Caitrin DeSantis

This inspirational costumer deserves kudos not only for her own stunning Tudor gown, but also for the remarkable work that she has done to nurture the talents of others. Caitrin (aka Countess Tangwystl D'Courci O.L) is the founder of the D'Courci Tudor Group, which she describes in the paragraph below the picture. Her gown and the outfit worn by her husband Alfredo are modeled after the styles that would have been fashionable at court during the last decade of the reign of Henry VIII, (c.1536-1547). She also sent a picture of her with two other ladies of the group, Nina Bates and Danute Dorion (aka Odette Sainte Remy and Baroness Alyce in the SCA), and a fabulous shot of the whole group from one of their events. If you would like more information about the costumes or this wonderful organization, you can contact Caitrin at collerhe (at) uoguelph (dot) ca.

I thought that I would share with you the collective talents of a very special group of people. I started a group last year with the idea of helping people to make as authentic as possible the clothing from the period of Henry VIII's reign in England (1509-1547). Our little group strives to recreate the fashions of this era as faithfully as we can, as well as the society that those fashions reflected. We laugh a lot and share our triumphs and disasters equally. I spend my time drafting patterns, fitting people, arranging fabric shopping trips and making sure that everyone archives the very best they can. I could go on and play the proud "mom" and tell you that besides the outward appearance, these ladies made all the period undergarments, hats, and my husband made his shoes. All firsts for everyone of them. The last photograph is the result of months of hard work for these dedicated people, most of whom had never before attempted later period costuming. We meet every week and when not working on the clothing of the period, we are exploring the history and all the other aspects of this fabulous reign. I am so very proud of all of them. The D'Courci Tudor Group is located in Ontario Canada and operates within the framework of the SCA. The group is open to anyone who is interested in this period of English history, regardless of sewing skill levels. We also have a Yahoo group set up to chat with each other and exchange triumphs and crashes.