A Robe for Reading: Drafting Mid 18th Century Banyan, Part I

For some time now, I have been planning to make a banyan from a grosgrain brocade woven of dead dinosaur (i.e. synthetics, if you aren't familiar with the euphemism) I have had in my stash for years.  Not the loose, kimono style of banyan, but the variety more closely related to the contemporary frock coat.  I love those things.

Featured Garment: The Bedford Hours Ark

It's been a while since I decided to do a medieval Featured Garment--I really should do more in my main--SCA--period...

This week, we are taking a look at one of the pages in the Bedford Hours--a beautifully illuminated manuscript from the early 15th century (1410-30).  The Bedford Hours, more formally known as Book of Hours of the Use of Paris was produced sometime during these dates, with the book possibly being worked on for over a decade, and being added on to.  Some of the important inclusions to the book are: the Calendar, excepts from the Gospel and prayers to the Virgin, Psalms and more prayers, the hours, and a "cycle" of miniatures from Genesis--the last being the source of the Ark image.

Obnoxiously Plaid Skinny Pants and the Irish: The Dungiven Trius Documentation

I am extremely happy to say that this is the end of a fairly long project.  Not the trius, which are the principal subject of this post, but the Dungiven Suit project in general:  making the garments--consisting of doublet, trius, and shoes from the Dungiven find.  I chose to leave the brat/cloak of the find out of my recreation because I already have a late period Irish brat made, albeit with wider material.

This project is a pair of trius--close fitting Irish trousers--based and patterned from those in the Dungiven find, in Northern Ireland. 

Photo by Travis "Twobears" Abe-Thomas.  Trius are being worn with the full outfit*.

Featured Garment: "17th" Century(?) Jacket

Seriously, this piece is bizarre.  But I'm going to attempt to keep this to strict observations, at least at first.

Standard Disclaimer: This article is rife with opinions, as well as facts (which can mostly be verified through observation).  My intent in writing it is to educate myself, and promote discussion--i.e., if you have other observations or research, please post in the comments at the bottom of the page.

  Ok.  The Met museum states this as being a 17th Century piece, and British.  It was donated to the museum by one Mary Dykman Dean (wife of Bashford Dean, who founded the Museum's Arms and Armour department).  Other than the length at center back, that is all the information the museum has--I asked, and waited several weeks for them to get back with me before beginning to write this.

Featured Garment: 1873 Morning Coat

You know, one of these times I should probably find something /really/ different.  Maybe I'll go to Ottoman Turkey....  But because this is on a single garment, and an actual example, this post will likely be shorter than usual.

Anyways, we're moving forwards by yet another century to 1870s Great Britain, where there is a lovely example of a double breasted morning coat in the V&A museum.

The Next Piece: Stripey Doublet of Eyeblinding..ness?

Yeah, a stripey doublet...I know.  After doing a bunch of resource gathering, I noted a number of doublets with horizontal stripes...and remembered that I had a bolt of lovely voided striped velvet.  Especially after making this year's pluderhose, I needed a new doublet to go with them.  I designed the doublet in an (early) 1570s German style to match the pluderhose.

Featured Garments: William Wollaston, 1759

The last two featured garments featured hunters--from the same decade, but different cultures and classes; so, this week we'll take it up a few notches by moving up a class and a century.  Thankfully, there should be less guesswork this time around, since the painting is both clearer, and I have more data to pull from.

The topic for this week is a lovely, blue and white suit worn by one William Wollaston, in a painting by Thomas Gainsborough in 1759--can't get that much different from 1640s German working class.  Or can you...?  Commonly, this is close to a style beginning to appear at this time--the ditto suit, where coat, waistcoat, and breeches were in the same fabric.  Obviously, it isn't, since the coat is white, however....

Oil painting of William Wollaston, 1759, by Thomas Gainsboroug. Holbourne Museum.