In the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), I am known as Mistress Charmaine of Falkensee, OL (Order of the Laurel), OP (Order of the Pelican). I’ve been a member of the SCA since the early 1980’s and I was first landed Baroness of my local group, the Barony of St. Swithin’s Bog.
1985 houppelande 1400's
This was one of my first attempts at fancy medieval clothing after I’d joined the SCA. As I was fresh from science fiction/fantasy costuming, I didn’t understand the importance of research and was content to make my costumes just look like the picture. In this case my reference was a line drawing. I thought the overgown had a knee-length handkerchief hem. Years later I realized the long skirts were tucked up under the lady’s arm.
The fabrics were velvet and tissue brocade for the gown; cotton gauze for the undergown; velvet, glitzy bits and chiffon for the hennin (headpiece). 1987 cavalier 1600's
Our SCA king at the time was very much into the cavalier period and we dressed accordingly for his courts. I was a little more knowledgeable at this point and actually have a proper corset under all of this, plus my stomacher is boned as well. Lots of pink satin, white and gold lace, rhinestone-trimmed brocade stomacher and velvet belt with rosettes. Another wig. I’ve never had that much hair.
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1986 italian renaissance 1400's
Lavender moiré taffeta pleated to a hand-pearled lavender and gold brocade bodice with a white silk chemise beneath. I sewed piped strips of the taffeta and brocade together for the upper sleeves (and seem to remember that it took forever to get wide enough pieces to cut those sleeves). The forearm sleeves are strips of brocade held together with pearl rosettes. A pearl trimmed satin cap and long brown wig completed my Juliet look.
1988 houppelande 1400's
Not a color I normally wear, but I’d found yards of this rayon fabric very cheap and it just said houppelande to me, this time with split hanging sleeves, much easier to make than dagged ones. And I knew more about proper hemlines this time. Velvet collar and shoulder rolls, cotton velveteen undergown sleeves and stomacher, decorated hennin, folly bells on a velvet baldric.
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1995 Italian renaissance 1400's
1996 houppelande 1400's
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I’d gotten a meter of an extremely expensive silver and blue brocade during a trip to Paris in 1994 and was dying to use it, but finding blue velvet to go with it proved quite frustrating. Finally found what I needed at a local fabric store and added ribbons and trims, including a silver rocaille beaded one for the neckline. I copied the headpiece from a 1981 BBC version of the Borgias (which I adored, but it’s been universally panned). I’d be glued to the TV with sketch pad in hand when it came on.
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I outfitted my dad and mother (Ray and Hilda) for a local 12th night. Dad wore a printed corduroy slim-sleeve houppelande and Mother wore one of my generic renaissance style gowns with a cotton chemise beneath. Mother made both their tam-style hats.
1996 german 1500's
First attempt at German renaissance. Again, I was going for just looking like the art so the hat is completely off (more Gainsborough than Cranach). Cotton damask, brocade, satin, Ultrasuede for the slashed bits on the sleeves and lots of jacquard trim. The hat fabric was repurposed from a velvet gown a friend had given me.
1998 french gown 1500's
Copied this one from a Flemish tapestry using an amazing printed velvet I found on a remnant table at a fabric store in St. Petersburg, FL. The short gold sleeves and underskirt are both silk, brocade and Dupioni, respectively. The blouse is gold embroidered white silk which I ordered from a shop in Nottingham, England. International shopper, I am.
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1996 sideless surcoat
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1999 elizabethan 1500's
For my first 12th Night as Baroness of my local SCA group, I made a big, glitzy, blow-out Elizabethan, with all the proper corseting, bum roll, farthingale, cartridge pleating, ruff and pearls. Fabrics were a woven, synthetic damask; embroidered silk; and various brocades. The bodice, puffed sleeves, overskirt and underskirt together featured over 1,700 pearls, beads and rhinestones. (And an entire bottle of Jewel-It.) I made the all the necklaces, including the
fancy carcanet.
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The outfit was so large, I couldn’t fit into the lady’s room at the venue. I took along a little porta-pottie to use in the changing room.
At left, the same outfit as I wore it at St. Swithin's Bog 12th Night in 2016. I changed the shoulders and the ruff and made a new carcanet. It still fit after 17 years and for some reason, though I was approximately the same weight, I don't look quite so zaftig in it. The lady in purple is my Laurel apprentice Lady Eudoxia wearing an Elizabethan that I made for her. |
1996 german 1500's
Another German renaissance looking a bit more like Cranach’s portraits now, both in style and color. Better flat hat, too, now that I knew what it looked like on top. This one was printed cotton, tapestry brocade, dull gold tissue, white cotton and lots of trims.
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1999 houppelande 1400's
A friend had done drag for an SCA fall event in 1998 and the next year I decided to do my version. Mustard isn’t a color I would voluntarily wear, even if it was damask fleur de lys, so making this outfit for an alter-ego was perfect. (I did line the sleeves in purple satin to appease my sensibilities a bit.) I also made a padded roll hat with cockscomb and liripipe. I sent for the mustache and goatee, but the goatee turned out much too big. I cut it down and used the discarded bits as eyebrows. I wore my Elizabethan corset to flatten my chest and when I got the whole outfit on complete with tights and short boots, I looked like a rather cute, but definitely effeminate guy. I called myself “Baron Charlemagne, Baroness Charmaine’s Evil Twin Brother.”
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1999 italian renaissance gowns 1500's
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These are examples of what I called fancy field garb, i.e., pretty but I could wear them at outdoor events and then toss them in the washer if need be. (The secret to laundering this kind of gown is to wash it on gentle and then line dry it, never throw it in the dryer.)
The top one is gold printed cotton, striped curtain material, bits of brocade and trim. And an intensely decorated gold cap with a ferronière to keep it on. The bottom one is printed cotton with a boned bodice decorated with trims stitched on chevron style and puffed sleeves of cotton voile. |
folly collars 1400's
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These are usually worn over houppelandes and I love them because they are another excuse to work with pearls, cabochons, findings and glitz.
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