August, 2005.

DOUBLET:

My main reference for the doublet was Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion. This has extant examples of both elizabethan and Italian doublets, including the stitching, collar, buttons. Left is the main influence for the final look of Dafydd's doublet. It is to have short sleeves, to be worn over his linen rapier shirt. This will make a cooler option for rapier tourney in the hot summers of Innilgard (Adelaide, SA) where temperatures can reach into the 40 deg Celcius range.

Being a rapier doublet, the following rules must be observed:

• 4 layers over the body, (2 layers on the doublet, and 2 layers on the linen shirt)
• 4 layers covering the armpit (already 4 layers in this area for the linen shirt).
• there should be enough overlap were any join may allow the rapier to go, to not allow the baring of skin.

Below are pictures of the Pattern pieces I used, based on those in Patterns of Fashion. I added a 3 inch overlap at the front buttoning. The sleeves have a seam near the side back. I did add gussets, to the sleeves, to help aid movement for tourney. Adding them at the side back meant that there was more movement when lunging forward. If I had put them on the traditional, modern underarm seam, this would allow for upward movement. However, there is not much call for holding the rapier up vertically above the head (unless being attacked from above, I would suppose!).

A reminder on the material ... This is the visible layer. The lining is of cotton drill. (I had a whole heap left over in my stash). The skirts were to be edged with bias binding (examples of this can be seen in Janet Arnold). The sleeves will have couched, metallic silver thread to give the diamond design. I also decided to add linen bias cut, picadils to the neck and down the front opening, to add some decoration. This will be less bulky than box pleating. Again, examples of this can be seen in Patterns of Fashion.

What I have learnt in my research on making an Elizabethan doublet:

Proper tailored lining of the collar. herringbone stitch close up (inside)	(outside of the lining).	The stiffened collar of the lining

For this doublet, I did not want to cheat and use rope stiffening for the collar. I have no research to back up the rope stiffening. Also this would make the collar too thick. For rapier protection, the neck is covered by a thick coif with a metal and leather gorget underneath. Left: oringally from http://www.tudor-portraits.com/Costumes.htm and from Tribute to Janet Arnold at the V&A Museum - found at: http://www.kipar.demon.co.uk/arnold.html (though does not appear to be there now) shows the stitching to hold layers of linen and wool to stiffen the collar. What a better time to learn and actually do the proper way of stiffening a collar! (except that it took an extra day or two of handsewing!)

Next time, I will try to use this method to stiffen the front of the doublet also.

Decorations:
Above are photos of the picadils at the neck. This was made from an inner collar lining of linen, with the folded over top being slit (on the bias) to form picadils. This was all handsewn into the collar.
Above R: I made bias from the linen left over from the doublet shirt. I also used the same bias to handsew to the edge the skirts. (below).

The sleeves: I couched some (you guessed it!) silver metallic thread I had in my stash:	Buttons: The Renaissance Tailor website has instructions on making these types of buttons. These were made in a similar fashion as the buttons on the trews. Buttonholes were made on the left side of the front, being hand-sewn in silk thread. A similar set up is seen in Patterns of Fashion.	Inside the doublet: the lacing strip. This will lace the doublet to the trews, helping to reduce the chances of the two coming adrift. This is desirable for rapier garb safety.	The lining was blindstitched in place.

The final outfit on the day, for the Innilgard Counted Blows Rapier Tourney. The right picture shows all of the layers of the outfit:

Bibliography:

• Egerton Castle, Schools and Masters of Fencing - from the Middle Ages to the Eighteeenth Century. Dover Publications. NY, reprint 2003. ISBN: 0-486-42826-5
• Lochac Rapier Rules:
• Web Gallery of Art: http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/
• Arnold Janet, Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd, Maney, Leeds, 1988, ISBN:0-901286-20-6
• Arnold Janet, Patterns of Fahsion, MacMillan, London, 1985. ISBN: 0-333-38284-6
• Juan Alcega's Tailor's Pattern Book, 1589 Facimile, Ruth Bean, Carlton, Bedford, 1979.
• The Milanese Tailor's Handbook http://costume.dm.net/Tailors/
• Tudor & Elizabethan Portraits: http://www.tudor-portraits.com/Costumes.htm
• "How much yardage is enough" Susan Reed, 1994. http://patriot.net/~nachtanz/SReed/fabuse.html
• Suggested Yardages for Elizabethan Garments by Drae Leed. http://costume.dm.net/yardages.html# (29/5/03)
• Renaissance Tailor (making buttons) : http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_buttons.htm
• Tribute to Janet Arnold V&A Museum:   http://www.kipar.demon.co.uk/arnold.html