A 1370s Italian working outfit

This outfit is  based on the yellow gown in this fresco by Giusto de Menabuoi, in the Baptistry to the Duomo in Padua, from 1376-7.

This is a little later than I usually go for, but the style of clothing appears to much the same as in frescoes from the early 14th century, including the high belts, which I like so much. (I know that I am somewhat strange in this, since most people tend to go for styles which are more figure-revealing and flattering to the modern eye, but I am weird.) 

Rather loose sleeveless overgowns are not uncommon in Italian art, both from the 14th and from the 15th centuries, sometimes with a kirtle under, sometimes with just a white shift.  

What drew me to this particular example was the short-sleeved shift worn with it - this will be a wonderful outfit for really hot summer days.

The shift is made from linen, a coarser linen that I would normally use, but I think that fits with this being a working outfit. 

I used the cut shown on the shift worn by the woman sitting in the bed, having just given birth (John the Baptist's mother.)

I like how you can see all the seams.

The cut is rather tight and helps keeping the bust somewhat in place. The ribbon that I tie around the gown also helps, but I think that ideally I would have  a tie also around the shift, like the woman in the bottom of the same fresco.

The woman in the fresco's short-sleeved shift is finer and appears to have decoration at the end of the sleeves.

 

Her sleevelss gown has trim around the neck and armscyes, which I think is patterned. Since my version is more a lower class garment I chose a simple ochre coloured tabby wave cotton tape.

The material in the sleeveless gown is half cotton/half linen. This was a very common material for cheaper clothing in Italy in the 13th  and 14th centuries, I have written an article about the usage of cotton fabric for clothing in the Middle ages, which you can find here. It's a bit thinner than I expected, but drapes nicely. I got it from Vedah designs on etsy. It would in fact make lovely summer trousers.

The cut is very simple: Two rectangles, and then two gores in each side (one of them made of two pieces). Because I havd just been reading about preserved shirts from the 12th and 13th centuries which had gores pleated at the top, (which the 12th century Moselund tunic also has), and the gores got rather wide at the top I pleated them slightly, and not very decoratively.

The whole outfit is hand sewn, with waxed linen thread.

In one of  the photos I wear a headwrap based loosely on the woman in her shift in the bottom of the fresco, but otherwise I have my hair rolled around a ribbon, a style very common in Italian 14th century art.