The Armour Archive

In wearing cotehardies, it occurs to me that when completely unbuttoned the male versions work well as coats. I was just wondering if there is any documentation out there for cotes being worn unbuttoned. Ideas anyone?

Hi there,

I'm recalling that there are pictorial sources showing cottes in various stages of unbuttoned-ness, but I'm not sure what you mean by unbuttoned = good coat.

-Tasha

Actually I'm thinking more of the Herjolfsnes #G63 gown, much like the one H.E. sells. I just made one of wool lined with silk, and it seems that it could be worn over other things (like bocksten tunics or St. Louis shirts) while unbuttoned. Thus it acts more as a modern coat would than a gown and its delightfully warm.

Truth is, I don't like cloaks. I'm much too "free" in my SCA activities to find them at all efficient or effective. I'm wondering if I can use this as alternative to cloaks in cold weather without totally going beyond the realm of any authenticity.

Alternately, I'll just continue to layer up the best I can.

Anjouleme

Layering seems reasonable to me, I have thought about wearing my G63 over a tunic before. A G63 is plenty big enough to wear buttoned over a tunic. To wear it unbuttoned over a tunic like a modern jacket seems odd and I have never seen anything like that in period art. Starting in the late 1370s or early 1380s gowns to go over a cotte become fashionable for the wealthy.

Anjouleme wrote:Actually I'm thinking more of the Herjolfsnes #G63 gown, much like the one H.E. sells. I just made one of wool lined with silk, and it seems that it could be worn over other things (like bocksten tunics or St. Louis shirts) while unbuttoned. Thus it acts more as a modern coat would than a gown and its delightfully warm.

Truth is, I don't like cloaks. I'm much too "free" in my SCA activities to find them at all efficient or effective. I'm wondering if I can use this as alternative to cloaks in cold weather without totally going beyond the realm of any authenticity.

Alternately, I'll just continue to layer up the best I can.

Layering, IMHO, is defintely the way to go. I hate cloaks, I rarely wear them, if I can avoid it. Actually, most people in artwork seem to be wearing layers, like a fur lined gown over their cote or doublet, and I can't say that I often see cloaks outside of ceremonial purposes.

Looser gowns can be seen layered over other clothing throughout the 14thc. In some circles, loose gowns never go out of style while the young, wealthy, and fashionable take a turn for the naughty with their tight clothing layers between 1340ish and early 15thc.

James, you're probably thinking specifically of the re-introduction of fashionable gowns like the houpelande, but it's worth noting that loose gowns as a general term were always around and had long been used as a layer over another layer of clothing. For a long time there they seemed to be the choice of older and distinguished people, modest people, professionals, laborers, etc. The gown from Herjolfsnes is probably a good example -- it's not a houpelande like those seen in the continental art, but rather a practical garment, much required for the circumstances in Greenland at that time.

Anjouleme, if you're willing to wear your cotte as a warm layer against the cold, why not button it up anyway? If worried about getting just the right balance of insulation and heat drain, just make sure your underlayers aren't too thick and warm and you should be okay. You can always undo some of the top buttons too...

-Tasha

We often recommend wearing the G63 gown over other 14th C. garments as a "coat" for warmth. Cloaks and capes, while very romantic, aren't very good at keeping you warm, where a buttoned up coat is.

The G63 also looks wonderful over a nicely fitted cotehardie, as it provides a nice smooth foundation for the gown to lay over.

Gwen