Hi Natalie--
You can make the gown without an underbodice and kirtle over a corset. How
many people at the Faire will notice? You are the one dealing with the
heat!
About The Eleonora dress:
The red velvet pair of bodies was lines with (believe it or not) paper. It
had no bones. You could probably substitute a hair canvas or a type of
buckram that does not react to heat/ sweat. It was not made for the gown she
was buried in-- it was too big and had a different waistline.
Now here is the story behind this. Eleonora died in December of 1562 and was
NOT embalmed. Getting from Pisa, where she died, to Florence, where she was
buried, took days since she was being moved in a "train" with wagons and
horses, etc. I am sure that there was not a lot of ice around in those days
("Poor Judd is dead" the song from "Oklahoma" tells of the down side of
being kept unburied without ice...) At any rate, by the time she got home,
people were probably moving at warp 9 to get her dressed in something
appropriate. Cosimo her husband was very distraught, (he had just lost 2
sons and a daughter within a very short time before Eleonora died, so "crazy
with grief" was probably a good way to describe it), but he wanted his wife
to be properly dressed-- jewels included-- for her appointment with her
Maker.
If you look at the text of Janet Arnold's book she says something about the
velvet bodice overlapping in the front. Eleonora had been suffering from TB
on and off, getting progressively worse , since 1549/ 50 until her death. In
the early stages she wore a taffeta covered steel corset (not recommended
for the modern woman). The velvet bodice MIGHT have been something she wore
as a substitute when breathing became difficult (my hypothesis). In the
severe stages of TB there is terrible weight loss. If you look at some of
the pics by Bronzino you can see how she gained weight over the course of
her many (11) pregnancies, and then lost a lot of weight at the end. She was
one sick lady. And putting the malaria on top of it, well, it is no surprise
that the stuff in her wardrobe did not fit. The velvet bodice was probably
more of a grave wrapping to keep her upper body set while the people were
trying to get her gown laced. If you notice the gown is not laced through
every hole-- they were working fast probably. And who would think that 500
years later what she wore in her grave would be the subject of such intense
scrutiny? (The grave robbers who took her jewels flipped the body over, so
that is why the back of the dress and velvet bodice are in such good shape.
The body decays from the top down-- gravity and all that!)
Eleonora's dress was probably lined in linen. Since linen is a natural
fiber, it decomposes in the grave. It also protected the satin of the dress
from the same fate, but if the body had been left to decompose long enough
everything probably would have gone.
The latest book on Eleonora, "Moda di Firenze"
http://www.artbooks.com/wc.dll?ab~searchitemno~0~45409 gives a lot of
details on the EoT gown and the restoration of both pieces. The skirt was
cut so it would be worn without a forepart.
Janet Arnold did the preliminary work on the gown, but died prior to this
new book being released. Her theory was the gown probably had an embroidered
smock and no sleeves. She also theorized that Eleonora probably wore a
farthingale, because she was Spanish. The waistline of her gown was more
rounded than the Elizabethan style of 1575, and had a different silhouette
then the Eleonora gown from the Bronzino painting, which was 30 years
earlier.
Good luck with the gown!
Best Regards-
Monica
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of Natalie
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 6:18 PM
To: Historical Costume
Subject: [h-cost] Eleanor of Toledo 1545 help
Hello everyone,
I am looking for some guidance on the Eleanor of Toledo gown. I have read
over Janet Arnold's write up of this dress and the book describes not one,
but two bodices based on remnants of the actual dress. The first bodice was
of velvet, and fastens at the front with hooks and eyes, and lined with
linen, but no matching skirt was found, although there are stitch-holes in
the waist.
The second bodice is of satin, with two seams at the back. It may have been
lined, but the evidence is not clear, per Arnold.
The book theorizes that the velvet bodice may have been a corset with bents,
or a "pair of bodies," set into the linen lining, to support an underskirt
of velvet.
So that's the back story. Based on that gown and the Elizabeth 1575 gown, I
have designed the following:
http://www.fantasy-sewing.com/images/dressconcept.jpg
My question is, if I wear a standard corset and farthingale, is there really
any need for the heavy under-bodice/skirt combo (kirtle?)? I am not sure yet
what I will make the overdress of, but it will probably be interlined
brocade, with something lighter for the underskirt and an interchangeable
forepart. I live in Michigan, and the faires here are held in the late heat
of summer, so I don't want to make it too heavy!
Natalie
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