle, knife pleated into the waist.

The sleeves are of course, detachable. They tie into the shoulder of the gown at four points. They're solid until just above the elbow, and lace together with ladder lacing from elbow to wrist. I like this sleeve design much better than the sleeves on my blue gown. I couldn't seem to get the blue sleeves laced tight enough, and they shifted and looked odd. As I couldn't find any matching turquoise ribbon for lacing, I opted to go with a contrasting mulberry color.

The overgown is made of a completely non-period polyester cotton blend. It uses basically the same pattern as the bodice, but with a deep "V" in the front. The skirt is knife pleated to the bodice, and has a slight train. The only fastening is one hook and eye at the center front waist. I wanted to be able to put it on for court, and run around in just my linen dress the rest of the day. I tried it out this past weekend, and it fits the bill nicely. Here's another picture from another, much sunnier, day, before my sleeves were finished. With my friend Christmas, who made a similar dress.

As a bonus, here's a couple of pictures of me fighting the Frost Dragon in my dress.