Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!

[Thaddeus]

Clothing sewn mainly by Klaus Rother with a few odds and ends by H.E.

T, did I do the hose? It's been so bloody long I barely remember making you this ensemble.

Klaus

You did make those hose, and the bocksten tunic.
I have a HE undershirt and braise on, the linen I sourced for you was pretty course weight stuff and the HE stuff is much more comfortable.

[woodwose]

Here's a bit of soft kit that I don't have many pictures of since I don't tend to wear it for fencing or fighting (that's what the Landsknecht stuff is for)... so here's some 16th c. non-Landsknecht kit.

[MJBlazek]

Matt, how did you get so awesome?

[woodwose]

I ate a lot of pop-tarts. I kinda wish this pick was from the other side so my nicce quiver was visible rather than the sloppy looking baldric for my horn. Guess its time to figure out a better way for the baldric to work..

[Gottfried]

This will be picture happy but what ever edited to fix the HTML

First & second Quarter German 16th century Landsknecht

just me

267481_10150228896910060_614455059_7277679_4452940_n by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr

Me and my Squire Brother at his Coronation in the Coronation Garb I sewed him

P1010150 by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr

My son and I

DSC00760 by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr

Standing Vigil gard (with my son)

6112094989_234e1347b3_o by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr


5816169594_5a5331ec24_o by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr

Third Quarter 16th century German Landsknecht


7256922402_06bd4021c3_o by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr

My lady and I

7256924764_994515a3fa_o by GottfriedKilianus, on Flickr

Gottfried

[MalcolmdeMoffat]

Gottfried,
you are a hand sewing freak of nature!!
*jealous*

[Andrew McKinnon]

15thC soft kit with a northern italian flavour...

[ruel]

Soft kits so far in 2012:
* Narr jester, German 16thc: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1538GermanJester.html
* Holkan mercenary Mayan, 16-17thc: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1697Yuca ... enary.html
* Amenoukal raider Saharan Tuareg, late 19th-early 20thc: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899Tuar ... 12YHY.html
* Murid highland warrior Caucasus, mid 19thc: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1845Chec ... 12YHY.html
* qinjun ying imperial guard Chinese-Manchu, 18-19thc: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1796Qing ... Guard.html

[Klaus the Red]

Very nice job. It's always good to see the non-European civilizations score a few points, even if 3 of your 5 are post-Renaissance.

[ruel]

Thanks Klaus! I forget sometimes that I'm in the minority here, not being an active SCAdian, and have a far less focused scope for kits in both time and geography. And I also forgot a couple other soft kits, one Renaissance (Dalmatian stradiot ca. 1590), the other not (American gentleman from the Revolutionary period):

http://www.forensicfashion.com/1590StradiotCavalry.html
http://www.forensicfashion.com/1776Angl ... leman.html

[Said ibn-Ali]

I have one critique.

Your Tuareg kit, the turban doesnt look like its wrapped propperly. There is a way to wrap a Tuareg turban, just like there is a way to wrap a Berber turban. They are different, most people dont think they are but they REALLY are.

And I would add a sash for the sword to be hang from, they were often set in the front across the belly so they could move and ride with out having to fight with their weapons.

[ruel]

Good eye Said! You're right on both counts. I used to know how to tie the tagulmust the Tuareg way, having been shown by the gentleman in Morocco I got the outfit from. Of course it didn't take long for me to forget, and this was my best approximation of the veil-turbans in these painting from the Museum of Marrakesh: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899Tuar ... ryArt.html
And yes the sword does need a shoulder strap, but I haven't gotten around to making one yet. The scabbard of this sword had an integral strap in the past sewn directly under the leather wrap, which had been cut off at some point. I'm not sure whether to restore it as an integral strap (which would require cutting into the existing leather), or make a separate sling for the sword to slip into (I've seen it done both ways).

Eventually, in addition to these modifications, I'll add other weapons -- shield, spear, gun, arm-dagger -- and get some authentic footwear to complete the kit. But for now, I felt it had progressed enough to give it a spin with my bellydancer friends this summer. I'm rather happy that it formed a nice color complement for one dancer's costume: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899Tuar ... 12YHY.html

[Klaus the Red]

...have a far less focused scope for kits in both time and geography.

More power to you if you have the means. There are no uninteresting periods of history. Does each outfit include a different beautiful lady hanging off your arm? Maybe I should experiment with a Tuareg persona on the side...

[ruel]

Would love to share the fun with you my friend! Actually, this is a case of sampling error: Among my local guy friends, virtually none are interested in doing historic costume, so I do costuming with my model and dancer friends instead. They certainly make playing dress-up fun, although there isn't much opportunity to be warrior-like as these kits demand. It'd be nice to have guy friends for that, and I've often considered joining the SCA just for that purpose.

And I completely agree that there are no uninteresting periods of history! My choices have been guided as much by chance than anything. Often I'll pick up bits of ethnic costume while traveling, and work up from there. Other times the events dictate themes; to mingle with bellydancers, for example, I've tried to have a range of Middle Eastern/Islamicate kits. Oddly enough, the kits I haven't made enough progress on are Medieval and Renaissance Europe -- not for lack of interest, but simply because, knowing that stuff is readily available from many makers and sellers, I haven't felt a sense of urgency in making those purchases. Maybe I should...

[bigfredb]

ruel, Nice arm candy!

[Klaus the Red]

Heh. I work in the costume shop of a professional ballet company and get to hang out with two dozen ballerinas, but they all work so hard during the season that I'd never get the chance to draw them into my reenacting orbit. Might be a fun summer project, though.

[ruel]

Thanks BigFred! Too bad it's arm candy I rarely ever get to keep...

Klaus, that must be great fun working in production. You'd think ballerinas, like other classical performers, would have carry-over interest in reenacting; maybe all they need is a little push to send them over. Am I right to assume that most aren't full-time dancers, and that between seasons they're available to pursue other interests? A worthy summer project indeed!

PS: For arm candy, the costumes that work best for me seem to be ones where I'm masked (including helmets with face plates). Not sure what that says about me...!

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Ruel,

Excellent kits! It appears that you and I suffer from the same mental illnesses

Where are you from?

[ruel]

Thanks! Great to know we don't suffer alone.
I'm in the Dallas, TX area -- much of which is also "Hillbillyville, USA" though I'm not sure it's the same as yours. Are you anywhere nearby?
I actually want to do an Appalachian 'hillbilly'/moonshiner kit too, though I haven't done anything yet beyond take a few notes: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1890Appa ... hiner.html

[Tailoress]

I am really a one-note wonder... same stuff, different color (green this time). Impression of a lady out and about, perhaps ready for a warm weather hunt in 1380 France:



Picture taken by Sir Gareth Nicodemus Somerset (David Randrup) at Pennsic War this year.

[Kilian_the_warlike]

I am really a one-note wonder... same stuff, different color (green this time). Impression of a lady out and about, perhaps ready for a warm weather hunt in 1380 France:



Picture taken by Sir Gareth Nicodemus Somerset (David Randrup) at Pennsic War this year.

Absolutely Gorgeous! And the lady wearing the hat is beautiful too!

[Kilian_the_warlike]

Not the best pic,A friend made me a waistcoat/doublet for my 17th century kit... I am retiring it on accounts that it makes me look like an extra from "The Hobbit".

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 2041_n.jpg

[bigfredb]

I am really a one-note wonder... same stuff, different color (green this time). Impression of a lady out and about, perhaps ready for a warm weather hunt in 1380 France:



Picture taken by Sir Gareth Nicodemus Somerset (David Randrup) at Pennsic War this year.

My Knight has good taste.

[Kilian_the_warlike]

Soft kits so far in 2012:
* Narr jester, German 16thc: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1538GermanJester.html


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Hey Ruel,

First I want to say that the rest of your kits are positively awesome. But we HAVE to talk about your jester. The nylon halloween costume HAS to go. Your other three kits are amazing, but it really sticks out. Its like a mcdonalds happy mean surrounded by three dishes of truffle fed veal.

I have tons of references and resources if you desire them.

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h37 ... 3dydx8.jpg

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Yup, you do look like a Hobbit in that photo. How about Bandobras Took?

[ruel]

Hey Ruel,
First I want to say that the rest of your kits are positively awesome. But we HAVE to talk about your jester. The nylon halloween costume HAS to go. Your other three kits are amazing, but it really sticks out. Its like a mcdonalds happy mean surrounded by three dishes of truffle fed veal.

I have tons of references and resources if you desire them.
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h37 ... 3dydx8.jpg

Thanks Kilian for the comments and references -- your jester kit looks great! I'd definitely love to see your references; the only thing I've encountered so far is Lee 1995p140 (a non-academic source citied in the notes on my jester webpage linked above), and I'd like to bolster it with more scholarly material. It's good to know that others have already worked on this topic.
When I get around to making my jester more historical, I'll probably just start from scratch and build an entirely new costume. Since this one serves its purpose as my "evil jester" in its present form, I'll just leave it as it is and have a separate kit be my "historical jester." This one's already proven its worth terrorizing the local RenFaire last spring, and I'm reluctant to invest further in it -- adding more time, money, or effort won't likely make this jester any more effective at creating turmoil than he already is!



I have way too many kits in progress, and would like to finish some of those before revising the jester. But you'll be happy to know that I don't go around representing this one as being historically authentic; it "pays homage" rather than "reconstructs." Yet interestingly enough, the idea of the evil jester terrorizing women already appears in 16thc Germany, in Holbein's Totentanz. Here's a scan from the Dover reprint, showing a skull-faced jester intimidating a group of court ladies: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1538Germ ... eriod.html


Thanks again! I'll definitely be coming to you for guidance in making Jester #2. Do you have your research uploaded online somewhere?

[Paladin74]

I want friends like yours, ruel. lol Nice kits man.

[Kilian_the_warlike]

Yup, you do look like a Hobbit in that photo. How about Bandobras Took?

Worse Hobbits to be, and apparently the halfling look works for some women

Ruel, I'll send you a .zip full of info and my dissertation on clowning in Renaissance Europe. It just really rubs me that you would do a disservice to your self comparing a crappy halloween costume to your other stuff. As for to the woodcut your basing, to my eyes doesn't even look like a homage, but like many folks here, I can't turn off my HR vision, and avoid such things like renfaires unless I am paid to be there. Get yourself an ass-ear hat and show some pride in being a fool!

[ruel]

* Thanks Paladin! As I mentioned earlier though, it's a bit of sampling error -- the models and dancers are usually my only friends interested in costuming, so they're the only ones who appear in these photos. In reality, the majority of my friends, while beautiful in other ways, aren't quite as photogenic.

* Kilian, that'd be great -- would love to read your dissertation. (I'd offer to trade you back my own MA thesis and JD rigorous brief, but Chinese orthography and prosecutorial immunity aren't topics helpful for costuming!) I guess I see my costuming situation differently than you do, though: I'm not strictly a re-enactor and not an SCAdian, so I wasn't really comparing the jester with those other kits in terms of authenticity. They were meant to do different things. In other words, I *can* "turn off my HR vision." This evil jester costume is used solely to create havoc, terrorize RenFaire children, and flirt aggressively with girls; these are things I probably wouldn't do with a historically accurate jester costume. If I was trying to be a fool in the Renaissance sense, I'd use a costume more like yours, yet at this point I have no true clowning skills and would only disrespect the costume by trying to fake it.

[Josh Wilson]

Just got this finished. It still needs some tweaking I think, and any help would be appreciated...

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Ganz tol, Josh.l!

[Said ibn-Ali]

Good eye Said! You're right on both counts. I used to know how to tie the tagulmust the Tuareg way, having been shown by the gentleman in Morocco I got the outfit from. Of course it didn't take long for me to forget, and this was my best approximation of the veil-turbans in these painting from the Museum of Marrakesh: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899Tuar ... ryArt.html
And yes the sword does need a shoulder strap, but I haven't gotten around to making one yet. The scabbard of this sword had an integral strap in the past sewn directly under the leather wrap, which had been cut off at some point. I'm not sure whether to restore it as an integral strap (which would require cutting into the existing leather), or make a separate sling for the sword to slip into (I've seen it done both ways).

Eventually, in addition to these modifications, I'll add other weapons -- shield, spear, gun, arm-dagger -- and get some authentic footwear to complete the kit. But for now, I felt it had progressed enough to give it a spin with my bellydancer friends this summer. I'm rather happy that it formed a nice color complement for one dancer's costume: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899Tuar ... 12YHY.html

It maybe better to make a new scabard for the sword. But every bit I can find on the way they wore their swords says if it wasnt strapped over the shoulder it was stuck through a sash across the abdomin. I know the biggest thing you will have to be careful of is having any raw iron items on you. They raw iron was considered to be a taint for the soul. So they often would use brass or copper in its place.

[bigfredb]

Guess its about time for me to post my kit. Still a work in progress.

Here is my kit, portraying a 1335ish Scot (lowland).

[ruel]

* Fred,
Is that "tail" on your belt period? I don't know that I've ever seen that sort of garment from the back before, and have no idea what that extension would be called.

* Said,
That particular sword is in rough shape and needs alot of work. Besides the scabbard, the grip and guard are bent out of alignment with the blade; the hilt will need to be disassembled and remounted. (You can kinda see it in the photo here, together with a Sudanese kaskara that is probably mislabled as Tuareg: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899Tuar ... Sword.html )

But regarding what you said about takoubas being "stuck through a sash across the abdom[e]n:" I've never seen that; I've always seen them either with integral straps (like mine), straps or sash attached to scabbard rings, or a baldric -- all of which hang from the shoulder. See, for example, Spring 1993 p30, mentioning baldric straps, which I've quoted here: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1899TuaregWarrior.html

Where have you seen or read that these swords were worn tucked at the waist?

[bigfredb]

* Fred,
Is that "tail" on your belt period? I don't know that I've ever seen that sort of garment from the back before, and have no idea what that extension would be called.

The "tail" is a belt favor from my wife (and is attached to the belt). She is working on one that is a little shorter.