Monday 25 May 2009

Fuggelalter Kostueme

I had high hopes for Mittelalter Kostueme.  After all, they pictured real Medieval illuminations on the splash page.  But one glance at their offerings makes it clear that they spent no time looking at said illuminations.  Tips for twits: it's a really bad idea to post period images when your own sewing doesn't measure up; it'll show us exactly how many mistakes you're making!



Now, I have seen mens' tunics slit in the front and back and I've seen them slit on the sides.  But slit in four places?  I don't think so!  I guess this is just what happens when reenactors use so little yardage that doing things the right way would look even more bizarre.




I think we've got four way slits again.  And what is the deal with the shoulders?  If this were a good tabard, there's no way the fabric at the shoulders would stick out that far.  If it were a good tunic, there'd be attached sleeves.  Either way, this looks idiotic.



Oh, brilliant.  Let's throw a gown with minimal fabric over a much fuller underdress.  Are they going for the fishtail effect?



Not limiting themselves to skirts that are too narrow, they've also got skirts that are way too short!



They call this a houpelande. I thought these were houpelandes, but perhaps I was mistaken.



Contrasting top, contrasting hanging sleeves, split overskirt... how exactly is this historical?




Oh, joy.  Ugly, unperiod brocade and some of the most bugfuck seam placements I have ever seen!

In short, the garb here is frequently silly, and about as period as Holy Hand Grenades.

4 comments:

  1. That last one is just a bad idea entirely- the lines would make anyone who isn't a pipe cleaner look like a whale. The spreading diagonal lines say "look how biiiiig I am down there! (and not up here)".

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  2. A note on the 'way too short' tunic- I have found some Byzantine and Frankish sources which do in fact have a hip-length tunic over a floor length one. However, it is clear that the tunics pictured are not Byzantine or Frankish. Sad, that.

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  3. The "fishtail" one looks almost like an attempt at early period Chinese.

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    Replies
    1. Er, not the fishtail. The one under it, with the green skirt.

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