[MR] Fitted and Supportive Kirtle/Cotehardie

[Betty Eyer]

I don't know what any of the ladies look like who have
recently posted, so please do not take this as a
personal comment.

I have looked at these websites and admire these
industrious ladies who obviously have put a lot of
work and time into getting a particular look.  And I
have made similar dresses with various levels of
success and failure.  Notable is the otherwise
beautiful but unfortunately spiral black dress with
lovely pewter buttons to accentuate the twisted fit.  

Maybe the illusive and undocumentable explanation for
the fit of these dresses in period is due to the fact
that the standard of beauty was then, as in our own
time, thin and somewhat flatchested teenagers???? 

And if you do succeed in fitting one of these dresses
to lift up a large and somewhat less than bouyant
chest, how the heck do you keep the buttons from
pulling into an unflattering gap, unbuttoning
themselves, tearing the fabric, popping across the
feast table when you sneeze, etc.?  No joke, all of
these things have happened to me with the button down
the front fitted dress.  I finally got one to look
good by sewing the bust together with a whip stitch so
that the pressure is not on the buttons at all. It is
quite a spectacle when I have to get in or out of it.
I got the idea that I was not what the designer of
that style had in mind.

In this modern time, the style is to have stretch hip
hugger jeans worn with tops that don't quite make it
to the waistband of the jeans.  I don't wear that
style and fitting the jeans differently will not make
it flattering.  My teenage step daughter looks cute as
pie in it.

Word.

--- "Kathrina A. Black" <kblack at breckenvale.com>
wrote:
> Many months ago someone posted a link to a website
> that showed with great photos and text, how to make
> a fitted kirtle (or cotehardie, can't remember
> which) that would support your bust.  Does anyone
> know this website?  If so, could you please post it.
>  I saved it to my favorites, but when my computer
> crashed, I think it was lost.
> 
> -Catriona inghean Ghiricc
>
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=====
Magdalena de Hazebrouck-Purpure, a fess fusilly argent between three torches or. 
"There are two types of music.  The Blues and Zippity Doo Dah." Townes Van Zandt

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