Kerri Morin

Kerri is an SCA costumer from Orange County, California who has been building a small wardrobe of gorgeous Florentine gowns over the past year and a half. I think anybody who has studied Italian fashions will immediately recognize the Ghirlandaio fresco that inspired this outfit. Don't you think Kerri would look right at home standing next to the women of that painting? Here is another photo of the undergown, and I also wanted everybody to see another beautiful Florentine outfit that she made from the 1540's. You can read more about her work below this picture, and you can contact Kerri (a.k.a. Caterucia Bice da Ghiacetto) at bkmorin(at)cox(dot)net.

I've been involved in the SCA for a little over 2 years and have been costuming for about the past one and a half years. I started costuming because I chose a 16th century Florentine noble woman as my persona. Most of my costumes are from that time period (i.e. the gold and red dress).

While looking for inspiration for my next project, I was asked to participate in a 14th century Italian dance performance. Since I didn't have any 14th century Italians, I needed to make one for the dance. I started researching and came across Ghirlandaio's "Birth of the Virgin" on this website. My mind immediately remembered 10 yards of a brown and green brocade I bought over a year ago. The fabric seemed to fit the inspiration dress very well so I got to work.

I chose a gold linen for the under dress and decided to make it front-lacing since I had only used side and back lacing in the past. The front-lacing was an experience and took me several tries to get it right. Thanks to the information on this site, I used jewelry findings for lacing rings and they worked like a charm. The bodice is made from a personal pattern done for me by a friend. It is lined in linen, interlined in canvas and has Rigilene for support. The overdress uses a variation of the same bodice pattern and has a knife-pleated skirt. The sleeves are tied into the bodice with ribbons. The clasp is hand-made by a local merchant. I chose it because it was beautiful and strong enough to support the weight of the dress.