Partlets 101 - Polka Dot Panther

Partlets 101 THLady Medb ingen Echuid email: daisy@daisyviktoria.com website: polkadotpanther.com Partlets are a great way to accessorize a late period dress. In addition to adding a level of period accuracy to certain garments, partlets are great functional pieces because they can add warmth and/or protect your skin from the elements. Partlets vary by time and region. We are going to focus on some basics to get you started. You should seek out the specific styles that work best for the look you’re going for. Partlets were common all over Europe starting in the 15th and throughout the 16th century. They were worn by women of all classes, though style could vary by class. As one may expect, higher class partlets tended to be more decorated than lower class partlets. Partlets were sometimes worn over the dress and sometimes tucked inside the bodice. Fabrics Some partlets were made of fine silk or sheer linen. These were especially common in Italian regions. Silk and linen partlets were also common in England, though they tended toward fewer sheer partlets and more substantial fabric weights. In The Netherlands, as well as its neighboring region which is now western Germany, partlets of thicker materials were more common ­ linen, as well as wool and velvet, were used. Velvet would be more common for upper classes, while lower classes would use wool. All classes used linen. Sometimes Flemish, Dutch, and western German partlets were worn in two layers ­ a white linen partlet under a more substantial wool or velvet one. This was not always the case, and sometimes a high neck smock took the place of an inner linen partlet. Throughout the 16th century, decorations became more common. Embroidery, bead work, and trims were used on upper class partlets, and some were made of lace. Decoration is especially common in England and Italy and not so common in the Netherlands region. There are so many partlets with so much variation! These are just a few examples to give you an idea of the many styles that existed. Elizabethan 1. (Upper class high neck with ruff ­ open) Unknown Lady. Unknown artist. c 1550­55 2. (Upper class high neck with ruff ­ closed) Portrait of a Woman. Follower of Cornielle de Lyon. c. 1550 3. (Working class high neck with ruff ­ worn over dress) Commonplace Book. Thomas Trevilian. 1608 General observations: Often high necks with ruffs, often closed at the throat but sometimes worn open. Upper classes ­ often worn tucked into the gown bodice. Lower classes ­ often worn over the dress. Materials: silk, linen Embellishment for upper classes ­ embroidery, bead work, decorative stitching Italian ­ Florence and Rome 1. (Florence ­ sheer, worn open over dress) Portrait of Giovane Donna. Domenico Ghirlandaio. c. 1488­90 2. (Florence ­ sheer with embroidery, tucked in) Portrait of a Noble Woman. Unknown Artist. 1540s 3. (Rome ­ sheer with embroidery, tucked in) Portrait of a Woman. Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo. c. 1525 Italian ­ Venice 1. (sheer, embellished) Portrait of a Lady With a Fan. Titian. 1553 2. (sheer, embellished, with collar) Portrait of a Young Woman. Marietta Robusti. 1550 3. (sheer, embellished, with trim on opening) Portrait of a Woman. Tintoretto. c. 1570 General observations: Typically worn open in front. Started as a simple sheer shawl­like garment in 15th c. Florence and evolved into a more elaborate embellished piece tucked inside the gown. Materials: silk, linen, lace Embellishments ­ embroidery, bead work, lace Netherlands Region 1. (Working class ­ white linen with ruff) The Four Elements: Fire. Beuckelear. 1570 2. (Working class ­ worn over linen partlet or high neck smock) The Vegetable Seller. Pieter Aertsen. 1567 3. (Upper class ­ black velvet) Portrait of a Young Woman. Bartholomaus Bruyn. 1539 General observations: Often secured just at the bottom or partway up the front. Single layer high neck ruff partlets usually made of white linen. Outer partlets usually made of dark / black wool (working class) or velvet (upper class). Darker partlets worn either over an inner white linen partlet or over a high neck smock. Materials: linen, wool, velvet Embellishments for upper class ­ sometimes silk edging or trim was used. A basic partlet pattern: Cut two fronts. Cut one back on fold. Dotted line on front indicates the cutting line for a sloped­front partlet. Note that you may need to adjust this pattern to achieve a specific style. If adding a ruff to your partlet, cut a rectangular neck band equal to the width of the neck opening. To line the neck band, cut two of these. For a gathered or pleated ruff, cut a rectangular piece equal to your desired ruff height (plus seam allowance) by approximately 2.5­3 times the width of the neck band. To sew a simple partlet: Sew the shoulder seams. Add decoration. Hem the openings (or attach lining and finish remaining hems). Either add strings to tie your partlet under the arms, or pin your partlet to your dress, depending on your preference and what style you are creating. Resources Books Landini, Roberta Orsi, and Bruna Niccoli. ​
Moda a Firenze, 1540­1580: Lo Stile Di Eleonora Di Toledo E La Sua Influenza​
. Firenze: Pagliai Polistampa, 2005. Mikhaila, Ninya, and Jane Malcolm­Davies. ​
The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th­century Dress​
. Hollywood, CA: Costume and Fashion, 2006. Vecellio, Cesare, Margaret F. Rosenthal, and Ann Rosalind. Jones. ​
The Clothing of the Renaissance World: Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas: Cesare Vecellio's Habiti Antichi Et Moderni​
. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Online partlet patterns A simple partlet by Margo Anderson: http://www.margospatterns.com/files/partlet.pdf Flemish partlet by Drea Leed: http://www.elizabethancostume.net/lowerclass/makeflem.html#partlet