Hi Kimiko,
I walk and dance quite easily in 14th century dresses that are about
10-15cm longer than me at the front. The only time it becomes
inconvenient is going up stairs or up a slope, or when you are
carrying a lot of stuff as then it becomes difficult to get into the right
way of walking. It's definitely an upper class thing, but the skirt
puddling around the feet when you're standing still is quite an
attractive effect.
With regard to the shorter gowns, in the first link there, the woman's
gown is clearly looped up over something (it's not her girdle, that is
just above it). In the second the gown is definitely shorter, but there
is a note with it saying that the Venetian ambassador noted in the 1550's
that it was common for English women to have the gown shorter
than the kirtle. I can't say this is something I've ever noticed, but
I haven't paid a lot of attention to later Tudor (it's certainly nothing
I've picked up in early Tudor dress), and the portraits from then do
tend to mostly show the upper half.
Claire
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kimiko Small" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 10:29 PM
Subject: [h-cost] Tudor effigies and women walking
Hi all,
Forgive me if you've seen this question on another list before, but I
didn't get any response, so I was hoping those learned folk here would be
able to provide some insight.
I've been looking at the online effigies database
(http://www.jmdsrv1.dyndns.org/tudoreffigies), and was struck by the views
of the women's garments from the 1520s to mid 1530s. Most images of that
time frame don't go below the waist, so it's very nice to be able to view
the feet, and bottoms of the kirtles and gowns. But when I see that the
kirtles are flowing over the feet, I have to wonder. How do the ladies in
the earlier Tudor (Henry VIII) era walk when their kirtles seem to be
longer than they are tall?
Examples are:
Oakley woman (unknown) c1520
http://www.jmdsrv1.dyndns.org/tudoreffigies/browse/view.asp?id=81
Edith Pexall née Brocas (c1535)
http://www.jmdsrv1.dyndns.org/tudoreffigies/browse/view.asp?id=95
Did they always have to lift all their skirts up to walk? Were they meant
to be worn over farthingales, but just didn't wear the farthingales for
the effigies? (I'm not even positive if farthingales were worn in England
during this time frame.) I see dress hooks holding up the front of the
gown, but what about the overflowing kirtles? Is it something else
entirely?
I also find it interesting that the gown hems are much shorter than kirtle
hems. From the looks of things, gown hems appear to end above the ankles
or so.
I would love any and all comments, thoughts, or even speculation on this,
please.
Thank you,
Kimiko
Kimiko Small
http://www.kimiko1.com
Fresno, CA, USA
"Lady of the Wardrobe" for Isle of Mann Guild
Portraying at California's Central Valley Renaissance Faires
Lady Clifford, Countess of Cumberland
(Margaret Percy, Eleanor Brandon, or Margaret Russell)
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
