22 Days to be 1480s

This is Maarten Nieuwenhove. He's 23, Flemish, and this is part of his diptych with the Virgin Mary.

Because there's nothing like making clothes in a last minute panic, I decided to make a 1480s Flemish/Burgundian ensemble before I depart for Europe on 23 September. The reasons are two-fold:

Reason Number the First - I'm going to be in Bruges for six days in October on some Maximilian research and I'll be staying here: http://www.bruges-bb.com/room-lune-de-miel.htm Look at those windows! LOOK! Then look at the window behind Maarten. Also, the prospect of wearing historical clothes whilst treading the proper period floorboards is enough to send my inner history geek into irreconcilable ecstasy.

Reason Number the Second - I've taken up jousting. Long story so keep an eye on this for explanation at a later date. Armour-wise, I plan to rock the 1480s Flemish/German thing so my 'civilian' attire needs to match. This has nothing to do with Maximilian, of course. NOTHING AT ALL.

So. What needs to be made, then?

The Gown - There is some wonderfully rich golden velvet in the stash - if there was ever a true-to-life cloth-of-gold, this is it. Weighs a metric ton and drapes beautifully. As per Maarten, I will do the lining in black. Probably out of some light-weight wool.

The Doublet - To be honest, I don't know what he's wearing here. My first instinct is to say it's a doublet but the lack of front opening throws me for a loop, making me think that it's possibly a skirted jerkin. Yet the tight, laced sleeves seem more doublet-ish. Solution: Email Kass at Reconstructing History because she will know for certain. If worse comes to worse, I will go the route of Jacques of Savoy and make a standard, front-opening affair. He was one of Maximilian's bros, so this is acceptable.















Being royalty is v. srs busnss.

The Hat - No image currently because all the costume books are on loan. This will be likely be a furry Myllan cap plus gold caul. (By the way, holy shit, never do an image search for "caul" unless you want to see some delightful shots of babies and after-birth. Jesuschristwhatevenwasthat...)

Hosen and shirts aren't a concern at the moment. I'll bring along my 1500s German riding boots plus spurs for footwear. In the interim, let's see if I can screw up the courage to wear this stuff beyond the B&B room door...

And so the pattern drafting begins tonight. Onwards ho!