Master Bartolomeo Agazzari

I always get really excited to see good Renaissance menswear, especially since the majority of online sites deal mostly with women's clothing. I know that this picture doesn't even come close to showing all of the wonderful details of this masterpiece, but you can still get the overall effect, which is quite stunning with all of that wonderful plum and gold! This outfit was created by Master Bartolomeo Agazzari (also know as Andrew Reid), who lives in Sydney, Australia in the Kingdom of Lochac. He has graciously sent along a description that you can read below the picture, and please feel free to email Bartolomeo at agazzari(at)prussia.net if you have any other questions.

The outfit I am wearing is my reproduction of an outfit worn in a portrait of Sir Robert Dudley - a doublet and paned slops from around 1560. The original was a russet red colour, but my version is a beautiful purply-brown mushroom coloured silk. The double row of shoulder tabs and waist tabs are scallop shaped, and the doublet has two slashes from shoulder to waist on either side of the front, held closed with buttons. Like the original, the doublet has two different styles of buttons which alternate on either side of the slashes. You can't see the sleeves in this photo, but they are also slashed down the front from shoulder to wrist, with smaller horizontal slashes across the sleeve too. The entire doublet and sleeves have a repeating pattern of horizontal and diagonal lines done in couched gold cord and gold braid.

Over all of this I am wearing a long gown of black velvet, based on a gown detailed in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion book. This outfit was made by me to be worn when I received my induction into the Order of The Laurel in the SCA for costuming. I also made the hat, shirt, ruff, belt and pouch which complete the look.