Elizabeth McNicoll

This elegant Elizabethan noble gown is a wonderful example of perfect tailoring and embellishment. As you can read in Elizabeth's description below the picture, the gown is covered with a variety of beads, jewels, and filigree pieces. As beautiful as it is in this photograph, I know that it is even more breath-taking in real life! This is one of those gowns that I would love to see up close so that I could really check out all of the amazing details. If you would like to contact Lady Elizabeth, you can reach her at mcnicoll(at)usc.edu.

Lady Elizabeth Seymour, Marchioness of Winchester - Queen's Court at Renaissance Pleasure Faire South 2003. Five months of evenings and weekend work, design to completion.

Olive green (dark goose turd green in period terms) cotton blend brocade with midnight blue cotton velvet forepart and sleeves. Based on two portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, which were then combined and simplified. The brocade pattern is similar to 14th century Italian brocade. Olive green rhinestones in brass/gold filigree pieces were placed on forepart with small olive green faceted glass beads on small gold filigree pieces. Small dark blue rhinestones were spaced between the brass filigree pieces to add color and dimension to the midnight blue. Forepart and sleeve trim is a metal blend braid with very small peridot rhinestones and "cinqs" of pearls spaced with the large olive green rhinestones on the filigree pieces. The trim on the overskirt and bodice is a metal braid from Germany with large gold filigree pieces centered with Montana blue rhinestones spaced with four pearls centered by a single Montana blue rhinestone. The large gold filigree pieces then had additional Montana blue rhinestones placed at each "corner" of the filigree. The faceted olive green glass beads were placed in the center of each brocade design on the overskirt and bodice. I took apart an ostrich feather fan and added blue ostrich feathers and blue peacock feathers. Cabochon stone trim was added to the hat to bring up to fit the characters rank. After the photograph was taken, the shoulder seams on the bodice were corrected and straight hanging sleeves with the metal braid to match the overskirt and bodice were added to complete the costume.

Elizabeth (Bonnie) McNicoll