So we had fun mixing and matching kirtles in the previous section...
But that just focused on creating variations on a relatively similar look within a very limited time period.
(And in the case of the “Field of the Cloth of Gold” all the looks were originating from the exact same point in time.)
But accessories can also transform an outfit by moving it through time.
This is because accessories are endlessly changeable.
They are easiest things to adapt and replace, and therefore they also tend to be the things that manifest the most drastic changes as fashion evolves.
This is especially true during transition periods.
For example, let’s compare these two women: Anne Read (from the 1570s) and a posthumous painting of Joan Popley (dating from the mid 1580s-1590s)
These are extremely similar images (right down to the pose and the props) and in each case the base outfit is the same. Both women are wearing black fitted gowns with black velvet revers and striping on the arms.
But even without the dates, it's fairly evident which is earlier and which is later. And that is all down to the accessories.
Ann is wearing a very narrowly set double ruff with matching ruff cuffs, whereas Joan is wearing a larger, more widely set ruff which she is pairing with later fashion for plain linen cuffs.
Ann is wearing a classic black hood with bongrace, while Joan is wearing a later styled brimmed hat.
Because, then as now, it’s much easier to splash out on a larger ruff or a new hat than it is to create a whole outfit.
This is what people did in the past and these are also things that we can lean into to best create the look we’re trying to achieve.
So now the kid gloves are off!
Because now we’re going to take this little black dress and transform it in a way that represents over 100 years of fashion, from the 1540s to the 1650s....all through the cunning use of accessories.
Now...obviously this is going to be a massive cheat and will not hold up to any real historical scrutiny.
I’m not advocating this approach for anything but the most theatrical of settings. But the point here is to demonstrate how big an impact accessories have on how an outfit reads and is perceived.
In this case, the accessories are not the afterthought to the outfit, they are the outfit.
But first, a bit of context...
This dress was originally inspired by a sketch of Petrus and Catherine Gonsalvus, dating to around 1575.
Catherine is wearing a relatively simple black fitted gown with a moderately dense, pleated skirt and fuller sleeves that taper towards the wrist.
This project was originally conceived back in 2017.
And as usual, as I was planning this outfit I had an eye out for similar images that I could use as a basis for additional looks moving forward.
And I quickly discovered that I was absolutely spoiled for choice.
Because as it turns out, a black fitted gown with full sleeves is a silhouette that re-appears over and over again throughout the 16th century.
If we squint we can take it as far back as the 1540s...
...and into the1550s.
There’s a bit of lull in the 1560s, but then it starts to pick back up again in the 1570s...
...before coming back with a vengeance in the 1580s.
It continues into the 1590s...
...and it’s still going strong well into the early 1600s.
As well as the 1610s.
In fact, the latest image I could find of this style was of Mother Louse, Alewife…said to be the last woman in England to wear a ruff and who was still rocking this look in the 1650s!
Alright. Challenge accepted: 100 (ish) years of fashion!. Let’s dive in!
But first, a quick bit of housekeeping up top.
Under all these looks I’m going to be wearing the same basic foundation garments...
...which is to say a white, low necked linen smock and a black linen pair of bodies. The shoes are by The American Duchess.
(Note: The bodies are very loosely modeled after an extant pair from the 1590s --with a distinctive cut out bustline-- but adapted for front rather than black lacing. This choice is not supported by ANY evidence, it’s purely because I have a personal rule that I have to be able to get into and out of my clothing quickly, easily and unaided).
Over this we have a red wool petticoat with back guards. Then as we move through the decades we're going to be adding various sizes of hip/bum rolls as needed.
Lastly, we have black silk brocade forepart that I’ve basically constructed as a pleated half skirt or large apron.
And finally, because the size and proportions of ruffs can sometimes be difficult to see when photographed on their own, here is a collection of all the ruffs we’ll be using for this experiment.
The ruffs range from 1" to just over 5” wide and all set to different heights.
Okay, preamble over! Let's jump in.
Moving chronologically, we begin in the 1540s. With this image, previously identified as Katherine Howard, now believed to be Elizabeth Seymour.
Now, making my gown feel like the 1540s is going to be a bit of a challenge.
For one thing, the shape of the skirt is all wrong...
Rather than what I assume (in the portrait) would be a shaped skirt with knife or box pleats, the skirt on my gown is just a large rectangle, cartridge pleated to the bodice...a bodice with a point that is far too deep for the Henrican style.
In addition the sleeves aren’t really full or rounded enough for the earlier period either.
But we're still going to give it a try!
Looking at this image, the key elements I'm seeing seem to be a French hood, a black velvet partlet (lined in white), blackwork embroidered cuffs, as well as gold brooch and the hint of a gold girdle.
And of course, I would say that the defining feature of this look is brocade fabric running down the sleeve, accented with gold aglets.
It’s not technically an accessory since it appears to be part of the gown, but we’re going to try and reproduce it anyway.
So, let's begin collecting the accessories.
First is a French hood, by the wonderful Truly Hats.
Next is black velvet partlet, paired with black and gold-coloured brooch (a vintage find from eBay)
A pair of…slightly anemic blackwork cuffs with machine embroidery. They are a little underwhelming, but as part of this experiment I wanted to try to use what I had in my stash, so we are just going to roll with them!
Next we have a gold girdle, which is just a long 1980s chain necklace with a 1990s gold filigree pendant whacked on the end of it. These are paired some hammered brass rings that actually look pretty decent.
(All pieces were found on eBay)
Finally, the fake black brocade tufts. These are made from the same silk brocade as the forepart and are accented with gold filigree aglets.
These will be loosely basted down the length of the sleeves
(Had I known I would be writing up this talk when I first conceived of this outfit I would have chosen a higher-contrast brocade, but I was going for a black on black look at the time.)
Overall, not too bad!
The placement of the girdle is masking the overly long bodice and the black brocade tufts are making the sleeves look a little fuller. At a glance, this reads Henrican, which is what we’re going for.
Moving on to the 1550s. Another simple black gown.
She’s wearing an all black French hood in a style does seem to be particularly French, with both the veil in the back and a bongrace in the front coming low over the forehead.
There is also gold girdle, a gold necklace, and a contrasting underskirt.
But for the linens we’re actually going to look at this image...
She’s also wearing a pair of small matching wrist ruffs.
And It’s hard to see until the image is lightened, but I do also think she is wearing a black partlet.
Next we have two small ruffs: One is 1" wide and the other is only slightly larger at 1.5" wide, but set with larger figure-8 loops.
Next are a pair of small wrist ruffs, also 1" wide.
Then we have our two partlets: A white linen partlet and black wool partlet, lined in white.
And lastly, we have the same gold girdle as before, now paired with a matching gold chain necklace.
So again, here are the accessories...
...and here is the final look.
Again, I’m pretty happy with this one.
Next we have the image that started it all; the 1570s sketch of Catherine Gonzalvus.
She is also wearing an all black hood (this time with bongrace only) and a small to medium ruff.
We can't see what she is wearing on her wrists, but since the trim of the gown is visible we can assume it she is not wearing turned back cuffs, so the likelyhood is a pair of matching wrist ruffs.
We can also see the gown is closed loosely, with lacing visible underneath.
So here are the accessories.
First is the same black velvet hood.
And a set of blackwork ruffs from The Renaissance Tailor (which were the closest set I had of the right size and proportion, and I don't mind the extra addition of some blackwork).
Here are the final accessories...
...and here is the final look.
And I have to say, despite this being the look that kicked it off, it's not my favourite.
(And I actually omitted it from my talk for running time, since it's too similar to both the previous and the next outfit without meaninfully offering anything unique or differnt).
It's fine, if a little underwhelming...
Moving on!
We have this image of Catherine Neville. It’s dated 1590, but the style is conservative so we’re going to call it more representative of the 1580s.
She’s wearing a black hood with a very visible white lining. A medium-large double ruff over white collar. She has a matching wrist ruffs.
And one of the more notable elements is a gold cross set with black gems and pearls worn on a black ribbon.
She’s also wearing a sash tied in a bow as a belt (which I will totally forgot to put on later).
There is also a beige glove on one hand, which honestly I didn't clock until later.
So first we have a black silk hood with white lining.
Next is medium ruff, approximately 3.25” inches wide.
I don’t actually have a double ruff, so instead I’ve set this one pretty high so it takes up roughly the same amount of visual space as the one in the portrait.
Then we have pair of white wrist ruffs. These are just under 1.5" wide.
Next the black partlet is back.
Catherine Neville isn't wearing one in the portrait, however my gown has black lining and I wanted that pop of white at the collar that we see in the painting (though in retrospect I should have worn the partlet under the gown and just popped the collar).
Then finally we have a small cross on a black silk ribbon.
So again, here are the finished accessories...
...and here is the final look.
As you can see, we’re also introducing the smaller of the two bum rolls to start popping that skirt out. This, in combination with the larger ruff, is really starting to move us further into the period.
Now this iternation doesn’t quite match a lot of the more specific details found in the portrait, but I think it does a really good job at capturing the overall vibe of the original.
This feels like a more buttoned up conservative character. So theatrically speaking this might be my favourite so far.
Next, we have Esther Inglis in one of my all time favourite images from the period. I love the 1590s blackwork look!
The key elements of this look are the large black hat, a blackwork stomacher, a large linen ruff and a pair of simple linen wrist cuffs. She’s also wearing at least two rings and is holding a red book.
So first we have a large black felt hat by ThimbleBee millinery.
A large linen ruff. This is my second largest ruff at 4.5” wide...
...which means we now need a ruff support. This one is millinery wire, covered in white linen.
We also have a pair of plain darted linen cuffs.
Next is the focal piece of the whole outfit: the blackwork stomacher!
Okay. Let's unpack this...because this is a HUGE cheat.
I initially experimented with leaving the front of the gown open and wearing a traditional stomacher underneath
But it didn’t work. At all.
The way my gown is constructed it loses all of its structual integrity if it’s not done all the way up (or at least 80%) and this style require the gown to be nearly completly open.
So instead we’re going to pin the stomacher on top of the gown, hiding the front closures.
In addtion a pair of fake velvet revers are added to either side of the embroidered stomacher, both make it appear that is being worn under the gown and to hide the strip of fabric where the pins will be secured.
It’s very much an experiment and we’ll just have to see how it turns out!
Moving on...
The gold rings are back.
And just as an added detail we have an antique copy of the book of Common Prayer from 1826, which is an eerily good match to the original (in both size and colour).
This completes the accessories...
...and here is the final look.
And it’s not half bad!
Annoyingly the velvet revers aren't really showing up. They are a more evident in person...but black on black is frankly a pain to photograph.
But overall it’s a pretty decent approximation of this very specific style from the 1590s. As a cheat, this definitely works!
Next we have Grace Talbot, also from the 1590s, but now we’re going up the social scale.
She’s wearing a large ruff and darted linen cuffs. On her head you can just make out a black cap or hood. Around her waist is a narrow white sash and she's holding a black feather fan (which I was not able to source in time to take photographs).
However, to add some visual interest I’m also going to pair this with a knot of pears, which is a style you also start to see popping up more and more frequently at around this point.
Next, we’ve got a black velvet cap with a wired front.
The large ruff is back...
...and so is the ruff support...
....along with the white cuffs.
And finally we have a narrow white silk sash.
So here are the accessories...
...and here is the final look.
As you can see we’re now at peak hair and also peak bum, with the larger of our two rolls finally making an appearance.
And I have to say, while I like this look a lot it’s not my favourite.
The black and white is very striking but something about the styling and the proportions are a little off for me.
Maybe the sash is a bit long. Maybe necklace was a mistake because when combined with the sash everything just sort of draws the eye downwards...I'm not sure.
(But that just might be a personal taste issue rather than a historical issue.)
However, I do really like the more dramatic shape of the gown so let’s lean into that as we move into the 1600s!
Here is Susan Green, from the circle of Robert Peake.
We can still see the tall hair and wide skirts, but the ruff has actually gotten a little bit smaller and is now worn over a beautiful lace collar with matching cuffs.
It’s difficult to see, but there is also a series of black bows running up the front of her gown as well as a black sash around her waist.
Now Susan is clearly wearing a hood and bongrace in the portrait, but I just can't achieve the big hair with any of my current hoods. So we’re going to keep the black velvet cap.
But now we’re downsizing and going back to the medium ruff.
Which is paired with a white linen partlet, trimmed with a wide band of lace, along with a matching pair of small cuffs.
(The lace is a combination of two styles offered by The Tudor Tailor)
Next we have the bows (which you can see much more clearly in this lightened image), which are made up separately in black silk ribbon and can be pinned or basted to the front of the gown as needed.
There is also narrow black silk sash.
Once more we’ve got the finished accessories...
...and the final look.
This one is probably my favourite. It’s completely bonkers and over the top in all the right ways.
Overall, the skirts could stand to be even wider…but there’s only so far you can push this dress before it starts to look unbalanced (and even here you can see the back of the skirt is starting to creep up).
So while the silhouette isn't accurate as some of the earlier examples, I'm still super happy with how this one turned out.
Next we have Hester Crispe from about 1620 (but wearing a style typical of the mid to late 1610s).
She is wearing a medium to large lace ruff, large lace cuffs, and a black brimmed hat.
She's also has a string of pearls and is wearing/holding a pair of heavily decorated leather gloves.
Caveat up front!
This image was also omitted from my talk, both for time and because not all of the accessories were finished in time and so the final look was never photographed.
But just for fun, the outfit would have included...
My black felt tall hat (also decorated with a feather to match a similar image from 1615).
A pair of leather gloves with highly decorated cuffs. They are a gauntlet style with heavy embroidery and an almost obscene amount of frills.
The foundation is pair of vintage deerskin gloves, with cuffs made from recycled embroidered sari fabric, trimmed with red silk ribbon and gold lace.
And finally, a large lace ruff…but as you can see there’s no neckband because I didn’t quite finish in time.
Which means....there’s no final look here!
But I’m definitely planning one for the future.
And finally!
Mother Louse! 1650!
She is wearing an extremely old fashioned outfit consisting of a very tall black hat (similar to a traditional Welsh hat) and a wide but narrowly set ruff.
The cuffs are plain linen bands with darts. She’s also wearing a very full, pleated apron. And just for fun, we have our cup and pitcher (because she's the Ale Wife!)
So in this case the hat is actually a combination of two hats: The crown is a medieval tall hat style by Mike the Hat, which whacked on top of a 1640s hat by Truly Hats.
Next, is the largest of my ruffs at just over 5” wide.
It’s worn with a wire supportrass, again by Woodsholme Handworks.
We’ve got the same darted, linen cuffs.
And a wide, densely pleated linen apron.
And finally a stoneware mug at pitcher.
So for the last time, here are the accessories...
...and here is the final look!
Most of the underpinnings are gone and the apron is worn extremely high on the bodice to mimic the waistline of the original image.
(I also think it's interesting that the higher waistline and heavily pleated apron creates the same pregnant-yet-not-pregnant look you see in a lot of early 17th century images.)
And that's it! We are done!
Expect for one thing...
So I debated back and forth about including this image…and ultimately I did because it feels like we're coming full circle from the first hodgepodge waistcoat image we started with back in Part 1.
This is something I just sort of threw together as I was taking pictures but didn’t really have a clear intention for...and I think it shows. It's vaguely mid to late 1620s, but not really.
As with the waistcoat, I like a lot of the individual elements but they don't necessarily all work together.
BUT...
With a little more planning this look is immensely achievable... It's just something to improve on for next time.
And that's sort of the point of this whole thing. Small yet meaningful improvement is almost always possible and achievable!
And with that...
We are finally done! For real this time!
And there we have it:
One dress!
Nine (ish) looks!
One hundred (sort of) years of fashion history!
And many many cheats...
(Note: For additional images, please see the overflow post HERE)
***
And that brings us to the end of "Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look"
In summing up, I hope the final take away is that by re-assessing the way we think about accessories, and by embracing them as an integral part of our historical wardrobe, we will ultimately able to achieve much more with much much less.
(And that cheating is both allowed and actively encouraged!)
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