The Style of a Lady

[Grandmaster]

Fashion for the Ladies in Demeria is a complex and complicated matter. No lady worthy of the name in the realm can dress herself without significant aid and dressing is not a swift procedure. To be frank? Clothing makes the woman in Demeria. Her wealth (and purported social worth) is reflected in her attire from the top of her well-coiffed head to the tips of her footwear.

A general notion of what attire is typical for a noblewoman can be found in the fashion of the real world's Tudor Era (approximately 1530-1570).

Foundation Garments:

Shift: Typically made of linen, this item is always the first garment a lady puts on. It is also the most frequently laundered. Loose fitting, the shift falls to the knees and has no real waist line. It has no sleeves, merely straps that sit on the shoulder. Also could serve as a nightgown.

Corset: Made of stiffened cloth with stays of thin metal or rigid wicker, the corset is composed of three pieces - the front and two sides that lace together at the back. The tightness of the corset is at the discretion of the wearer and how much she wishes to display - the tighter the lace, the more compressed and lifted the breasts are.

Stockings: Eschewed in the summer, stockings were a must in the winters. Knitted of silk thread or wool, they were kept in place at the knee with ribbon garters.

Chemise: A short, blouse-like garment that could be worn in lieu of a shift. The chemise always has sleeves, though the collar aspect ranges from no collar to a soft, ruffled high collar circling the neck. Tied beneath the breasts, and again at the neck when a collar is involved, it is made of fine linen or silk.

Farthingale: Basically, the hoop skirt intended to flare the skirt out. The farthingale was intended mostly for formal events.

Bum Roll: The bundle of fabric tied around the waist that rested at the small of a lady's back to lift and help bell her skirt out.

Gown:

A lady's gown was chosen to reflect the occasion for which it was worn. The more formal or elaborate the occasion, the more components were required to the gown. It was not unusual for a lady to take well over an hour's time to don her gown for a formal court, a wedding, or a royal ball. We have broken the choices down by style and occasion.

Informal/Daily Wear:

Day Dress:

The simplest of attire, the day dress was composed of four pieces - the skirt, the bodice and the sleeves. It could be worn with a chemise or without. The sleeves were optional; if worn, they were either sewn into place by the lady's maid or tied on with ribbons for ease of removal.

The skirt was donned first, secured at the waist with a tie of matching fabric. Seldom was the bodice fastened to the skirt until the later time period, but once the skirt was on, the bodice was laced into place at the back. Sleeves could be added as desired.

Typical day dresses were made of linen, wool, wool plush, or if it was available, cotton. These were not often embellished with trims or jewels, but were able to be laundered with care.

Riding Habit:

Side saddles were not yet in vogue during this time period, but modesty had to be preserved. Therefore, a lady who took to horse donned a riding habit. The average habit was worn with a blouse styled in a masculine fashion, a jacket-like bodice and a skirt that was exceptionally long to account for the horse and saddle.

Riding habits were made of linen or wool as they needed laundering.

Ropa:

A simple smock-like dress worn with a more elaborate over-coat. The undergown was made in similar fashion to a shift but with a hem that fell to the floor and tight-fitting sleeves or cap sleeves. The over-coat was long-sleeved with a flared collar, usually made of a brocade or jacquard-like fabric, lined with a solid color.


Formal Attire:

Court Gown:

Made of finer fabrics and trimmed with ribbon, simple lace, embroidered trims or jewels, these gowns were donned for daily Court attendance. While composed of the typical four pieces, they were always worn with sleeves sewn into place and with a shift, rather than a chemise beneath.

Court gowns were made of silk, fine wool, wool plush, velvet, or occasionally, peau de soie, cloth of silver, or cloth of gold. Brocade and jacquard patterns were also acceptable.


Royal Court Gown:

The most formal of formal attire, an average lady possessed no more than one, perhaps two of these gowns. Made of the finest fabrics available and trimmed with lace, jewels and bullion, these gowns were elabourately expensive to craft, requiring seamstresses weeks, if not months, to sew.

The Court gown was composed of five pieces - the underskirt, the overskirt, the bodice, the sleeves and the ruff. Each piece was carefully laced or sewn into place, and were often composed of heavy, stiffened fabrics. They required the donning of farthingales and bum rolls.

Fabrics for a Royal Court Gown - silk, satin, brocade, jacquarded silk, watered silk, peau de soie, cloth of silver/gold, velvet.


Headpieces/Hair:

In this time, how a woman styled her hair and the headpiece she wore often established her place in the rank of court. In Demeria, there is a specific code that is followed regarding the hair and the headpiece.

Unmarried women wear their hair down and/or loose. This is a sign of their maidenhood and unwedded state. They may a headband but no hoods or snoods. Acceptable decorations for an unwedded woman are ribbons, flowers, hair sticks or combs. An unmarried woman may wear pearls, gold or silver chains in her hair but no stones.

A married woman is expected to put her hair up or confine it. They wear it up off the nape of the neck, or in a snood. A married woman may don a hood with or without a veil, using hair pins, combs or clasps. Jeweled stones may also be worn in a married woman's hair.


Jewelry:

A sign of wealth and fashion, there are no restrictions in Demeria regarding the wearing of necklaces, brooches, earrings or bracelets between married and unmarried women. However, the current fashion suggests that less is more - it is better to wear a single stunning piece, rather than a great deal of elaborate jewelry.


Shoes:

Slippers of soft leather soles and either fabric or leather uppers are worn indoors and are the most typical footwear for a lady. These also can pass for dancing slippers.

When riding, a lady wears knee-high boots with a low heel.

When walking, ladies don either low heeled ankle boots or pattens (wooden or oiled leather overshoes).

Higher heels in this time are not in fashion.