1539 Flemish Gown

I decided that I was in the mood to do another portrait-matching project, so I picked this Ambrosius Benson portrait of Mme. Cornelis de Scheppere so I could finally satisfy my longing to have a Tudor-style gown. I've always liked Flemish gowns from this period because they have a really lovely gothic silhouette and some interesting quirks that set them apart from the more typical English Tudor styles. To help me figure out the shape of the skirt and the back of the bodice, I looked at various Flemish manuscript illustrations from the 1530's, such as these. This gown is ridiculously hot and cumbersome with its huge fur sleeves and long train, but it was common to pin your train up in back like you see here, so I might do that if it ever gets cold enough to wear it outside. Of course, I should have lined the skirt with fur too if I wanted to be totally authentic, but my insanity does have a few limits!