Karinne Taylor

Karinne is a fabulous Australian costumer who I was lucky enough to meet through the Medieval Costuming Community. Although you don't see these outfits very often, I've always thought that "transition style" Tudor and Flemish gowns are some of the most beautiful fashions of the 16th century. Karinne's final outfit truly looks like it belongs in a Gerard David painting, and I especially admire her expert tailoring and millinery skills. That hat (which you can also see in this picture) is absolutely perfect! You can read Karinne's description of the gown below the picture, and you can contact her at karinne(at)spin(dot)net(dot)au.

This dress is based on Gerard David's painting, Virgin among virgins, early 1500s. I took the dress pattern from the woman in green, and the choice of fabric from two other women in the picture.

The dress is made from upholstery fabric, and hence is affectionately known as the "curtain" dress. It is lined with canvas and green drill cotton (what you can see on the sleeves) I will mention that my philosophy of costuming relates to cut and colour and while I will use linen and wool when I can (coz they're really lovely fabrics) Australia's fabric market is not as good as the US and other places so it can be hard to get linen and wool in a colour you want a price you can afford. OK end of that rant.

The bodice is cut in four pieces and opens at the front. It is closed with two lacing strips handstitched onto the lining fabric and which meet under the bodice. The front of the dress is then sewn shut with me in it to achieve a smooth line. My Laurel is a lovely and patient woman who seems happy to do this for me, as there is no way I could do it myself. The bodice and skirt are pattern matched as closely as possible so that seam lines are hidden. This was frustrating but rewarding.

The skirt is roll pleated at the back to give bulk, and it should be lined, although that is not something I commonly do as a result of our climate.

I am wearing a kirtle underneath for support, and a black velvet partlet which opens at the front, is joined under the arms and sits comfortably under my bust.

The hood is my first attempt at a Dutch hood after many nights of pinning fabric to my head. It is a rectangle of linen which is wired at one end to give the characteristic heartshape face of Dutch hoods at this time. It is supported by a truncated henin which is held on my head by a black velvet band. I don't think that this hood was wired at this stage and was more likely to have been starched. However I ran out of time to play around with starching it before this event, so the wire was a compromise to achieve the correct face shape.

I'm actually spinning around in this photo which is why my arms are sticking out. Also the site we were at was VERY dusty so my skirts are tucked up into my sash (although that does mean you can see the skirt of the kirtle) normally this dress would have a 15cm train on it.