1560s White Brocade Sottana, based on two extant gowns
This gown is based on two primary extant examples, the Eleonora di Toledo burial gown, and the red velvet Pisa gown, both dating to the 1560s. Using the pattern diagrm from Patterns of Fashion for the skirt, and basing the seam lines on the bodice from PoF, I discovered that, hey, I'm almost the same exact size as Eleonora!
The skirt was the most problematic of the outfit, because the pattern provided by Janet Arnold, when made up according to the measurements in the book, is actually fairly narrow. I ended up adding additional gores to the sides in order to give the skirt more fullness towards the back. Arnold's sketch of the gown in PoF shows an exaggeratedly fuller skirt than what the pattern she drafted from the extant gown would allow for. Whether this is artistic liscense or is due to an error either in the measurement of the gown, or my own error in calculating the pattern from the diagram, I'm not sure. Based on the diagram in PoF, the measurements are almost identical to my own in terms of bust, waist and length. One thing to note is that the reproduction gown, made by Janet Arnold and displayed at the Galleria del Costume, Palazzo Pitti (see Fig. 9.4, "The Burial Clothes of Eleonora di Toledo", p. 218) also shows a much narrower silhouette than the drawing that accompanies the diagram in PoF. I'm inclined to believe that the drawing is exaggerated.
The bodice was made up based on the research of Mary Westerman Bulgarella, Janet Arnold, and with input from Janne Helene Arneson, who had performed very indepth analysis of the Pisa gown in person and was happy to answer my questions and share her research with me. My own findings on the methods used for this gown will be published in the near future.
The bodice is lined with a single layer of cotton batting and a built-up panel in the front is comprised of three layers of wool felt, approximating the 6mm thickness referenced in the analysis of Mary Westerman Bulgarella in "The Burial Attire of Eleonora di Toledo", The Cultural World of Eleonora di Toledo, p. 207-222. The lining is a medium weight natural linen. No other stiffening was used in the bodice. The supportive quality of the bodice is good, but the wrinkles associated with unstiffened bodices developed under the bust and across the torso as the day wore on. This is either a feature indicative of this style of gown, or may be solved by further experimention with cardboard or glue stiffened fabric. I am inclined to interpret the wrinkling as partly the former, and partly due to the tendency toward slouching when sitting.
References:
Digital Archive/Photographic documentation: Conservation of the Medici Burial Clothes
Il “Progetto Medici”: studio antropologico e paleopatologico dei Granduchi di Redazione
The Cultural World of Eleonora di Toledo, edited by Konrad Eisenbichler. Ashgate Publishing, 2008.
Patterns of Fashion: The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women, C.1560-1620, Janet Arnold. Drama Publishers, 1985.
Moda a Firenze: Lo stile di Eleonora di Toledo e la sua influenza, Roberta Orsi Landini, et al. Edizioni Polistampa Pagliai, 2005.
"Extant Italian Dresses" & "THAT Dress", Janne Helene Arneson.