History Visits
Plantagenet (Yorkist) Noblewoman
1461-70
This is a costume that I made quite some time ago, when I was a lot younger than I am now. I no longer have this costume - I gave it to my local amateur dramatics society in a fit of Spring cleaning one year. Wish I hadn't done that *sigh
Apologies about the quality of the main image!
Don't look too closely or you will see that this dress is made out of polyester curtain fabric! The costume comprises a high waisted V-necked gown with tight sleeves, train, and a stomacher panel; and a truncated butterfly henin headdress.
This is the pattern I used for the dress and I can't now remember where it came from. I think it was from a book - it certainly looks like a scan from a book. The dress was machine sewn. I later modified it to add a fur collar and cuffs, and changed the headdress. I think I lost the original headdress.
The butterfly henin in the larger picture is based on a fez hat that I bought that was made of stiff felt. I covered it with the same peach polyester as the dress and stitched a trim of black velvet around the edge. The very front of the black velvet, at my forehead, I left slightly loose to which stitched a curved hair come onto. This comb and a high ponytail was enough to secure the hat onto my head with no other fixings. To get the shape of the veil, I just manipulated a wire coat-hanger into the shape I wanted and stitched that onto the felt hat.
The veil that is draped over the hat is a rectangle of muslin.
The fur that I stitched onto the modified dress was from an old fake fur coat. That new henin that I made has its own page.