mi-parti

OK, here's how it goes...

With some up-comming events, I feel the need to make myself a new style of gown to wear. I was thinking of a mi-parti gown based on the Moy bog pattern but after much research I'm not sure at all about that specific cut (more about that later on). I've been meening to make myself a proper particolor gown since even before I made my awfull satin tournament dress a few years back. That goldish-caramel wool would be the perfect period shade of heraldic gold but I'm not sure yet about the black, I may go for red or blue instead. All excavated particolor vestments from the 13th c. and later are all red and blue with the exception of the Ronbjerg Tunic which no carbon as been made of to this date.

At first I didn't quite know what type of scheme I wanted so I drew a few because I thought that, some looked nice but they would have looked somewhat odd without the hood...

But after doing some research, I've made up my mind based on these conclusions ; Although I didn't find evidence of mi-parti chaperon hoods worn by woman, all the fitted particolor cotehardies that I found don't have different colored sleeves except for jesters and very complexe heraldic garments which are only likely to be worn by the highest rank of nobility. Every images depicting male particolor cotte with matching mi-parti hood all have the color matching on the same side of the garments and the sleeves are never of a contrasting color. So in conclusion, I think that complexe mi-parti scheme are only part of a modern vision and up 'til here, I haven't found evidence of such practice. Therefor, my fourth drawing is the most plausible one.

Here are more sources regarding this project ; The first image here shows more ladies wearing hoods from "Life of julius cesar, Les Anciennes Hystoires Rommaines". The second and third were both taken from the same page of "Bible moralisée de Jean le Bon" late 14th c. I've put them up here as evidence that both styles of tippet gowns, buttoned or not, were in style at the same time & in the same area. Here, they are both worn by the same lady (Dalila) and as a bonus, she also has her hood worn on her shoulders. The fourth image shows a woman wearing a buttoned hood. The image is from the manuscript "The story of Alexander" at the Bodlein library. The last one also shows a woman wearing a buttoned hood. It was taken from the manuscript ; "Livre du Roi Modus et de la reine Ratio" at the BNF. All images here are from french manuscripts...

I couldn' find any light weight wool to match my gold one in a dyable color so I've decided to go for black. After all, the first idea is always the best! They only had grey in ligh weight so I had to dye it darker. Still, I didn't want to get a perfect black because, unless I would have sheared a pure black sheep, it wouldn't be very likely. Oak and walnut could give some shades of charcoal Shell-fish, Tanin & steel could get you some black but they'd run and wash-off easily so I doubt that a garment would have kept a perfect black shade for long.

And while at the library, I was browsing through a book called "Les manuscrits des rois de France au Moyen Âge" and I found a clear image that I've seen like a hundred times before on the web and in another book but for the first time ever, I was really getting to see the details. I was SO excited because, I've finaly found images of buttoned "&" particolored hoods. It was right under my noze the whole time ! Check this out ...

So now, even though I still haven't found actual evidence of a lady wearing a mi-parti hood over her gown, I'm 98% sure that somewhere, sometime a 'lil lady DID wear one. It's almost impossible to say otherwise. I'll keep on looking though. I'm pretty sure that the answer lies in the 1371 manuscript "Homage du comté de Clermont-en-Beauvais".
I already have 3 images from that manuscript and I can tell you that it's a festival of hoods and heraldic clothing !
(see image of The Bourbon's meeting above). So now I can start working on my gown as soon as I get a chance... Unfortunatly, that might be only after the holidays ! "sob" :)

Yay! I've finaly found a few hours to get started on that project. I've decided to go with the Moy patern after all since it's so comfortable. I'll just make the sleeves a little less fitted than for my other gown. I've cut a few pieces and assembled the sides together along with the front gore. I decided not to finish it with an overseam like I did for the yellow one, instead, everything will be set with an hemstitch. The only problem that I've experienced yet with that type of stitch is that, the wool is so light that, the stitch goes right through and totaly shows on the other side. I can't just grasp a thread or two from the weft, it rips off very easily like if it was felted. But it doesn't look too bad since my stitches are *mostly* even! I'm very excited about the color scheme because I've been fantasizing on this Codex Manesse image for years ;