On 4/14/2011 1:55 AM, Tiberius Clausewitz wrote:
I'm about to make the kind of 14th-15th century dress that usually comes up in
discussions as the "Gothic fitted dress" (after Robin Netherton, I believe),
and the problem I'm facing is that the neckline for such dresses tend to be rather open.
Now, the friend I'm making the dress for is a devout-but-moderate Muslim you'd normally
see wearing a business suit (you know, tailored coat and trousers) and a headscarf, so
she has no issues with the rather figure-hugging profile of the dress, but she needs a
way to cover her bosom and her hair without making her look like a spinster when she
wants to wear the dress outside her house. We're both convinced that there _is_ a way,
but we're not sure which options would have been realistically used by the women back
then. The first thing that came to our minds was a button-up hood like the London hood
(as in this example: http://tinyurl.com/6kbvprq ), and if it's indeed a good option then
most of our problems would
just go away instantly. Still, we can't help wondering if there's also some
other option available, such as covering the chest with a fichu (would the
18th-century style still be kosher _four_ centuries earlier?) or partlet
(which, after all, must have come from somewhere) when she's in the mood to
wear the dress with a separate hat or to stick the hood on her head as a
chaperon.
So, any opinions? And thanks beforehand!
The hood is a great option. The other obvious one is a wimple, which was worn
for modesty and provides good sun protection as well. On warmer days, it'll be
more comfortable than a hood.
--Robin
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