SC - period chef's cotes

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Mark Harris wrote:

> I have one file in Stefan's Florilegium on such protective clothing:
> 
> aprons-msg        (18K)  6/ 6/97    Medieval aprons for both men and women.
> 
> I wasn't aware of any medieval items like this with sleeves. I would love
> to have more information on this cote. Do you have any bibliographic
> info on where interested folks could find more info? Either pictures or
> descriptions?

Well, I may have one picture which, if I can find it, could probably be
scanned and e-mailed or posted. Essentially it is a fairly standard
14th-century cote, distinguished from a cotehardie by the fact that it
doesn't fit quite as closely, is longer, and generally less ornate than
a man's cotehardie.

I seem to have lost this garment, though. I had one of those situations
where I neglected to take it with me after leaving an event. I asked
someone else, not in a moving vehicle at the time, to grab it and get it
to me, and either they failed to grab it, or it ended up in somebody's
armor bag or some such. It is missing in action, and may never turn up.
I'll have to get another one made, or try making one myself.

The cote was made of off-white cotton upholstery denim, with a faint
twill pattern, as most denim has. It was cut, ostensibly, as a cote, but
behaved like a good-quality chef's coat. It opened up down the front,
using little cloth buttons and loops, that allowed the garment to be
torn open and quickly removed in case of being scalded by boiling oil,
or fire, or something like that. Instead of the double breast of a
modern chef's coat, this cote had a quilted breast, again, to protect
against ambient radiant heat and burning liquids, etc. Extra long
sleeves, with a double layer of fabric in the forearms to the edge of
the cuffs, again, to protect against burns. Better protection still was
available by cuffing up the sleeves a bit, which, as I say, were extra
long (almost knuckle length).

Sleeves were inset, and there were these weird curved seams across the
shoulderblades and down the back, creating a biased seam which allowed
me to stretch my arms up or out without straining the fabric or exposing
too much of my arm.

Oh, and there was a high collar, kinda like a Nehru jacket, to protect
the neck from heat/burns.

I feel naked cooking in a dalmatica, for all the aprons and oven mitts,
etc., that I have.

Ras, are you getting all this?

Adamantius

______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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