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Description

Parti-colored heraldic cotehardie, circa 14th century; with crispinettes.

Let me explain;
Parti-colored refers to the partitions of color on the dress. It became fashionable to have a dress with different blocks of color, and this could be done in many different ways; Half and half, or in quarters, or in any combination.

Heraldic: since rich women wore huge dresses, it was like a large canvas. And what better to display on one's wardrobe than family pride? One could have their full coat of arms displayed on the dress, or simply parts of it, such as here, I have chosen the "fleur-de-lys"* (which I have painstakingly painted onto the fabric, over a period of 8 hours).

Cotehardie: (aka - a dress) From about 1300, meant a close-fitting outer garment with long sleeves, hip-length for men and full-length for women, often laced or buttoned down the front or back. I chose to lace mine in the back, since I am a lady of noble birth, and require servants to lace me up. A lower-class woman would have hers lace up the front.

Crispinettes: Came into fashion in the second half of the 13th century (1250). It was originally known as the "Crispine", which was a network cap to confine the hair. These caps were shaped like bags or like hairnets, made of gold or silver mesh, or hand woven silk.

*Fleur-de-lys: Traditionally, it's been used to represent French royalty, and is said to signify perfection, light, and life. Legend has it that an angel presented Clovis, the Merovingian king of the Franks, with a golden lily as a symbol of his purification upon his conversion to Christianity. Others claim that Clovis adopted the symbol when waterlilies showed him how to safely cross a river and thus succeed in battle.
In the 12th century, either King Louis VI or King Louis VII (sources disagree) became the first French monarch to use the fleur-de-lys on his shield. English kings later used the symbol on their coats of arms to emphasize their claims to the throne of France.

Hope you enjoy my funny photoshopping, it's prettier than my ugly closet door.

*This is not a stock photo. Do not use under any circumstance without my explicit consent.*

Description

Parti-colored heraldic cotehardie, circa 14th century; with crispinettes.

Let me explain;
Parti-colored refers to the partitions of color on the dress. It became fashionable to have a dress with different blocks of color, and this could be done in many different ways; Half and half, or in quarters, or in any combination.

Heraldic: since rich women wore huge dresses, it was like a large canvas. And what better to display on one's wardrobe than family pride? One could have their full coat of arms displayed on the dress, or simply parts of it, such as here, I have chosen the "fleur-de-lys"* (which I have painstakingly painted onto the fabric, over a period of 8 hours).

Cotehardie: (aka - a dress) From about 1300, meant a close-fitting outer garment with long sleeves, hip-length for men and full-length for women, often laced or buttoned down the front or back. I chose to lace mine in the back, since I am a lady of noble birth, and require servants to lace me up. A lower-class woman would have hers lace up the front.

Crispinettes: Came into fashion in the second half of the 13th century (1250). It was originally known as the "Crispine", which was a network cap to confine the hair. These caps were shaped like bags or like hairnets, made of gold or silver mesh, or hand woven silk.

*Fleur-de-lys: Traditionally, it's been used to represent French royalty, and is said to signify perfection, light, and life. Legend has it that an angel presented Clovis, the Merovingian king of the Franks, with a golden lily as a symbol of his purification upon his conversion to Christianity. Others claim that Clovis adopted the symbol when waterlilies showed him how to safely cross a river and thus succeed in battle.
In the 12th century, either King Louis VI or King Louis VII (sources disagree) became the first French monarch to use the fleur-de-lys on his shield. English kings later used the symbol on their coats of arms to emphasize their claims to the throne of France.

Hope you enjoy my funny photoshopping, it's prettier than my ugly closet door.

*This is not a stock photo. Do not use under any circumstance without my explicit consent.*