Stimpzilla's Sumptuary Law |
Renaissance Gown Gallery 1Since we do not want to see unseemly gossip concerning Ladies fighting included in the "Queen's Enquirer" due to more than one courtier arriving at court in the same gown, we generally avoid making identical gowns, unless otherwise stated before purchase... We do however expect to see your names on HRM Queen Elizabeth's Sumptuary List. Please feel free to inquire about having a gown made for you. While some of the dresses are costly, and belive us when we say if you told us the sky is the limit, we would have a grand time, we always stay with our client's budget. There are many ways to make a fabulous gown that will last years, without setting your pocketbook afire. We find some of the simpler, but well tailored gowns to be most wondrous of all. So please don't assume we can not make a gown to suit your needs with |
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Renaissance Gown DetailsYou should find which gowns are proper for SCA, Renaissance Faires, and other events. Since we are asked quite often, I will add here that any of these styles are wonderful for a renaissance wedding gown, a Lady would simply pick the style that best suits her. Elizabethan renaissance gowns were almost always worn with detachable sleeves. The underskirts were usally made of fine fabrics and often elaborately embroidered and bejeweled. However it was usual to only have the expensive fabrics as a fore-panel and the rest of the fabric that did not show was faked by using a less expensive fabric. Often the sleeves and fore-panel coordinated but they were not necessary made of identical fabrics or trims. This allowed a certain amount of mixing and matching. One could take a nice pair of sleeves and forpanel and wear them with numerous bodices and over skirts, which greatly expanded one's wardrobe. We greatly enjoy our work. While many would consider gowns from the 1500's to be costume, we prefer to think of our work as reproduction. While most of what we make are not exact copies of portraits we still like to use period techniques and not to be considered costume. Costumes to our mind are items to be worn for stage and other theatrical events and have their own set of requirements sometimes, gasp, including zippers. While we will make these we prefer to use a more traditional and well researched approach. When making a gown we consider the client and their needs. We are well aware that exact reproductions are very time consuming, and that some compromises need to be made. The fabric used for a court gown in the Elizabethan Era could easily cost 1,000 a yard in our current monetary values. As a result we look for fabrics that will be reasonable compromises between a client's pocketbook and what is available. We also are aware that most of our clients have no need, but perhaps a desire, for entirely hand sewn items. While we are happy to do this, we also realize that if all the hidden seams are sewn by machine, and any seems that show are done by hand, we should still have a wonderful representation of the quality of gowns from the Elizabethan Era. When making a gown for our clients, we like to consider their body type so that we can individually draft proper patterns for their shape. We also consider the weather in which they expect to wear a gown in, and the locations they expect to wear them in. We like to dress everyone as though they were commishioning a garment from the period. Most of all we love what we do. And we we believe everyone should feel beautiful. |