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1580's Working Class Italian - June 2006
Starting in 2006, I became more involved in our local SCA group, and my costuming began to shift from "faire inspired" to more historically inspired. At this point I had just a few SCA appropriate outfits - the grey wool cotehardie, the 1560's Venetian and the pumpkin kirtle. The wool cotehardie is too warm to wear to summer events, and the Venetian is too fancy for mucking about in - so I was stuck with the pumpkin kirtle for most warmer weather events. I decided I needed something new!
It was about this time that I had decided on a SCA name and a general area of interest - Italian Renaissance clothing. I decided to make something clean and simple that I could wear to a variety of events, and drew inspiration from the working-class art of Vincenzo Campi. Specifically, his Fruit Seller, Kitchen, and The Fishmongers.
This dress is crafted out of green linen with brown wool guards. The guards were fulled and then stitched onto the dress so I could throw it in the wash without worry about shrinkage. There is minimal cord boning at the front opening to keep that from buckling, but other than that, this dress is completely unboned. I used hidden lacing strips on the inside, and usually baste the front shut with green upholstery thread when I wear it to keep the front looking smooth.
This dress is usually paired with a square-necked smock and white linen partlet. Sleeves are on the "to do" list, with cute little ribbon attachments as in the painting. :)
These are the only photos I have of this dress to date - full length photos forthcoming.
