[Ravensfort] Trim Explained

Sher M runa.herd at earthlink.net
Wed Aug 12 10:17:35 PDT 2009


     From www.celtictrim.com 

      Describing Saxon trim design is a bit like stumbling around groping in the dark. Few written records survive from this period, and even fewer are devoted to describing clothing decoration. Our few sources of Saxon knot trim is limited to crude images in illuminated manuscripts, tombstone reliefs, and tattered remains found in excavated gravesites?none of which are exactly ideal resources. 
      It is tempting to simply avoid using Saxon costume trim in theatrical productions. Unfortunately, producers and directors continually set Shakespeare's King Lear in Anglo-Saxon England, before the Norman invasion of 1066 when the English Middle Ages, as we know them, officially began. 

      This article will do its best to explain the different types, materials, and designs that the Saxons used in their clothing trim 

      SAXON TRIM DESIGNS 

      Saxon knot trim designs would probably only apply to woven and embroidered trim. There were several different types. 

      Geometric Designs: Pretty much any geometric design can pass for Saxon costume trim: ovals, chevrons, triangles, strapwork, spirals, checkers, swastikas, and stars. Saxons were particularly fond, however, of diagonal lines and zig-zag patterns. Saxons also favored continuous, flowing designs that ran the length of the trim, rather than a repeating set of alternating symbols. 

      Animals: The Saxons originally set out from Denmark and northern Germany to invade Romano-Celtic England. Consequently, early Saxon animal designs resemble what we today consider to be Viking designs, stylized animals with long, thin, curving necks and legs, and spiraling tails. Unfortunately, it is hard to find commercially made trim with such animals on it. Some costume trim can be found, however, featuring Viking/Saxon style hounds, horses, or griffins (not of the correct historical period). 

      Knotwork: Once the Saxons conquered England, they were exposed to Celtic knotwork designs. They were slow to adopt it, however, and did poor imitations at first. Saxon knotwork designs them to be less complex, looser, and more open than Celtic knotwork. Early Saxon knotwork consists more of overlapping loops and ovals, rather than true interlacing and interlocking patterns. 

      Zoomorphic Designs: This is a unique design that resulted from Germanic animal designs being combined with Celtic knot work. A zoomorphic design has the head, legs, and tail of an animal, but the body consists of Celtic-style knot work. Zoomorphic designs did not appear until the late Saxon period. Again, it is difficult to find commercial costume trim with zoomorphic designs, but thorough hunt on the internet will turn up trim with zoomorphic hounds, serpents, and dragons. 

      Vegetation: In the later Saxon period, continuous, scrolling steam-and-leaf designs began appearing. Due to the complexity of this design, it had to be embroidered, and thus would only appear on the clothing of royalty. 

      Missing Designs: Saxon decoration is also characterized by what you WON'T find in their designs. Saxons, for whatever reason, didn't care for flowers, paisley, or circles (ovals, but not circles) in their ornamentation. 

      TYPES OF SAXON TRIM 

      There were four basic types of Saxon trim. We'll describe them in a hierarchy of increasing complexity, expanse, and (consequently) social prestige. Plain: The first and most common type of Saxon trim was simply a plain cloth band of a contrasting color and/or material to garment it bordered. The only clothing materials available to Saxons were wool (cheaper) and linen (more expensive). Ceorls, or Freemen, would have worn this type of trim. Slaves would have no trim on their clothing at all. 

      Braided: The second type, also quite common, was braided. At one end of the scale, braids could be as simple as three thick cords of the same color braided together. Simple and cheap to make, Freemen would commonly wear such braided trim. At the other end of the scale, braids could be very complex, involving dozens of thin cords of several different colors, woven in an intricate pattern. Obviously, such complex braids were more expensive and worn by wealthier people of higher status, such as wealthy Freemen (tradesmen and merchants) or even Thanes (Lords). 

      Woven: The third type of Saxon knot trim was tablet-woven. This trim, usually around one centimeter wide, usually had a design woven into it. However, due to the limitations of tablet weaving (in which curves are hard to achieve), woven trim usually contained geometric designs. Woven trim may have included some of the simpler and more angular Saxon knot trim designs, particularly Saxon knot trim with "thatching", which featured interlaces, crisscrossing diagonal lines. Woven trim, taking much longer to make, was more expensive. It would probably only be worn by Thanes (Lords), and Ealdormen (Dukes). 

      Embroidered: The fourth and final type of Saxon costume trim is embroidered. Any and all designs could be worked onto embroidered trim. Embroidered trim was often done on silk. Silk was available to the Saxons from the orient, but was so hideously expensive that it was only used in small amounts for ornamentation, such as costume trim. Labor-intensive and insanely expensive, embroidered silk trim would only be worn by the king and the royal family.

     

Lady Runa of The Thundering Herd
http://runa-herd.livejournal.com
www.bedlambazaar.com  
http://thethunderingherd.net 
http://bedlambazaar.blogspot.com 
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