I have an amazing book called The Tudor Tailor
by Ninya Mikhaila and Jane Malcolm-Davies.
If you want to make one of these yourself, get that book! It's chalf full of the most delicious morsels of insight on the ins and outs of recreating a range of men's and women's tudor dress, including under garments and headwear.
Buy it here. It's worth every penny.
For some reason I neglected to document most of the process in photos.
The top garment is an elaborate overgown, here made of a heavy velvet-like upholstery fabric. There are a good 7 yards of fabric in this alone and it weighs a ton.
The beaded front of the bodice is sewn to the garment along one side and attaches with hook and eye closures along the other. It covers where the overgown laces up the center.
Under the heavy overgown is a sleeveless kirtle, which has a reed stiffened bodice and up under one arm. It provides all the necessary body shaping so a corset it not needed.
Below the kirtle is a farthingale - a hoop skirt - also stiffened with reed stays. To shape the hoops, I measured the diameter needed for each hoop tier, cut and secured each hoop separately, and then threw them in my pool to soak for a good 30 minutes before pulling them out to dry in the sun. Fun fact, they float!
I selected to forego turning back the sleeves on the overgown and adding the historically correct foresleeves. I just don't dig the way they look and long billowing sleeves are just more fun.
A pearl bead belt and a painstakingly hand crafted french hood round out the look. By the end of the process, which must have taken the better part of two months in my spare time, even my dog was exhausted.
Somewhere around here is the finished look being paraded at the Renaissance Festival held outside Phoenix each year. I'll locate and post it eventually!
