For our Renaissance Becoming History presentation, I knew I wanted a Venetian gown.
RESEARCH
Researching the proper look for my persona, I especially liked a gown I found in Two Venetian Women, a 1495 rendering by Albrecht Durer.
Finding a style similar to this in theater costume book, I drafted the pattern a bit larger than me, so I could fit it to myself.
This style was quite close in lines to the rendering sketched by Albrecht Durer in 1495.
I also sewed an undergarment called a shift in English, a chemise in France, but in Italy it was called a camicia.
Approximating the look of various camicia’s I found, I applied trim with the feel of embroidery, which was popular in the era.
FABRIC
Although I imagined a turquoise fabric with gold trim, I couldn’t pass the rust/black changeable silk taffeta at a mere $6 per yard, inexpensive because it’s a synthetic fiber, which fit into my budget.
In the end, the rust/black coloring perfectly fit my persona of the various ladies from the House of Medici from Florence.
Without directions or any back views for this costume I had to do a lot of thinking to figure out how to close the back with an overlap.
I finally made ties like a wrap dress would take.
BRAIDS
After researching Italian Renaissance hairstyles, I learned that braids were quite the fashion, with pearls often woven into the hair.
EPILOGUE 2024
While my daughter attended college, she wore this gown for a Renaissance presentation for her literature class, which her teacher and classmates loved!
Her classmates always thought she was the cool gal and wanted to be in her group for presentations.
