Elizabeth Rose Vierich

I am so completely in love with this look! This (amazingly!) is Elizabeth's first Venetian gown, and I am just in awe at how fabulous she looks from her horned hairstyle (which she made using egg whites as a setter) all the way down to her chopines! You can see a nice full-length front and back picture here and you can also take a peek at her in full courtesan mode. Elizabeth wrote up a nice description of the construction which you can read below the picture, and you can contact her at ElizaRoseV(at)aol.com.

My intentions were to make a gown as accurate as possible, well in some respects, for Ren Faire. Being quite aware that I have to be in it for an average of 8-10 hrs. each saturday for 5 weekends in sometimes 90° heat. The cotton velvet was dyed with RIT dye. I use it all the time and have never had a problem, but then I only spot clean my costumes. I decided on a ladder laced, rectangular open front bodice with an open attached skirt. I hand stitched the trim on the bodice and dyed the piping to match the wheat/flesh color in the woven trim. I decided to use the eye side of hook and eye tape. I thought it would be a no brainer for accuracy. Well, I guess because of tension when laced up the lacing is not even. The shoulder trim is silk dyed to match. I used my ruffle attachment for that and my white cuff ruffs. The bodice interlining is heavily boned. Center front, 3 each side front, 1 side back and 2 in the back. The sleeves are only lined just passed the panes. For the pattern I just widened the top and cut 5 slits and piped them then gathered to match the armhole and bound with bias silk. The cuff is open about 6" and has 3 sets of ties. The skirt waist is about 120" cartridge pleated and has a 4" train. I lined the skirt with a sky blue dupioni silk which I wanted to use for a whole gown and decided the nubbiness just wouldn't work but would be ok for lining. The front is piped and then steam ironed over a sausage roll.

I made the partlet out of some old grandmas fabric. It is a sleeveless shirt style with a small skirt attached, the shoulder passing the bodice opening. After wearing once I had trouble with it coming out on my right side (all the hugging) so I sewed on some pretty elastic around the armhole. No more problems. I made my camicia out of hankerchief linen and used the pattern that Bella suggested on her website. It comes to the middle of my knees with a center front opening. I did this because on a hot day I will shed my underskirt and do the Dangerous Beauty thing and it allows me to show my breeches and not pass out from heat exhaustion. I rolled the neckline then pleated it then sewed down a 1/2" white embroidered trim. The cuffs are also pleated and finished with the trim. I have hand sewn my camicia neckline to the neckline of the bodice. What a timesaver! Keeps it all from shifting around. I made a placket for the front but have not used it. I have just pulled the camicia up and over the underskirt to follow the line of the bottom of the bodice. My pearls stay in place with the help of clear elastic and a hook hidden inside the corner of the bodice.