Thursday, January 26, 2012

OMG. I apologize.

For years I have been muttering inside my head about people who inserted permenent puffs into their clothes rather than pulling out their shifts, smocks, shirts, camicias, or what have you.

I though the static puffs were a modern costumers' convience.

I stand corrected.



Maniche Su fondo ocra piccoli motivi di tulipano marrone disposti secondo teorie di fasce parallele sfalsate. Ai gomiti e all'attaccatura della spalla "sbuffi" di raso di seta bianca. Piccoli lacci nella parte alta della manica. Abiti (which Google translates as "Sleeves on small ocher brown tulip motifs arranged in parallel bands staggered theories. Elbow and shoulder to root of "puffs" of white silk satin. Small laces at the top of the sleeve. Clothes"}
XVI-XVII 1580 1620 fine/inizio
Ca' Mocenigo Centro Studi di Storia del Tessuto e del Costume

4 comments:

  1. Great find, but think on this - why would there be elbow puffs (seen on late 15th - early 16th century images) together with shoulder puffs (seen much later in the 16th), on a fabric which looks to be from the early 17th century? I think it's more likely that the fabric was re-used to make a masque outfit at a later date. I doubt these are authentic to the 15th or 16th centuries, although I would need to do a bit of research to see if they may be authentic 17th century sleeves.

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  2. Oh I agree that the sleeve seems to be the wrong shape for everyday wear in the 1590's-1620's. I'm wondering if it might have been made for some kind of masque and was meant to represent the stlyes of the 'antiquity' (aka the 1490's).

    To my eye those gowns did include small puffs at the shoulder when worn. I still think those puffs of fabric were most usually the undergarments pulled through gaps in the outer layers.

    To me, the existence of this sleeve--whether it was made in 1590 or 1790--merely points out that the idea of permanent decorative puffs taking the place of an undergarment is not the 20th century costumers invention I had thought it.

    If the sleeve was made for a masque they wuld still be a costuming trick (at least in this case) but I'm now willing to call it a plausibly period one.

    Of course, my train of thought is entirely speculative and contains far to many 'what if's' to attempt to dignify it with the name research. I just thought the sleeve was interesting and had nicely knocked me off my high horse about puffs.

    I do hope that you (or someone else) will share your research!

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  3. My point was these still may be a "modern costumer's convenience", because we have no date for them - the style of sleeve and fabric don't match up, so they could have been made in the Victorian era, for all we know. I do think it's quite plausible, however, that false chemise puffs were used in the mid to late 16thc, it's just that false sleeve puffs in these particular sleeves proves nothing.

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  4. Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone could examine them more closely?

    Now I have yet another reason to *need* to go to Venice!

    Not that I have any intention of making such sleeves, but any excuse to go to Venice is good in my book.

    :)

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