Alex Goodman

This young beauty is the sister of another costumer who appeared as one of our first features--Sarah Lorraine Goodman. The dress was a joint project between Alex, Sarah, and their mother Fern, and Sarah sent along a cool description to tell you more about it. You know, I would have killed for a dress this cool when I was 11! :-)

Flashback to 1992: It was our family's second year participating at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire North and my sister, Alexandra, who was 11 at the time, finally decided she wanted to wear nobility (it had taken her a while to come around to the idea, whereas it had only taken me a couple of seconds of exposure to Faire to decide that was the only way for me to go). This was before I learned to sew well enough to make such a costume, so my mom was still sewing all of our outfits. Alex specified the fabric and colors and I drew up a concept sketch. This was my very first real design of a costume and I think it sort of sealed my fate as a costumer in a lot of ways. Fern, my mom, then began drafting the patterns, using Elizabethan Costuming by Winter & Savoy as a basis (yes, it was *that* long ago) but made her own modifications along the way.

The gown is made from a deep forest green velvetine, which has to be the most exquisite color I've ever laid eyes on. The forepart is a dark sage green brocade with a repeating pattern that reminds me of a spade. The sleeves are a combination of two sleeve styles: Tudor and payned. The paynes are velvetine over a "poof" of the brocade. The Tudor sleeves are segmented with a tight sleeve from the base of the payne to the elbow and then a large oblong piece which is then turned back to reveal more of the brocade. A later addition was false sleeves of the brocade that covered from the elbow to the wrist. The entire gown is trimmed in about 5 different black and gold woven braid that we found loads of on sale. The bodice is separate from the skirt and attached with bar hooks and eyes to the waistband of the skirt (true Winter & Savoy design method right there). It laces up the center back with another classic Winter & Savoy technique: The lacing placket. Underneath it all, Alex is wearing a light boned corset and a small farthingale. Her chemise is white rayon of some kind (before we had natural fabrics beat into our skulls) trimmed with your basic rayon lace. Her "french hood" is actually a large headband that my mom covered with green velvetine and trimmed with faux pearls and plastic jewels.

I believe she wore this dress only 2 or 3 times before she got sick of Faire and decided it wasn't for her. When this picture was taken, it was at her 5th Grade Halloween party, for which, if I recall, she won first place for best costume. I wish I had a pic of all three of us (Mom, Alex and I) wearing our first nobility costumes, but we never did manage to get one taken. Ah well...