The Frock Wish List

Since my foray into Roman costume, I'm often met with surprise when I tell people that Roman isn't the sort of costume I'm really interested in. This then prompts the next question of what is it that I am interested in. Well here be the wish list of frocks I'd like to make. It is eclectic and spans a range of periods, regions and styles. This is intentional as my aim is to learn a wide variety of patterning and construction techniques, which you don't necessarily get if you stick to a single style.

From early on in the SCA, I developed a love of late 16th century Italian frocks, the style that has those beautiful overcoats.The ultimate frock of this style for me is the one above. Alessandro Allori's portrait of Marie de Medici. I managed to purchase some beautiful blue silk from Fabric Fantasy before they closed down. The main challenge with this frock are the fine details. The embroidered bands, the sleeves, the partlet etc.. I've seen a lot of bad reproductions of this frock so I'm determined not to add another poor reproduction. This is a long term project, so it is going to be a while before I seriously embark on this frock.

This is a simpler style and a frock I have already started. This is Giovanni Battista Moroni's Portrait of a Lady (Possibly Countessa Lucia Albani Avogadro). I originally made the under frock for Lochac's first Coronation. However, I then lost 4 inches from my waist, so it has been unpicked for a re-fit. I've selected different colours than the original portrait. The under frock is a dark blue wool with a satin finish and I have a teal green silk satin for the over dress. This one I hope to finish off this year.


Moving along to a different style, I would love to try one of these working class kirtles shown frequently in Rogier van der Weyden paintings.

And a Cranach for good measure. I like this slightly more conservative look, though I should learn how to puff'n'slash someday.

And some cotehardies and surcoats. The classic, late 14th, early 15th century french variety.

So that's a rough indication of the range of styles I'm interested in. As I actually get to work on some of these I hope to blog some pics. At some point I should probably catalogue the existing wardrobe, with the lessons learnt along the way.

And why aren't I at Rowany Festival right now? Well I was at Festival, but came home on Sunday with lungs full of fluid. So I'm blogging to avoid thinking about the fact that I'm home sick instead of being at Festival.