One of my re-enactment friends shared a photo of a simple, loose, 14th ct dress that was so practical and comfortable looking, I had to make it.
The dress is a long, loose dress with a high neckline, buttoned-up hemline, and loose sleeves (either hanging, simple, or bag sleeves). The illustrations from various 14th ct sources all depict young women with uncovered hair wearing the dress while pursuing outdoor endeavors – hunting, falconry, animal care.
The pockets created by the pinned-up hem are especially notable. The pockets accumulate stuff: lint, pet fur, bits of leaves and twigs, occasional cooking detritus, garden vegetables, and small childrens’ toys. I’ve christened it the “Snack-pocket Dress”, and I’ve found that if I drop a few dog treats in the hem pockets, my dog will follow me anywhere. (He’ll also chew on the hem, which isn’t the best outcome.)
The drawings lack sufficient detail to extrapolate construction, but similar dresses of that time were made use rectangular construction, usually of wool, occasionally lined with linen or fur.
Sources
Marginalia from 14th-century fragmentary pocket psalter of Flemish origin, Cambridge University Library manuscript MS Add. 4085
The Smithfield Decretals (British Library, Royal MS 10 E IV), 14th ct, famous for its unusual and humorous marginalia
Codex Manesse, book of poetry and songs created between around 1300-1340 in Zurich
Construction Notes
The goal was to make a warm, loose overdress, so I used a lovely piece of dark bluish green medium-weight broken twill wool, and flat lined the entire dress in medium weight autumn gold linen. I chose to make a more modern construction, with curved armscyes and slightly rounded sleeve heads. I had 60″ wide wool, so I also chose to cut in a trapezoidal shape, rather than adding gores, for ease of construction. I added pocket slits for convenience, and chose bag sleeves for practicality, with bronze buttons at the cuffs and bronze pelican buttons pinning up the hem.
It is a very comfortable dress, practical for camping, or for events with dusty, mucky arena floors. I can add a hood or wool underkirtle for warmth, or a belt to snug the dress into the body.
I would absolutely make this again, this time with true rectangular construction. If you truly want to be a friend to animals and children, you need a snack-pocket dress.
House Snark 