I agree with Robin: the wimple could solve all the problems, and oddly enough, 
they are comfortable.  Plus, the undergarment can be cut relatively high; we 
don't really know how much, if any of it, could be showing. Paintings are only 
so-so in the trustworthiness department.


On 4/14/11 2:04 AM, "Robin Netherton" <[email protected]> wrote:

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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