Men in Tights
Here is my first attempt at a jerkin and slops. Translation: vest and pants. The jerkin is made out of upholstery fabric, black velvet and tan lightweight suede. I think it came out pretty good. The black velvet hat is called a "porkpie." The detail below is the neckline. The gold metal like things are wood trim pieces painted gold.
Above is a pair of slops with codpiece. It is hard to tell from the photo but this style of pant would be very short and very baggy. Sometimes referred to as pumpkin pants. In the renaissance era they would use cloth or buckwheat to fill out the pants. Can you imagine the embarrassment if you ripped a seam at court?
Yes, this is a codpiece. In their time it was used to tie closed the front of the pant legs. It started as a flat triangle and developed in to a large protruding, highly decorated thing in Henry VIII time.
I once read somewhere that Henry saw a codpiece bigger than his and told his tailors to make all his bigger and more jeweled than anybody else . Henry seamed to have that kind of attitude about life.
Here is another jerkin. This time it has picadils (peplum or skirt) at the bottom and wings at the shoulders. Wings give the wearer the illusion of broad shoulders and narrow waist. Believe it or not, some men wore corsets to achieve the look of the time. Most wealthy men wore this kind of jerkin over a doublet. Even men had a fashion to keep up with.
Ok, some other new words. This is a doublet and Venetian breeches. A doublet would have a peascod belly (padded belly). Remember, what was considered beautiful then might not be the same today. The sleeves are also cut in two curved pieces. Venetian breeches are not as baggy as the slops and come to the knee.
I made a outfit for a friend of ours to wear to faire. He is an artist and this style just seamed to fit. I also made a flat cap to go with it. Below is a close-up of the ties. This came out of another old necklace and suede cording.
Everyone seams to love this shirt. I did to until my husband wore it to dance in the rain. His doublet (purple one above) ran and now it is a tie-dyed renaissance shirt. Next time I have a dye bath going I will stick it in to see what happens. The fabric was a tablecloth that became a curtain that became a shirt. I have said it before: don't throw anything away!