The Costume Closet

"The basic elements of female dress during Henry VIII's reign was the kirtle and the gown. Until about 1545 the word kirtle denoted a garment with a square decolletage which fitted the body closely to the mid-thigh and then fell in folds to the ground. After that date, when bodice and skirt were made separately, the term kirtle was applied to the skirt alone, the gown becoming an optional overgarment worn for warmth or on formal occasions. The bodice then was referred to as a 'pair of Bodies' because it was made in two parts -  the back and the front being joined together at the sides. Sleeves were made separately and attached to the bodice by means of ties. In the 1530s, massive oversleeves with turned-back cuffs were worn over stiff, often quilted, undersleeves. Movement of the arms must have been very restricted, inhibited by the very tight cut of the upper part of the sleeve and by the combined weight and volume of the two sleeves. The rich fabric used to make a bodice was protected from perspiration and dirt by the shift or smock, a fine linen undergarment worn next to the skin. Its trimmed edge appeared above the edge of the bodice and through the slashed decoration on the sleeves.
    

In the early years of the sixteenth century, ladies of the court wore the distinctive English hood, called a gable or pediment head-dress. This was usually made of velvet and was given its gable shape by means of a wired or stiffened framework. Beneath would be worn an undercap, allowing the center parting of the hair to be displayed - though after about 1525 the undercap hid the hair completely. 

It was superseded by the French hood, which English court ladies found more flattering.  This style of head-dress was adopted by Henry VIII's second queen, Anne Boleyn, who had been educated at the courts of Margaret of Savoy, the Regent of The Netherlands, and of Francois I of France, and thus it had became the fashionable style of the 1530s in England. The French hood was small and semi-circular, set on a stiff foundation and worn at the back of the head. It had jewelled upper and lower borders (called upper and nether billiments), the lower edges of which curved forward onto the ears and were trimmed with crimped cypress (a black transparent material like crape)."

Ashelford, Jane.
         The art of dress : clothes and society, 1500-1914 / by Jane Ashelford ;

 

This costume is one that my sister and I worked on together for her. She has the basic principles of sewing down, its the more difficult aspects that we colaborate on. This is the first and by far the favorite costume we've made. Both she and I have worn it for several occasions and we have loaned it out to several friends. It is a basic front laced bodice with an oval neckline and a pointed bottom. The bodice is boned for stability and structure. The skirt is gathered panels sewn to a waistband secured with a hook and eye. The white shirt underneath is very simple. The neckline and cuffs are created with elastic. The overall outfit is simple yet fun and relatively easy to get on and off.

My sister was playing around with my Baby sister and a scrap piece of cloth. She wrapped the blue crushed penne around Abi like a shawl. When I saw it I thought it would make a cool cloak for Abi. The clothe was kind of shaped like a T.. so I sewed the top together to make the hood, and the I put in a casing with some other scrap fabric for the left over leather cording we used to tie it. And Tada! It looks great for literally 15 minutes of work! And Abi looks really cute!