The Realm of Venus Presents....

talian howcase

Showcasing:

Teddy/Violetta

Costumer for several re-enactment groups.
A Florentine Gown in the style of the 1540s

Teddy Says.....

My name is Teddy (sometimes known as the Trustworthy Evil-Bunny of Destiny), I'm a Librarian and cataloguer who makes and wears costumes for a variety of events, mainly in the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries, some 17th Century and some pseudo-18th Century with a bit of regency and Victorian thrown in for good measure. I got into period costuming sideways through costuming for Masquerades at Science Fiction conventions (mostly doing Fantasy-based rather than hard SF costumes, though I always felt that my Nightcrawler, from the X-men worked particularly well).

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I'm in a couple of groups that do period displays and re-enactments, The Paladins of Chivalry (14th and early 15th Century displays) and the Medieval Siege Society (15th Century/Wars of the Roses battle re-enactment) as well as a multi-period group (similar coverage to the SCA) that doesn't do public shows/displays, called the Far-Isles Medieval Society. I currently play King Guy in that group.

The orange and GREEN gown (I know the green is distorted in the pictures but it's actually a bright true jewel-tone in those guards at neckline and hem) is the newest gown for the King's sister, Violetta - a sometime visitor to the Far-Isles who made her first appearance in many years this May Revel (the girl in the cart had just been named as the May Queen).





The gown is inspired by the Florentine styles of the 1530's and 1540's and is actually a separate skirt and bodice of orange cotton
furnishing brocade, trimmed with green velvet. The bodice is pieced from offcuts, with the guards at the neckline covering where the orange does not reach all the way up. There are sleeves to go with it, but they aren't yet finished, but they're an attempt at the style show in these paintings:

Which, along with others, such as this one (below left), formed my inspiration for making the gown in the first place. The skirt was actually made as the underskirt for an, as yet unfinished Elizabethan Court-style gown for a Science-Fantasy costume entry in a Masquerade (which is the reason it is separate from the bodice), but I realised that, with careful piecing, I could use the offcuts (there were several of varying sizes because it is made from four rectangular panels and I matched the pattern at the seams) to make a bodice and sleeves. The orange fabric was originally two different shades of sandstone coloured brocade (ends-of rolls got cheap from a furnishing fabrics outlet remnants-bin) which I dyed in the washing machine using Dylon Machine dyes (an excellent product on natural fibres if you have a European-style front-loading washing machine) The green velvet was a couple of metres of short-pile cotton velvet I got (again cheap) on Walthamstow Market some years ago.






I do intend to get an appropriate headdress together to go with this outfit. The pictures were taken when I had rushed to get it to a "wearable" state for May Revel. Also, the smock worn in the photos is wrong as it's drawstring neckline - it was one I
already had from years ago which was available, wearable and, more to the point *finished* on the day....<G>

Bella Says.....

Teddy is a prolific and talented costumer, who is also a wonderful person with a wicked sense of humour. I am pleased and honoured to showcase his lovely Italian creation here for you all. If you would like to see his other costumes (and they are worth seeing let me tell you!) he has allowed me to provide a link to his website. He can be contacted at this e-mail address.

Would you like to be Showcased? Email me!