#late farthingale fashion

[horsemage]

regency fashion 🤢

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word List: Fashion History

to try to include in your poem/story (pt. 3/3)

Pelete Bite - a fabric created by the Kalabari Ijo peoples of the Niger Delta region by cutting threads out of imported cloth to create motifs

Pelisse - a woman’s long coat with long sleeves and a front opening, used throughout the 19th century; can also refer to men’s military jackets and women’s sleeved mantles

Peplos - a draped, outer garment made of a single piece of cloth that was worn by women in ancient Greece; loose-fitting and held up with pins at the shoulder, its top edge was folded over to create a flap and it was often worn belted

Pillow/Bobbin Lace - textile lace made by braiding and twisting thread on a pillow

Pinafore - a decorative, apron-like garment pinned to the front of dresses for both function and style

Poke Bonnet - a nineteenth-century women’s hat that featured a large brim which extended beyond the wearer’s face

Polonaise - a style of dress popular in the 1770s-80s, with a bodice cut all in one and often with the skirts looped up; it also came back into fashion during the 1870s

Pomander - a small metal ball filled with perfumed items worn in the 16th & 17th centuries to create a pleasant aroma

Poulaine - a shoe or boot with an extremely elongated, pointed toe, worn in the 14th and 15th centuries

Raffia Cloth - a type of textile woven from palm leaves and used for garments, bags and mats

Rebato - a large standing lace collar supported by wire, worn by both men and women in the late 16th and early 17th century

Robe à L’anglaise - the 18th-century robe à l’anglaise consisted of a fitted bodice cut in one piece with an overskirt that was often parted in front to reveal the petticoat

Robe à la Française - an elite 18th-century gown consisting of a decorative stomacher, petticoat, and two wide box pleats falling from shoulders to the floor

Robe en Chemise - a dress fashionable in the 1780s, constructed out of muslin with a straight cut gathered with a sash or drawstring

Robe Volante - a dress originating in 18th-century France which was pleated at the shoulder and hung loose down, worn over hoops

Roses / Rosettes - a decorative rose element usually found on shoes in the 17th century as fashion statement

Ruff - decorative removable pleated collar popular during the mid to late 16th and 17th century

Schenti - an ancient Egyptian wrap skirt worn by men

Shirtwaist - also known as waist; a woman’s blouse that resembles a man’s shirt

Skeleton Suit - late 18th & early 19th-century play wear for boys that consists of two pieces–a fitted jacket and trousers–that button together

Slashing - a decorative technique of cutting slits in the outer layer of a garment or accessory in order to expose the fabric underneath

Spanish Cape - an outer wrap often cut in a three-quarter circle originating from Spain

Spanish Farthingale - a skirt made with a series of hoops that widened toward the feet to create a triangular or conical silhouette, created in the late 15th century

Spencer Jacket - a short waist- or bust-length jacket worn in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

Stomacher - a decorated triangular-shaped panel that fills in the front opening of a women’s gown or bodice during the late 15th century to the late 18th century

Tablion - a rectangular panel, often ornamented with embroidery or jewels, attached to the front of a cloak; worn as a sign of status by Byzantine emperors and other important officials

Toga - the large draped garment of white, undyed cloth worn by Roman men as a sign of citizenship

Toga Picta - a type of toga worn by an elite few in Ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire that was richly embroidered, patterned and dyed solid purple

Tricorne Hat - a 3-cornered hat with a standing brim, which was popular in 18th century

Tupu - a long pin used to secure a garment worn across the shoulders. It was typically worn by Andean women in South America

Vest/Waistcoat - a close-fitting inner garment, usually worn between jacket and shirt

Wampum - are shell beads strung together by American Indians to create images and patterns on accessories such as headbands and belts that can also be used as currency for trading

Wellington Boot - a popular and practical knee- or calf-length boot worn in the 19th century

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or leave a link in the replies. I would love to read them!

More: Fashion History More: Word Lists

[15-lizards]

Weird request but I never see anything about the types of underwear they would wear in GOT and HOTD as someone who’s interested in historical fashion I can never quite figure out what support garments they’re wearing, especially in some of the more risqué dresses. Any chance you could make a post about that?

Historical underwear is my passion anon and I hate when period dramas disregard it

Okay so the first layer would always be a chemise/shift, which is both a nightdress and an undergarment. It protects the clothes from any oils the skin might produce. It also makes it so that the stays/corset don’t rub against your skin. In ASOIAF, especially in the risky outfits, I assume the shift is still there, just with shorter sleeves and lower neckline.

Next is what’s known as the stays (better know as a corset today), which is a support garment with some type of boning inside and laced in either the front or the back. I know they wear these in GOT because there’s a shot of Sansa wearing one, but she isn’t wearing a shift underneath which pisses me off bc that’s just impractical. But anyways this is a vital piece for bust support in any historical era

Third is what’s known as a farthingale or hoop skirt (this part is specific to the current ASOIAF time bc I headcanon them to have mid-1500s fashions which is when these hoop skirts became popular) and it’s just a skirt made of boning that gives life and volume to the over skirts. I don’t think I’ve seen any in the ASOIAF adaptions but that’s because the fashion seems to be flatter and longer skirts.

Fourth would be the bum roll. Again, doesn’t appear in GOT or HOTD but if you headcanon the fashions to be anything past the late 1400s, then you need a bum roll. It goes over the hoop skirt/farthingale just to give u a little bit of a booty and some hip definition. Not present in ASOIAF but I like to think that the prostitutes like them

And finally, over everything else, lies the petticoat. This is just to give the dress more volume as well as smooth out any lines or bumps that might occur from the other undergarments. They could be thick or light depending on the seasons, and some women might wear multiple if they want more volume. These are definitely present in GOT and HOTD! You can especially see them in Margarey’s costumes, where she has an overdress that has a cutaway part to reveal her petticoat/underdress. These are vital to both modesty and practicality, so it makes sense that the costume designers didn’t skimp out on them.

[swagmagussupreme]

@whiterose-fans-blog White Rose in Bloom, Day 7: Halloween Costume Party

Technically both prompts lol. Couldn't help myself.

CW for suggestive content, drugs mentioned.

Words: 3974

“Prin-cess,” Weiss hissed through the door. “We are going to be late!”

“Just a moment! My nose— ‘tis severely unpowdered!”

Weiss groaned, tugging at the stuffy under-layer of her cuirass. “Babe, you look fine! You've been doing your makeup for—”

The bathroom door whipped open. Ruby stood in the threshold, resplendent in the decadent, silky black of her gown, the deep void of it split down the front by the winding silver filigree and carmine of her lace petticoat. The skirt was framed over a conical farthingale, giving the girl a structured silhouette that pinched tight in the middle, meeting her pearl-studded, silver-laced stomacher at a waist so snatched that Weiss’ organs ached just thinking about it. A thick belt, dotted with pearls and rubies, fell from her hips in a deep V-shape, matching the silver brooches that lined up the middle of Ruby's bodice. Her white inner sleeves were flared at the wrists with bursts of lace, disappearing above the elbow beneath long, pointed oversleeves, and her shoulders were mantled by a white collar that went high up her neck and split just at the swell of her chest. The collar gave her the slightly chaste, religious vibe she liked to sprinkle on all her cosplays, but Weiss could catch a little hint of cleavage where it split. Ruby's hair was done up in intricate braids and a pearl-studded bun— she'd been growing it out all year just for this.

Her makeup was pale and powdery, lips painted a supple, dark burgundy— nearly black— and her dark eyeshadow made her look like the haunted porcelain doll of some Puritan family, and Weiss was getting weirdly turned on by it. 

Of course, being the overworking, obsessive, and world-famous cosplayer she was, Ruby wouldn't let her girlfriend go as some plaster knight— the party's theme was ‘Period Accurate’, after all— no, she had gone so far as to commission a fucking cuirass for her, custom-forged from genuine carbon steel, plus a gambeson (which she was already sweating in), plus a full accoutremont of hosen, some kind of duckbill-shaped leather shoes, along with giant, poofy sleeves and pants, slashed to reveal white cloth beneath the vibrant red and blue-dyed fabric. Oh, and the halberd. And the sword. And the dagger. She looked ready for Ren Faire, not something so brief as a Halloween party!

Alas, Weiss loved her girlfriend, and she knew this was Ruby's favorite thing every year. She prepped for this more than any conventions they went to. It also helped that the pics they got out of these were almost always her most top-performing, and scooped more genuine fashion gigs than her cosplays did. 

Weiss couldn't complain. She wouldn't complain. She loved seeing Ruby this happy. She loved Ruby. She really… really…

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Her satchel burned. 

“Well? Is my gentle knight going to escort me or not?”

Weiss jumped, having lost herself in Ruby's face, but recovered with what she did best: unnecessary nitpicking. “You know, I'm pretty sure this is more of a Landsknecht kind of thing,” she pointed out, wiggling her sleeve. “Not really a knight.”

“I love it when you flaunt your degree,” Ruby mused, cocking her head and smiling sweetly, knowingly. “Sweetie, I fucked you to sleep last night. You really think you've got the stamina for three hours of plate armor?”

Weiss’ face blazed, so she turned away and extended her elbow. “Fuck off.”

Weiss’ world-famous girlfriend wrapped her slender arms around the preferred elbow, her hands climbing high to clutch Weiss’ meager (improving! Doing her best!) bicep as she giggled. “You get all the stuff?”

The knight (again, more of a Landsknecht, maybe a trabant with that cuirass) nodded dutifully. “Of course.”

Ruby sighed dreamily. “Pretend I'm kissing you— I don't wanna mess up my makeup.”

Weiss cocked an eyebrow at the (embarrassingly) taller girl. Maybe the halberd would help compensate. “Let's go.”

Ruby hummed an affirmative, and they were off into Weiss’ shitty, post-Schnee sedan. She silently thanked her once-dormmate, now-girlfriend, grateful for her and her family's generosity after all of the awful shit came out about her family business— the one her father had seen fit to drive into the ground with books burned and numbers forged, leaving Weiss alone at an expensive college with no money, no support net, and a car she could no longer insure. 

But Ruby had been there. She was already getting some lucrative sponsors— apparently she'd been getting them since high school— and buoyed Weiss’ needs. Ruby even got her to sell that nice car for tuition money, and personally helped her get over her fear of public transport. Then, she told Weiss she would be dropping out to go full-time on her fashion stuff, but offered to split rent on an apartment that would be cheaper than the campus dormitory. 

And Weiss had said: ‘Sorry, what?’

And Ruby had said: ‘You know, like U-Hauling.’

‘I don't know what that is.’

‘It's a gay thing.’

‘You're gay?’

‘Uh, yeah. Why do you think I'm asking you to move in with me?’

Weiss had said something like: ‘Guh-hwuh?’

Ruby had said something like: ‘Weiss, I took you out on a date last week. I said it was a date. Were— were you not listening?’

‘Well— I— we—’

‘We literally kissed!’

Then Weiss had realized she was an idiot, and was probably very drunk at the time of said smooch. She'd told Ruby as much.

‘Oh,’ Ruby had said. ‘Well… you, uh… wanna try it again?’

And Weiss had nodded, Ruby had kissed her, and two years later she wouldn't give Ruby up for anything.

Ruby crinkled the plastic seat cover as she got out, throwing Weiss that crooked smile that she adored. Weiss got out after her girlfriend, having a minor struggle to get her halberd from where it stretched over the console and into the back seat. She offered her arm again, Ruby took it again, and she held her rubber-buffered polearm like a real Swiss Guard as she walked her girlfriend in. 

Her heart felt so full, even just having Ruby beside her, warm and beautiful and hers. That love was such a burden— absolute lead in her belt pouch. She held Ruby close, pivoted her halberd over her shoulder to fit in the doorway, and entered the party.

Neopolitain's socials were stellar affairs, enabled by the immense Torchwick fortune and hosted in their giant, lavish mansion. Invite-only, of course, but Ruby had apparently been a good friend of Neo when they started these things, and while the two of them had steadily drifted apart over the years, Ruby got the yearly invitation without fail.

But this was the first time Ruby’s RSVP had been furnished with ‘Weiss S.’ and not ‘Yang X. L.’ as her plus-one. Yang— Ruby’s half-sister— tore her ACL in a wrestling match. Like, pro-wrestling. Yang was a genuine pay-per-view professional wrestler. Her name was just ‘The Dragon,’ which Weiss thought was extremely asinine, but she still jumped off the couch and whooped like a dumbass whenever she got up on the top rope. Her elbow-drops were astounding. 

After checking in with the bouncer and making sure Weiss’ halberd didn't have any exposed blade, Ruby started pulling her along the edge of the central bustle of the party. A lyricless club beat hammered the air and floor, deafening among the clamor of dense, excited humanity.

“Where are we going!” Weiss shouted over the pounding music.

“To the bar!” Ruby answered, throwing her girlfriend a wink. “We've got about thirty minutes to smooth you over before the anxiety hits!”

“Wha— I— thirty minutes!” Weiss complained, aghast. “How would you know!”

Ruby stopped suddenly, whirled to her partner, and leaned close to her ear. “Because I love you, dumbass, it's kinda my job to know.”

Ruby backed away and grinned, her teeth big and bright against the dark lipstick. Weiss reddened. “Pretend I'm kissing you!” she shouted back, her face hot.

Ruby's grin melted into that lovely, crooked smile again, but she kept pulling Weiss to the bar without any further flirting. She left Weiss at the outskirts of the bar area, ordered something she couldn't hear, and returned drink-in-hand a couple moments later.

“Here!” Ruby shouted over the music, handing over a drink that looked suspiciously like a cold brew with cream. 

Weiss took it. “What is this?” she asked.

“Moscow mule!” Ruby answered. “Vodka with a coffee liqueur!”

“That…” the not-really-a-knight blinked. “That actually sounds really nice!”

Ruby's dark lips crinkled up into the shape her girlfriend loved most, and she leaned forward to boop Weiss on the nose. “I know! I'm amazing! Now I'm gonna go say hi to Neo, you stay here and look pretty!”

Weiss deflated a little.

“Oh, baby!” Ruby cooed, coming closer to cup Weiss’ chin in her palm and squeeze her cheeks. “I'll be back in a second, I just don't want you on the floor with an open drink!”

“Why not?”

“What!”

“Why! Not!”

Ruby winced. “Uh, ya might get drugged! So just stay here and drink so I don't have to catch a murder case!”

Weiss’ throat felt thick. Why did Ruby have to be so god-damn thoughtful? It made her seem like an amateur. “Oh. Okay! I'll—”

“See you in a sec!” Ruby finished for her, backing up towards the human miasma at the party's center. “Love you!”

“I love you too!” Weiss returned, raising her drink as she watched her girlfriend disappear. 

Was it bad that Ruby’s exodus was actually relieving to her? Her heart tugged after her, obviously, but the nervous knot between her lungs and stomach eased with her absence. Sighing, Weiss plopped into a barstool and leaned her halberd against it.

As usual, Ruby knew her better than she knew herself. The drink was lovely, and Weiss got to appreciate it for all of two and a half sips before some big, greasy dude dropped onto the stool next to her. His hair was a bright, artificial red and styled back in a way a particularly susceptible person might find suave.

“Holy shit, I dig your—” his blue eyes widened. “Woah, you're a chick!”

Weiss looked at him, then her drink. Smartly, she only let the latter in her mouth, and deliberately swirled it over her tongue, mulling over its coffee taste and cinnamon tones. She swallowed it only when he ignored her ignoring him, and hissed out with the burn of vodka in her throat, “Yes?”

“I'm Adam!” the guy said frattishly, raking his eyes up and down her body. He stared hard at her cuirass like he could crack it open with his mind, unaware of the fact that, even if he could, her titties wouldn't just explode out like an anime. For once, she appreciated her hot, sweaty gambeson. “I've never been to one of these things before!”

“That's crazy,” Weiss offered, in the same way you would offer someone a tissue you've already blown your nose in.

“Can you guess my theme!” he yelled, audibly trying to sound cool and not at all desperate. He motioned over himself.

He was wearing an oversized graphic t-shirt with one of those Greco-Roman busts on it— in more of a ‘troubling political views’ way than a ‘vaporwave appreciation’ way— along with some dark, baggy sweatpants and a pair of tan boat shoes. 

Weiss’ eyebrows pushed together hard enough to press coal into diamonds. “Uh, a tool?”

He laughed sickeningly, harsh and fast, not humoring the rest of his face at all. “Nah! I'm period accurate! Like period accurate! Like what chicks wear when they're on their period!”

The revulsion that clutched Weiss’ entire body was bestial. Instinctive. Downright Darwinian, formed after generations upon generations of avoiding this specific kind of loser. “Oh, that's… wow.”

He laughed at himself. “Haha, yeah! Creative, right?”

Weiss’ eyes darted for an exit, only to find that the mass of bumping humanity in the middle had swelled, pressing the wall of bodies like a barrier around the bar. Remembering her girlfriend's warning, she held her drink off the tabletop, close over her lap. “Can you leave me alone?”

The guy leaned in. He smelled like he'd drunk an entire bottle of cologne and it was trying to escape through his pores, accented with notes of old, unchanged bong-water. He grinned. “Soon as I get your number.”

Fuck. Shit. Fine, okay. Whatever gets the douche away. Weiss got a napkin, the loser provided a pen, and she flubbed half of her phone number before sliding the digits his way. Adam beamed at the napkin.

He moved to leave, but seemed to have a moment of pause as he stared at the numbers. He pulled his phone out.

Oh, shit. Oh fuck, oh shit. Weiss took a big gulp, shook the vodka off, and grabbed her halberd. It may not be lethal, but it was still a big, heavy stick she could swing around.

Adam punched the green ‘Call’ button. Weiss scooted her stool away, her grip tightening on the halberd.

“Hey, you gave me a fake—”

“Weiss!”

All the tension left Weiss’ body. She turned to her girlfriend’s voice, using the staff of her polearm to create a path through the bodies. Ruby squeezed through it, half-breathless, her painted face was like water in a particularly douchey desert.

“Hey— heough—” Ruby's hands were on her waist. She was panting. “Hey babe! Geez, this thing is tight!”

Weiss moved to kiss her, only to freeze when frattish tones arose once more. “Hey!” the guy called, closer now, and Weiss turned to find him fully off the stool. He was tall. “You gave me a fake number!”

Weiss shrank into her chestplate like a crab in its shell. “Uh, I didn't—”

“Hey!” Ruby, this time, and she surged past Weiss like she was on a mission. “I know you! You're Adam, right!”

Adam opened his mouth. Ruby put her fist in it.

The guy scrambled back, holding his mouth and yelling illegibly into his hands. Ruby spoke louder, and accentuated that fact by stomping her sexy heel into his shitty boat shoe. His shouting turned into a squeal.

“That's for my sister, dick-nuts!” Ruby yelled, grabbing her girlfriend by the arm. “I'm gonna get the bouncer, who the fuck let you in!”

Weiss found herself being tugged along at a speed that shouldn't be possible in a tight crowd— much less in heels— but Ruby moved with strength and grace. Her knuckles were bleeding.

“How do you know that guy!” Weiss yelled over the surrounding clamor.

“My sister-in-law!” Ruby explained. “She told me to punch him if I ever met him!”

“That's it?”

“No! I don't wanna talk about it without her! Just know he's an asshole!”

“Oh! Okay!”

It felt weirdly nice to yell back-and-forth with Ruby. She never really got to use this register of her voice; it reminded her of singing. Singing… maybe she'd have a good chance to try that again, soon.

Ruby worked her way out with ease, and sicced the bouncer Adam-wise with impressively little convincing. They were outside the main party again, far enough that they didn't have to shout over the music.

An odd guilt wormed into Weiss’ stomach. She immediately expulsed it. “He tried hitting on me,” Weiss admitted. “I gave him a fake number.”

Ruby raised a cocky eyebrow at her, a ‘yeah babe, I really wasn't worried’ kind of look. “Glad I punched him, then,” she shook out her left hand and hissed. “His friggin’ teeth cut me.”

Weiss scowled at herself, feeling ashamed as the words crawled out on their own: “I thought it was kinda hot. I've never seen you punch someone before.”

“Yeah?” Ruby laughed, equal-parts husky and devious. “Do I need to punch more people?”

Weiss shared a smile with her. “That won't be necessary.”

“Afraid I'll overstimulate you?”

“Yeah,” Weiss admitted too quickly, making her blush. “I mean, uh…”

Ruby giggled, her lips doing that crooked smile again— corner high on one side, sort of beaked in the middle, as if she were holding back a blinding grin. Weiss’ chest surged.

“Hey, uh, you wanna do the photoshoot now?” she asked. “I can get all the stuff; I think I've got alcohol in the back.”

“You've still got the alcohol back there?”

“It's paying off now.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, but Weiss’ point was unassailable, so she followed her back to the car with a smile.

Weiss took out the camera bag and tripod. “Where'd you wanna shoot?”

“There's a balcony on the second floor,” Ruby answered. “It's got a really nice view over their— get this— hedge maze. Who the heck gets a hedge maze?”

Weiss chortled. “Old money.”

“You ever have one?”

A question like that would've hurt a year ago, but talking to Ruby was so easy now. Easier than easy— it was natural. “We used to. Jacques replaced it with a statue of himself.”

“Seriously?”

Weiss snorted, extracting a half-empty bottle of denatured alcohol from her back seat. “Nope.”

“Weiss!” Ruby whined, pushing her lightly. “I'm gullible, come on!”

How badly she wanted to grab Ruby's wrist, dive into the car, and absolutely ruin her lovely makeup. It was her girlfriend's paycheck, though, so she only took her hand to put the alcohol on it. The cuts were shallow— barely enough to make a visible trickle of blood— but at least they were clean, now. They'd probably scab over before they even bandaged it.

“Think you can shop them out?” Ruby asked, admiring the wounds with an unworried quirk of her lips.

Weiss waved her off. “Probably, and if I can't you definitely can. Now could we get this done?” She thumbed the arm-hole of her cuirass, hoping it would distract from the weight around her hips. “I'm swimming in this thing.”

Ruby gave an affirmative, and they collected the photo stuff without much further smalltalk. Weiss followed her girlfriend back through the party, trying with all her might to think about how disgusting and sweaty she felt instead of what she was about to do. Ruby led them up a flight of stairs.

“We're not really allowed up here,” she whispered to Weiss as they padded down the empty halls of the second floor.

“What!” Weiss hissed. “Why— we can't post these if we're not allowed! Neo will get pissed!”

Ruby waved her off. “Nah, I talked to ‘em. They said we'd be fine so long as we don't get caught, and there's not really anyone up here to get caught by so…”

Weiss groaned. “Seriously?”

Ruby sidled up, well within the bounds of personal space. “We can do whatever,” she purred, “so long as we don't get caught.”

Weiss pursed her lips, her cheeks taking a dust of pink. “Babe, belay the horniness. We've got pictures to take.”

Her girlfriend pouted, then crossed her arms and harrumphed many harrumphs, but they achieved sweet fuck-all against the bulkwark of Weiss. Before she could become disheartened by the cockblocking, Ruby excitedly bounded to a door. “Ooh! This is the one! Oh, this is gonna be so sick! C’mon, c’mon!”

Weiss fondly rolled her eyes, but rushed forward to open the door for her girlfriend despite the fact Ruby was already there. She was the knight in this relationship, after all— she wore the hosen. 

And the view was sick. The hedge maze stretched out over the massive Torchwick property like a tangle of green, geometric worms, organized very politely so as not to invade one another’s boundaries. Faint yellow lights were strung along the hedges, but the sun was still exerting the last dregs of its influence before nightfall, turning the sky into a cloudless, navy expanse, sparsely twinkling with distant stars. The air was cold, which felt like heaven to Weiss. Ruby shivered against the breeze.

“Okay,” Ruby huffed, breathing hard to amp herself up. “Let's get this done. It's cold as balls.”

Weiss answered with a sharp nod, and made quick work of the photoshoot equipment, taking special care to hammer the position of the delay button into her brain. For her own part, Ruby mostly focused on fanning her face dry and lounging about the balcony in various positions. When Weiss gave her the thumbs-up, they started shooting.

It was a lovely night. The warm lighting from the mansion’s interior played perfectly on Ruby, highlighting her as the night got darker. Weiss wished they could stay in that twilight forever, hanging on the precipice, at the perfect point before rapture. For some reason, Ruby had never looked more beautiful.

But it would be too dark, soon. Weiss had enough pictures. Her belt was heavy.

“Hey, babe?”

Ruby perked up. “Yeah? We done? It's getting kinda dark.”

Weiss smiled sheepishly over the camera. “Uh, not… not quite. There's one more thing I want to try.”

Ruby gave her a befuddled expression— Weiss’ role in direction had never been more than observation and advice— but gave her a trustful nod. “What's up?”

“I want to be in it.”

Ruby reeled. “Huh?”

Weiss repeated herself.

“You— you do?” Ruby’s confusion shattered in an instant, and her ensuing smile nearly turned the night to day again. “Heck yeah! Get over here!”

Weiss meekly shuffled to her girlfriend’s side. She tried her best to pose with the halberd. Ruby's mouth twisted in a funny way.

“Eh, no, not like that. Try… take the bumpers off.”

“But—” 

“We’ll put them back on,” Ruby assured. “Do you think real knights went around with dull weapons?”

Weiss was pretty sure she could find an account of such a thing, but relented and took the bumpers off. She didn't have time to argue semantics. 

“Oh, nice,” the princess admired. “Yeah, you look awesome. Okay, now try all relaxed, like— yeah! Yeah, lean on the— oh, nice! Babe, you are a natural! I'm gonna set the delay!”

Weiss nodded. Ruby darted to the camera, set the delay, and returned to take a pose— languishing in the crook of Weiss’ free arm, reaching over and dragging one nail beneath her chin, staring at her with so much genuine want that Weiss blushed. It took a lot to keep her eyes forward, but she managed it, and the camera clicked shortly thereafter. Ruby rushed to check it, but her girlfriend held her back.

“Let me,” Weiss insisted, trying and failing to sound inconspicuous.

“Why?” Ruby drawled, raising one suspicious brow.

Weiss went ahead towards the camera, and Ruby foolishly trusted her not to do anything crazy. She set the longest delay she could. Ruby watched warily, still leaning against the balcony's black railing.

“Ruby.”

Ruby's eyes bored into her, inspecting Weiss’ every movement as she returned from the camera and stood before her. “Yes?”

Weiss shuffled on her feet, her lips fighting for an expression that they couldn't settle on. “You remember after everything with my dad? How I was?”

Ruby snorted, but her humor died when she saw the deep look in her girlfriend's eyes. “Oh, uh… yeah. Of course I do— I'll never forget.”

“Do you remember what I did?”

Ruby's eyebrows briefly furrowed, then rose, then furrowed again. Her lips started to shake a little. “You… said you'd change it.”

Weiss fought her lips, forcing them to purse into stillness. “Change what?”

Ruby raised her chin a little. “Weiss?”

“Change what?”

A deep, quivering inhale. “Your name.”

All the nerves just… went away. It was the easiest thing to kneel. Her hand, though it was shaking like hell, felt lighter than air as it slipped into her pouch. She pulled out the box. She showed Ruby the ring. “Ruby Rose—”

“Oh, you fucker!”

“Will you marry me?”

“Of course, you dick! Of course I'll—”

The camera snapped. They framed that picture.

[ofeverykinnetre]

So uhhh my headcanons on feminine clothing in the “main four” Westerosi regions in my mind, ie the four regions that are right next to each other with the majority of influence in the Seven Kingdoms and the most similar cultures. The Riverlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, and Reach. In my head they all wear various forms of clothing from roughly the late middle ages, with specific styles for each region

The Westerlands are a pretty basic Tudor shape. They’re all about ostentatious displays of wealth in every possible way, rich fabrics, rich jewels, time consuming constructions, etc. The flaunting of wealth extends even to things like wider sleeves that use up more fabric. In general, the idea is not just to show off, but also to sort of stand out against the landscape. With lots of flatlands, Westerland women prefer deeper, richer colors and textures. Plus it means not very much floral or nature motifs in fashion.

The Riverlands are similar to the Westerlands in silhouette as they are right next to each other, but are much more subdued when it comes to extravagant jewels. They’re a more down to earth culture, so narrower sleeves and modest necklines, more gloves and hats as you get further north. That being said, as they are practical people impracticality is their version of wealth flaunting - ie, clothing that is time consuming to make, costs a lot of fabric and material, and/or is difficult to wear and move in. Ruffs, even small ones, are a staple amongst all nobility. For their highest born ladies, especially on special occasions they’ll break out the French farthingale. And of course, the whackiest of shapes for headgear.

I envision that as you get further south in Westeros the clothing becomes less structured. The Reach is the epitome of the romanticized medieval period, where they believe in true knights and chivalry. Their clothes are all designed with a romantic aim in mind. The silhouette allows for a flattering structure no matter your body type, and the skirts get to flow freely around you. The Reach style is the epitome of fashion in Westeros, and it’s influences are being seen all over - even Cersei Lannister as queen occasionally veers away from her staunch loyalty to her homeland’s styles for the sake of staying fashionable and attractive. The Reach is a massive chunk of Westeros, so the border parts of the reach do bear similarities with styles from other regions. Go north and you’ll see some Westerlands decor elements on Reach silhouettes, go towards the Stormlands and the fabrics get thicker and more durable, more similar to houppelandes.

The Stormlands have been wearing the same styles for years and years, as they have less care for frivolities like fashion (so they say - they still very much like to dress wealthy). That’s only recently started to change, what with a Baratheon on the throne bringing an eye to their region for more than just their port trade. Less dress structure in the south, and a cage skirt like a farthingale is incredibly impractical in stormy weather. Instead, it’s a lot of layers of very heavy fabrics. Richer women show off with more and more expensive damasks and velvets, along with more fabric. Using more fabric than is necessary is the ultimate showing of wealth, and skirts being so long and heavy that the noblewomen have to actually carry them shows how little they have to work for that wealth. I think amongst younger people, Reach styles are starting to have an influence as they are right beside the Stormlands. Burgundian gowns have become all the rage, especially as you can add fur linings to it (both useful and showy in the windy Stormlands). In general more defined and higher waists are becoming much more commonly seen, especially once Renly married Margaery and his supporters in the Stormlands start to emulate her.

[intj-greenwords]

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of “ancient dames” moving about “in the jaws of the whale”.  BUT… instead I discovered that Ishmael should stick to expostulating about whales, and not venture into women’s fashion about which he is apparently not knowledgeable.

The first picture is of Queen Anne (early 18C) not wearing a farthingale (farthingales actually being out of fashion in Queen Anne’s time).

The second picture is Queen Elizabeth 1 (late 16C) wearing a farthingale when they were fashionable, more than 100 years earlier.

But either way, they were still both likely going about "in the jaws of the whale", just not as Ishmael described it.

As everyone knows, these same “hogs’ bristles,” “fins,” “whiskers,” “blinds,” or whatever you please, furnish to the ladies their busks and other stiffening contrivances. But in this particular, the demand has long been on the decline. It was in Queen Anne’s time that the bone was in its glory, the farthingale being then all the fashion. And as those ancient dames moved about gaily, though in the jaws of the whale, as you may say...

[gogmstuff]

Lady Holding Gloves by Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy (auctioned by Sotheby's). Tableaux Dessins Sculptures 1300-1900, Session II Lot 134; removed many flaws and blurred background with Photoshop 1434X1983 @300 961kj.

[froggi-mushroom]

I have a couple of personal qualms with Bridgerton’s costumes but because I’m not in the mood to bitch about it and I don’t think I have enough knowledge about regency fashion to accurately critique it, I’m gonna list off a few things I actually like about them instead:

1) For the most part, the costumes do capture the regency vibe and silhouette

2) I like that there’s not just pastels, but a range of colours and patterns. Sure, the majority of the costumes do fall into the pastel colour range but still, it’s nice to see a few darker colours here and there

3) Despite my issue with Queen Charlotte’s wardrobe being painfully out of date, I actually really like her costumes. In fact, I think her costumes may actually be my favourite of the entire show, I like how her dresses look more expensive and extravagant than the other characters. And I like how her style is distinctly rococo but uses modern fabrics, and I love her wigs and how they’ve taken outrageous 18th century wigs and reimagined them to suit how a black Queen would’ve worn them at the time. In fact, had the show been set in the Rococo era and centred around Queen Charlotte, I’d probably have barely any problems with the costumes

[audreydoeskaren]

I have a question, did Ming women wear puffed up skirts, was this a specific period of time or was it not common and out of the norm for Ming women / Ming skirt silhouette? Would trousers under the pants be common or was it a another type of undergarment?

Hi, thanks for the marvelous question. As far as I'm aware of actual puffy skirts were only popular for a very brief time in the late 15th century, notably the 1470s and 80s. Apparently this trend was not limited to womenswear, as there is written and visual evidence of men wearing robes with puffy skirts as well.

Source here

Closeup of 明宪宗元宵行乐图 (Lantern Festival follies at the Chenghua court) from 1485 showing court ladies in short robes and enormous skirts. As you can see the skirts of the 曳撒 yesa worn by the men also seem very puffy.

As to how these large skirts were achieved, the common explanation seems to be the wearing of 发裙/马尾裙 horsehair petticoats/crinolines. Crinolines were horsehair fabrics woven using the hair of a horse’s mane or tail, which were stiff and could hold structure very well, allowing the outer garment to puff out. Here is an excerpt from the book 寓圃笔记 written by 王锜 Wang Qi in the mid to late 15th century. The translations are my own.

发裙之制，以马尾编成，系于衬衣之内。体肥者一裙，瘦削者或二三，使外衣之张，俨若一伞。然系此者，唯粗俗官员、暴富子弟而已，士夫甚鄙之，近服妖也。

The petticoats are made from horsehair and worn underneath a shift. Those with a plumper physique need only one, whereas more slender figures require two or three, to make the outer garment appear puffed like an umbrella. However, the wearing of these petticoats is limited to vulgar officials and the nouveau riche; the literati despise it and consider it degenerate.

Wang is not talking about womenswear here as he mentions officials and literati, though I assume women would’ve worn similar undergarments to achieve the puff effect. 服妖 fuyao or degenerate dress was a very commonly used term in the Ming and Qing to denounce outrageous fashion, mostly by the aristocracy; I would not take the opinions of the literati seriously since they would always talk shit about a trend before becoming obsessed with it themselves🤡

As of now I don’t think any artifacts or pictorial evidence for 15th century Chinese horsehair petticoats exist so I’ll give you a Western visual:

Source here

1840s Western petticoat made of horsehair and cotton.

Crinolines are commonly believed to have originated in Korea and spread to China by some means. Maybe they were brought to and sold in China by the Korean tributary entourage during their visits to Beijing. Later the trend also spread to the south, Jiangnan specifically. 菽园杂记 written by 陆容 Lu Rong in the 1470s or 80s has a detailed explanation:

马尾裙始于朝鲜国，流入京师，京师人买服之，未有能织者。初服者，惟富商、贵公子、歌妓而已，以后武臣多服之，京师始有织卖者。于是，无贵无贱，服者日盛。至成化末年，朝官多服之者矣。大抵者，下体虚奓，取观美耳。阁老万公安，冬夏不脱：宗伯周公洪谟，重服二腰；年幼侯伯驸马，至有以弓弦贯其齐者。大臣不服者，惟黎吏侍淳一人而已。此服妖也，弘治初始有禁例。

Crinolines originated in Korea and had spread to the capital. The people of Beijing bought them but couldn’t yet produce them. At first, they were only worn by rich merchants, young noblemen and singers, but as military officials started donning them they began to be made and sold in Beijing. Thus, regardless of rich or poor, more and more went on board the trend. At the end of the Chenghua era (1464-87), the majority of court officials wore them. ... (cannot translate the people’s titles) ... This sort of degenerate dress was only banned in the early Hongzhi era (1487-1505).

I’m not entirely sure when puffy skirts became fashionable in Korea, but it probably wasn’t long before the 15th century. Apparently crinolines remained fashionable in Korean menswear for another couple decades after they were banned in China, and puffy skirts are still a staple of Korean clothing nowadays, though they’re more of a womenswear thing. Since I couldn’t find any artifacts for 15th century Korean crinolines I looked up modern hanbok petticoats to see if there is any continuity but most of them seem to use 20th century Western materials and construction methods? Like they look like rockabilly or lolita petticoats, both the fluffy “cotton candy” and hoop styles. There are also modern hanbok petticoats which suspend from the shoulders, but I don’t think those were worn in the 15th century because back then skirts in Korea didn’t have the ultra high waist yet, so a full length petticoat wasn’t necessary. If anyone knowledgeable about historical Korean clothing could share with me what 15th century Korean petticoats looked like it would be amazing :D

Source here

Puffy modern hanbok.

Source here

Commercial hanbok petticoat using tulle to puff out.

There is another book with an entry on structured petticoats but it was written in the 1570s or 80s, 100 years after the trend had passed, making it less believable. The book is 谷山笔麈 written by 于慎行.

尝闻里中长老传，数十年前，里俗以袷为裙，袷长衣下，令其蓬蓬张起，以为美观。即无袷裙，至系竹圈衬之，殊为可笑。及读王莽传，莽好以猪毛装楮衣中，令其张起。乃知古亦有之。

I heard from some elders that many decades ago the custom was to wear a  long shift (袷 ?)----which was longer than one’s robe----as a skirt to make the robe puffed, and that was considered beautiful. Had one not been in possession of a long shift, one would use bamboo hoops instead; quite laughable really. If you read the biography of Wang Mang (politician 45BC-23AD), it’s documented that he liked to stuff pig’s hair into his clothes to make them puffed. From this it can be known that [puffy undergarments] had existed since Antiquity.

I cannot verify if this was true but I am really amused by the idea of bamboo hoops. Since bamboo strips were very flexible, I guess it’s not far fetched to use them as boning for a hoopskirt. There is no evidence of bamboo hoopskirts but I guess they would look either like Spanish farthingales or mid 19th century European cage crinolines; there aren’t a lot of other possibilities for a garment of this kind😅

Source here

1865 elliptical cage crinoline made of rows of boning suspended by fabric tapes.

After puffy skirts were banned in the late 1490s they disappeared quite quickly and were never seen in Chinese clothing again. 

Source see watermark

Reproduction of Chenghua era puffy skirts by the 装束复原 team.

Normally in the Ming and Qing women would always wear pants or petticoats underneath their skirts, albeit not puffy. During the popularity of puffy petticoats, underpants or another layer of petticoat would still be worn underneath the crinoline. When pants became popularized in the late 18th/early 19th century, women would also wear underpants or long drawers under their outer pants because knickers didn’t exist.

I consulted this article for this information. I hope this was useful and not too boring!

[peonycats]

Can you do a female Aztec Empire with baby Mexico?

(from left to right: tlaxcala, mexico, aztec empire/mexica)

"back when days were as good as they would ever get, when i was innocent to the ways of the world and every apple in father's eyes was mine to hold, i used to dream of a woman in white, who would say to me: your future is wide, little one, but never forget the futures lost to build it."

(This little blurb caption was written by my friend! Historical footnotes about the fashion and more below the read more!)

Historical Footnotes:

I actually headcanon that mexico never really knew Azteca, or at least, not in any “conventional” sense. For most of Mexico’s life, Tlaxacala was her dominant mother figure, though she had many other parents, including Azteca/Mexica.

Uh Tlaxacala and Azteca/Mexica did not get along well at all, the latter being a constant imperial menace to the former, and resulting in Tlaxacala being more than grateful for the opportunity to flip the odds on the Aztec Empire.

Unfortunately, there’s not that many sources on fashion or clothing of Colonial Mexico prior to 1700s, so I’m basing Tlaxcala and Mexico’s clothes on European fashions of the late 1600s. 

Tlaxcala’s dress has virago sleeves, a style of sleeves made of strips of fabric into two puffs by a ribbon or fabric band above the elbow. It was popular in the 1620s-1630s.

Her off the shoulder dress top is based on a painting of Princess Mary, daughter of King Charles, which dates to the latter half of the 17th century. Honestly i did kinda combine multiple styles for this dress wheezes. The color scheme and overall style is inspired by a Van Dyck portrait of Marie-Louise de Tassis!

Mexico is wearing a dress inspired by the Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress, a painting by David Velazquez!

God if I wanted to be truly accurate to the historical time period, I would’ve put Mexico in a farthingale but those are ugly >:(((((((

Azteca/Mexica is wearing a huipl, a sort of sleeveless blouse commonly worn by women in Mesoamerica. 

mexico might be a little too young looking for the time period but I’m only realizing this now writing these notes fuck

all in all i’m not the happiest with this (particularly with Mexico and tlaxcala’s outfits), hopefully in the future I can do better work and research :////

[lightleckrereins]

I'm back at posting art this time with a comission for @redladydeath

She comissioned me to redraw the costume designs for her Seven AU in a more Six stage costume style. Also bonus undetailed back views because costumes are a 360° thing.

A reminder that my art comissions (including sixsonas) are open.

Full explanation under the cut because it wouldn't be me if I didn't overexplain things

So. This was not a redesign, it was basically a mix of adding details, making things practical from a construction perspective, considering how the materials physically work and throwing studs at every seam available.

The thing with the Six costumes is that they are a mix of historical elements and the style created for the show. In this case it was a mix of the designs, four different historical periods and the Six style. It was fun.

Disclaimer: my knowledge of fashion history previous to the mid 18th century is superficial at best, so I couldn't go as deep as I would have liked with the historical inspiration (except with victoria, I do know that century)

Matilda: This one was mostly detailing. I added mesh on the top and shorts and changed the body of the jacket to holo vinyl instead of fur to avoid it looking less shiny than the rest. The one "historical" element I added is the lacing on the sides because on that century many kirtles (gowns) were laced on the sides.

Jane Grey: This was a tricky one. Took me a while to find the balance between a clean design and too little detail I was like two seconds away from giving it cutouts on alternating panels howard style, but it doesn't look right with the skirt. I gave her a fully structured pleated skirt (that would probably be a nightmare to make).

Mary Tudor: This is where I started deviating from the six costumes. The design had both fire motifs and original aragon costume sequins. I was looking for a way to mix this two as the vinyl wouldnt cooperate with small curves. And then I found this really cool sequin mesh with flame shapes and I knew it was meant to be. I also swapped the hanging charms for ones that are in the middle of the chain to avoid pulling it down.

Elizabeth: To say I went crazy with this one is an understatement. (I mean it literally has two parts) First I made the decision to change all the studs for pearls to keep the theme from the design, then I put pearls in every avaliable surface. The top skirt is made like the Boleyn skirts but with double the panels and a clear bottom. The design said embroidery texture for the skirt and my options were yet another fancy sequin fabric or pearl latice. I chose the latice. There is a legend saying the three pearls from Anne Boleyn's iconic B necklace ended in one of the british crowns so I changed the single pearl in her headpiece for three hanging pearls. The underlayer was the only thing here I fully designed. The inspiration was a crazy lady gaga dress that was just begging to be combined with one of my favorite historical illustrations (google ballet farthingale you won't regret it). The skirt would be folded under the skirt and just burst into life during the change. This is where I used the fancy sequin fabric combined with pearls on chains and in can't get any more extra.

Mary Stuart: This one got almost no changes from me it was mostlydrawing it with the show materials. What I did change was the top. The one thing I know about this time period is that the mantua was the fashionable dress and the design for this top reminded me a lot of the pulled back shape of the mantuas.

Anne: This one is my personal favorite. Again I took heavy inspiration from late mantua designs and mixed it with the original design. The lines, the layers, the collar shape, the wide sleeves. It made so much sense that it flowed in like five minutes. The one big change I did was the skirt top layer, the design said bustle, but Anne lived over a century and a half before those were a thing. What was a thing were layered skirts so thats what I went with.

Victoria: the one period where I know the fashion and it shows. The top is a mix of a mid victorian corset with late romantic era sleeves. I made the corset wider on top and just used sequin fabric with no overlay or studs to make it loose. The skirt was the big challenge. The design had a bustle over the skirt which would look weird irl and be a nightmare to move with. But the victorian period also had the elliptical cage crinoline which has all the bulk on the back and fits nicely over the rond skirt (it is also the iconic queen victoria look so the choice was clear).

[caithyra]

So, which period dress are we talking about?

Reading ASoIaF I have troubled figuring out which historical period the fashion is inspired by (ignore the TV series, I hate the costuming in it). Like, from a practical stand-point with winter coming, it should be the beginning of the Little Ice Age (circa 1500s when it should begin to dictate fashion), because the fashion needs to deal with the weather.

That means Late Medieval/Renaissance/Elizabethan era which covers so many different fashions that it isn’t really that helpful (but most of them includes stays and stomachers, neither which I’ve seen in the books). But then we have the War of the Roses (1300s) inspiration, and, just...

We have the nebulous terms of “dress” and “gown” used interchangeably (what do they mean? Kirtle? Houppelande? Cotehardie? Cotte? Surcote? Gown [actually a jacket-like garment]+stomacher+petticoat? Gown [jacket]+stomacher+petticoat+farthingale? Which silhouettes do they wear? The wide-skirted Elizabethan silhouette or the more natural hips depicted of Arthurian legends in pre-Raphaelite art? Do they wear stays? We know they wear shifts, but if they wear stays too, like Elizabethan women, how the eff is Sansa’s barely grown boobs being noticed in clothing that is designed to flatten, contain and cover them?), but nothing very concrete.

Like, what kind of fabrics, patterns, and motifs in embroidering are popular in Westeros? Are the stockings clocked? Et cetera...

Like, I’m supposed to take the whole “Winter Is Coming” and “Iron Throne In Debt” thing seriously when I don’t even know how the characters are clothed? That’s a pretty big part in both those plots and always present whenever there are living, human bodies in the scene, just saying...

Oh, and aside from the ladies, what period of knightly armor are we talking about, because fashion was as important on battlefields as in ballrooms and depending on which period, the armor will be optimized against different kinds of weaponry...

Speaking of which, which period of weaponry are we talking about?

Oh, and is Cersei’s face being eaten alive by the ceruse? Do any ladies have eyebrows? Or do they like giant, pale foreheads and pick them and the hairline?

Do painted lips mean loose morals? Is the Faith of the Seven cracking down on scarlet smackers? Or is it the Old Gods who don’t approve?

What does it mean to wear a black outfit to a wedding? Or a red one? Or white?

What does it mean for a girl-woman to wear pastels vs vibrant vs dark colours?

And what about the jewelry? Those can pack some pretty hefty political statements as well as statements about the wearer’s character? (Imagine Rhaella wearing jewels the Targaryens took from the other kingdoms after the conquest when the lords paramount and wardens come to swear fealty to the newly crowned Aerys... Not such a wilting blossom, then? A true, Targaryen, patriot! Or she wears gold from the Westerlands because Tywin is the real ruler in silent defiance against Aerys...) And what kind of fashion did it follow? Big and chunky to show how much (precious gems and metals) they could afford? Or small and delicate to show off the skilled craftsmen they could afford to hire? Or any combination thereof? What are popular shapes and motifs? And so on and so on...

Erm... You get the idea?

[benbunny]

Getting dressed in 1846! (...because I love fashion history)

This dress (from DollClothesByMenay on Etsy!) is quite long for a ten year old, but let’s just say it’s for a formal occasion like a recital or a party, where Cati wants to feel very grown up. The shape of this dress, with its wide neckline and low puffed sleeves, was very popular in the late 1830s and early 1840s. Before this, huge, high-puffed sleeves were all the rage. By the mid 1840s, a straight, tight sleeve and a high neckline were more popular, then the bell-style sleeve became popular in the late 1840s, especially in the USA. (Addy’s original school outfit has this style of sleeves.) Of course, most people don’t throw away their entire wardrobe every time fashion changes, so Cati would still have worn this dress in 1846 and, most likely, would have it altered to fit the newer style, rather than dishing out to have a new dress made. The waistline of this dress is close to the body’s natural waistline; if you look at the transition from 1770s to 1850s, the fashion goes from natural waistline to empire (or just below the bust) and back again really quickly compared to the usual timeline for major silhouette changes in women’s fashion. Whether you like the look of Regency/Jane Austen/Empire era fashion (1790s to early 1830s) or not, it’s so interesting to study how it appeared, became ubiquitous, then completely faded out, all within about a 30 year period. The late 1830s and the 1840s were when the last remnants of Regency fashion transformed into typical early/mid-Victorian fashion.

Her hair is in a style popularized by Queen Victoria of England, two braids in the front that loop into a low bun at the back.

This petticoat came with the dress, and supports it beautifully. But to be more historically accurate, Cati would wear several petticoats: first, a simple one, then a corded petticoat (the precursor to the hoop skirt/steel cage crinoline that would be patented in 1856, leading to the massive skirts of the Civil War fashions - before, skirts could only be poofy with layers and layers of petticoats, but weight and heat limited how many could realistically be worn. Funny enough, 18th century panniers were very similar in design to the hoop skirt, as was the 16th century farthingale). She would most likely wear another petticoat on top of the corded petticoat, to conceal any lines or bumps the cording made.

Since Cati is only ten, and her mamá isn’t extremely traditional, she doesn’t wear any stays yet. If she were older, she would wear transitional stays, longer and more structural than the short stays of the empire-waisted Regency fashions, but less shaped than the corsets of the later Victorian era that made a small waistline by enhancing the hips and bust.

So, no stays for Cati, but she does wear a shift (thank you, Felicity). This style of shift or chemise was the standard for centuries (with variations in length, neckline, and sleeve length), but during the latter half of the 19th century, there’s a trend towards increasingly lacy and often sleeveless chemises. By the early 20th century, the standard chemise is sleeveless, but some women wore a pair of combinations, rather than a chemise and split-leg pantalettes/drawers.

Speaking of pantalettes, here are Cati’s! They came from an old porcelain doll and are a bit snug around her legs. To be more historically accurate, they would be made out of linen or cotton, would reach the tops of her ankles, and would not be joined at the crotch, for easy bathroom access. For most of history, women’s undergarments didn’t include anything between the legs, just skirts. Split-leg pantalettes gained popularity first in children’s clothing, but became adult women’s wear during the Regency period, where skirts were less full and closer to the body.

Under her pantalettes, she wears knit stockings. They come up just past her knees and would be tied in place with a ribbon garter (silk or linen, to grip the stocking) above or below the knee. Her shoes are from CR’s crafts, and mimic extant shoes I’ve seen from this period. I’d like to get her some side-button boots, but haven’t found any I really like yet. As long as she doesn’t do anything more strenuous than music lessons and dancing, she’ll be fine with her dainty slippers.

That’s it! I absolutely love fashion history and how everything changes over time, so I hope some of y’all enjoyed reading this! If anyone else is into this (or not) and wants to add (or correct, I’m not an expert, just a hobbyist) anything, please do!

[sartorialadventure]

A farthingale is one of several structures used under Western European women's clothing in the 16th and 17th centuries to support the skirts in the desired shape. It originated in Spain.

Spanish farthingale

The Spanish verdugado, from which "farthingale" derives, was a hoop skirt originally stiffened with the subtropical Giant Cane; later designs in the temperate climate zone were stiffened with osiers (willow withies), rope, or (from about 1580) whalebone. The name verdugado comes from the Spanish verdugo, ("green wood", or the more modern meaning of "executioner").

The earliest sources indicate that Joan of Portugal started to use verdugados with hoops in Spain. Joan had provoked much criticism as she allegedly wore dresses that displayed too much décolletage, and her wanton behaviour was considered scandalous. When she started to use farthingales, court fashion followed suit. As Joan had two illegitimate children by Pedro de Castilla y Fonseca, rumors abounded that she used the farthingale to cover up a pregnancy. The earliest images of Spanish farthingales show hoops prominently displayed on the outer surfaces of skirts, although later they merely provided shape to the overskirt. Catherine of Aragon brought the fashion into England on her marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales, in 1501.

Spanish farthingales were an essential element of Tudor fashion in England, and remained a fixture of conservative Spanish court fashion into the early 17th century (as exemplified by Margaret of Austria), before evolving into the guardainfante of 17th-century Spanish dress.

^ Tudor gown showing the line of the Spanish farthingale: portrait of Catherine Parr, 1545.

French farthingales

The French farthingale, also known as the wheel farthingale, originated in court circles in France; it was introduced in the late 1520s to England. It was introduced by Anne Boleyn after her return to England from the French court. Randle Cotgrave, in his Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues (1611), defined the French farthingale as “the kind of roll used by such women as weare no Vardingales.” Several wardrobe accounts and tailors' bills of the late 16th century give us an idea of what these rolls were made of: they were stuffed with cotton and rags, and stiffened with hoops of whalebone, wire or ropes made of bent reeds. Buckram (stiff canvas) is the most commonly mentioned material. Other references describe the rolls being starched.

There are no extant examples of this style of undergarment, and only one illustration, a satirical Dutch engraving of c1600, that shows the bum-roll being affixed by a tiring-woman.[2] From contemporary references, and the visual cues provided by the engraving, it appears to have consisted of a bolster-like roll either stuffed or held out with reeds which, being fastened around the hips, served the purpose of widening the skirts at the hip area, creating drapes.

Some modern costumers conjecture that the French farthingale and the "great farthingale" were one and the same garment, the difference in shape and construction being due to changes in fashion from the 1580s to the 1590s.

^ French farthingales, c. 1580

Great farthingale

The great farthingale (a.k.a. the drum or wheel or cartwheel or (rarely) Italian or Catherine-wheel farthingale in modern times) is the style of farthingale that evolved from the French Farthingale discussed above, and which became fashionable in the 1590s.

Although there are also no surviving examples of this type of garment, there are a number of references to a "Great Farthingale" in Queen Elizabeth I's wardrobe accounts during the time when this style was in vogue. "Great" in this context referring to the large circumference of the farthingale which was required in order to achieve the fashionable silhouette.

The great farthingale appears to have been worn at an angle ("low before and high behind") which visually elongated the wearer's torso while shortening her legs. Modern costumers conjecture that it probably consisted of one or more large hoops with horizontal stiffeners which radiated from around the waist in order to produce a flat platter-like shape when supported underneath by the "bumroll" or "French farthingale" described above.

The great farthingale remained in fashion into the first few decades of the 17th century, mostly for court functions, after which the fashion died out.

^ Great farthingale silhouette of the 1590s: Elizabeth I, the Ditchley portrait

[isfjmel-phleg]

Top 5 eras of fashion

I don’t know if I have strong feelings of preference enough to rate these, but I’m going to bluff it. These are not necessarily in order, just a list.

The Edwardian era (1900s): I would not have chosen this era as the aesthetic for my fictional world if I didn’t think the clothes were gorgeous.

The 1930s: The 1920s and 1940s are great too, but this decade speaks to my aesthetic the most. The blouses! The shirts! The hats! The shoes!

The 1950s: I was made for this era’s silhouette and am sorry I missed it.

The late Victorian era (1880s-1890s): The Victorian era covers a wide range of styles, but these decades are the look that I associate with the times.

The 1540s: This was the original era for my stories and I retain an affection for it. The headdresses from earlier in the decade had become less hair-concealing, and the silhouette hadn’t yet reached the ruff and farthingale extremity of later in the century.

[iphisesque]

a very *very* late 🌻!

crinoline cages, quite literally fabric, whalebone and metal riggings to be worn under one's skirts to retain their voluminosity, were only patented and popularized in 1856, at the height of the victorian obsession with huge skirts. this was seen as a turning point for women, as it no longer required them to wear multiple stiffened and corded petticoats to achieve the fashionable silhouette, but simply put on the light cage and have it do the work for them! a similar instrument as this, though with another intended shape, had previously come in the form of farthingales (XVI-XVII centuries) and panniers (XVIII century), meant to achieve a silhouette with wide, almost square hips, or as I like to call it, the "secretly stealing a tv in a kids' show" look.