ANST - 1400's garb

Dieterich cjw at vvm.com
Thu Aug 7 09:34:01 PDT 1997


At 09:44 AM 8/7/97 -0500, you wrote:
>As Janet Arnold is to the Elizabethan world of costuming...is their
>someone who "knows" 15th century clothing?  
>
>Learning to Serve the Dream,
>
>Kayleigh Drake
>Baroness of Bonwicke
>The Western Region of Ansteorra


*********
 

Well, at the risk of seeming contrary, the answer is both 'yes' and 'no'.
There are two books- both out of print, coincidentally- that I, a 15th C.
afficianado, deem to be the Gospels according to the 1400s and both are in
the same series- "The History of Fashion" series.  The first one
concentrates on late-gothic europe and the second concentrates on Italian
dress c. 1400-1485.  I have, as is my way, forgotten the names of these
precious tomes but luckily for you and I, Mistress Jeanmaire owns *both*
books and Baroness Clarissa owns the Italian one.  I have had them both on
the Inter-Loc book locating service for almost a year now and have yet to
have either one become availiable.

The only fault of these books- the thing that separates them from J.A.- is
that there is little in the way of construction listed.  Fabrics, yes.
Terminology, yes.  Illustration, *TONS*.  Hairstyles even.  But there just
aren't enough of Phillip the Goods hand-me-downs out there for us to do the
kind of construction analysis that Ms. Arnold does.  These books hinge on
painting and sculpture interpretation but they are the best sources that I
am aware of.

There is one other bright star in the quest for fine 15th C. knowledge, but
it is hotly contested:  The Medieval Soldier, by Gerry Embleton and John
Howe 1994, ISBN 1-85915-036-5.  This book is by another group of
re-creationists called The Company of Saynte George; essentially a group of
european (mainly Swiss and English) museum workers and medieval studies grad
students who center all their research on Switzerland in the year 1460.
IMHO, this book is nearly flawless and a must-have for anyone who is serious
about the 15th C.  And it's in print;)  You may recognize Mr. Embletons name
from his work on the popular Osprey Men-at-Arms series.


I'll get the names of those first two books out to the list- or someone will
beat me to it- by the end of the day.


Incipi-Sir Dieterich


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