threadwalker

Just a thought on Italian Overgowns.

Mad Duchess and I were chatting about them in a thread and I have a Opinion ™ to share about them. Unfortunately, my first attempt to post ended up in being logged out and I can't seem to "reply" to her there. So you'll all get it and I’m cutting and pasting and logging off again.

On Italian Ren overdresses from the 1470-1500-ish era. For some background, my opinion is based on spending the last 15 or more years reading various references (owning Jacqueline Herald doesn’t hurt), staring at art until my eyes bled, going to Italy to stare at said art in person, reading up on the currently available diaries and letters, and reading about the culture of the day. This does not make me an expert and I have no illusions that reading equates with expertise, but it does make me very comfortable in my own opinion.

As the basis, I think the Italian overgown served some very specific purposes: it declared the wearer’s station in society. It was as costly as the wearer could afford and flaunted as many sumptuary laws as the wearer thought they could get away with. There are repeated translations of how much the overgown cost - rarely a discussion of the cut of the dress. This reveals the emphasis of the day. It was worn when the lady received visitors or went out. It was usually cut in a way to reveal the undergown to some extent. Speaking of the undergown – yes, there was a fitted, bust-supporting layer. That support should not come from the overgown. Those are the constants I can find.

As far as cut, whether it was fitted or loose, whether it had a waist line or flowed to the floor, whether it was sleeved or sleeveless, whether it was trained or untrained, whether it was open up the sides or the front or both … examples of all this can be found thanks to some very prolific artists in Florence and some committed patrons of art. Once you got high enough on the food chain, what you wore was as much a political statement as anything else.

E.G. Your politcal neighbors and rivals in the next city-state over are hosting the King of France and probably making some trade agreements. In a show of independence you might send an appeal to your contacts in Spain (or Rome) and just as quickly start declaring your allegiance by wearing (and being painted in) some article of Spanish or Roman fashion.

And with the wave of the politicians wand, everyone’s clothes change.

So I’m not inclined to get whipped up over the right way or wrong way to do Italian over-gowns. They were pretty flexible and adaptable people. The life of Marco Parenti and his family's woes and marriage brokering is pretty eye-opening.

You're certainly welcome to your own opinion and I'm always interested in what other people think.

I wonder if I should post a list of fascinating reading for the culture and era. As soon as I get a free moment. (hahaha!)