Juliette and Mike Bezold

What a sunning pair of nobles! These gorgeous costumes were created by Juliette, who was kind enough to send along a really great description of the construction that you can read below the picture. I really wish I could see these costumes in person so I could spend hours admiring all of the wonderful tailoring and fine details! If you have any comments or questions, you can email Juliette at jbezold(at)designdtls.com.

Mike's doublet and paned trunk-hose are created from several garments in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion c1560-1620; the trunk-hose from the pattern on pp. 53/54, and the doublet from the patterns on pp. 84/85, but with the sleeves from p.56. The fabrics I chose are a deep green cotton velveteen, and a green and gold cotton/nylon blend woven in a lovely small diamond pattern. As a rule I try to avoid man-made fibers, but the gold nylon weft against the green cotton warp gave the fabric such life as it moved, and matched the green velveteen so well, that I couldn't resist.

For his doublet I embroidered the green velveteen with gold thread in a stripe pattern over the shoulders, and a chevron pattern on the sleeves. The green/gold patterned fabric is cut on the diagonal across the chest to create another chevron pattern, similar to the way the fabric is manipulated in the Phoenix portrait, and the back piece is cut separately, on the straight grain. The doublet is interlined with heavy cotton canvas, two layers on the green/gold fabric, one on the velveteen, and then lined in a dark green cotton. It buttons down the front with small gold buttons that resemble round hand-knotted buttons. All the seams, the shoulder wings and the tabbed skirts are trimmed with over 15 yards of a narrow gold braid

The paned trunk-hose were by far the most complicated thing I have ever attempted, and nearly drove me crazy! There are 15 panes per leg, and each pane is 2 1/2 wide, made up of a wide strip of the velveteen sewn to a narrower strip of the green/gold fabric, so that the velveteen wraps the edges of each pane. The panes are then lined with cotton canvas for body, and have gold cord couched down each side over the seam line, which amounted to almost 40 yards of cord. The outer lining under the panes is the green/gold fabric, and is cut both a little wider and a little longer than the size of all the panes laid side-by-side, to allow fabric to puff out between the panes. The panes were basted to the outer lining, and then both together were cartridge pleated by hand into velveteen leg and waistbands. There is also an inner lining of green cotton, which is cut about 4" shorter than the length of the panes, to create the rounded look seen in so many portraits. I also lightly stuffed the space between the inner and outer linings with nylon net to help the trunk-hose hold their shape, as it is lightweight and will breathe. Lastly, he is wearing a soft, flat cap of the green velveteen, edged with what was left of the gold cord.

Well, after all that work for Mike's first noble garb, I did not have the time I had hoped to make myself a new gown, so what I am wearing as a quickie do-over of my first attempt at a Tudor gown, from the tender age of 15. Actually all that remains of the original gown, which was made from a now nonexistant McCalls pattern, is the bright green bodice and skirt. The bright green fabric is, I admit, a hugely inappropriate polyester floral jacquard, but I still like it, and am glad to be able to turn the gown I worked to hard on as a girl into something I am proud to wear again. All of the black and gold ribbon trim is new; the waist tabs and shoulder rolls/tabs are cut from the old sleeves, trimmed with the black/gold ribbon, and edged with gold piping. The gown spiral laces down the center back seam, through small buttonholes. I don't like the look of grommets, and don't really think they are necessary as my corset takes much of the stress away from my bodice. The green tapestry stomacher, forepart, and round sleeves are all new, a lovely fabric I picked up at JoAnn's for 2.98 a yard. I lined the sleeves, and the skirt for more drape, with a green fleur-de-lis pattern Christmas tablecloth fabric, on sale for 1.98 a yard. For my ruff, I used the wonderful instructions available at The Renaissance Tailor's website. My French hood is adapted from the Tudor-style pattern and instructions available at Ninya Mikhaila's website, made of back cotton velveteen, and trimmed with the same gold beads I used to make my girdle. All together, while Mike's outfit from drafting to completion took over 4 months, mine (not including my underpinnings) took only two weeks!