This post is long over due and was from my Spring Entry into Outlands Queen's Prize Arts and Sciences Competition. Trust to see more posts about these in the future with patterns for some of the different styles worn around Italy at the time. It has been almost 2 years since I moved to the Colorado Area and I've been so active with my local SCA chapter that I have barely had time to write about some of the fun projects that have been part of my time here. Over the next few weeks I will be working to upload version of many of my class handouts that I have been using over the last 2 years for classes as well as documentation on my mini projects. Stay Tuned!
Gorgieras in Mid 16th Century Italy
The Honorable Lady Isabelle de Calais
The Outlands Queen’s Prize
Spring 2019
Gorgieras in Mid 16th Century Italy
Gorgieras, known as partlets in English, are a popular dressing accessory across Europe during the renaissance.This article of clothing is designed to fill in the low square necklines which were popular across Europe. As the century goes one Gorgieras would develop frills which eventually become ruffs. Like most pieces of clothing the cut, fabrics, and embellishment reflect the owners financial standing and region. My paper will discuss the construction of a style popular across most of the Italian peninsula and regional variations seen across Italy.
Method
Materials
Italian women tended to wear gorieras made of lighter fabrics which would be more comfortable in their climate compared to thicker woolens or cut velvets seen across Northern Europe. Eleonora of Toledo was known for setting fashions in Florence as the Duchess of Tuscany. The lower neckline gorgiera that she popularized from 1540-1550’s were often made of netting, lace, cloth of precious metals, or veil weight fabrics. Veil makers usually made Gorgieras as they were already accustomed to working with the delicate materials popular for the garments ( Landini, 2005). For my gorgiera I chose to use a light weight silk with a woven stripe.
Pattern and Construction
Based on period artwork I believe there are two schools of thought on constructing a gorgiera. The first, and simplest method is to cut a neck opening from a rectangle of the fabric. Once this is cut, you hem all of your edges and attach ties at the rectangle corners and at the front opening. This method produces no shoulder seam, and is well suited to fabrics with repeating geometric patterns you do not want to disrupt, such as the striped silk I selected for my project. This layout is also appropriate when making lace or netting to avoid excess cutting.
Another version of construction involves cutting three pieces for your gorgiera; one back panel and two front panels. This version is helpful when the wearer has sloping shoulders that need more fitting to achieve the correct look, or if you are piecing a gorgiera out of remnant fabrics. Sew the three pieces together at the shoulder seams, and hem all edges. As with the previous method of construction attach ties on all six corners of the pattern.
My preferred hemming stitch was a rolled hem. This stitch dates to at least the 14th century and is perfect for creating a narrow edge on fine fabrics like this semi sheer silk. Silk thread is used for seams and hems on most surviving fragments of woven silk (Crawford, 152, 2001).
Embellishment
The owner’s personality was able to come out in the way hey had their gorgiera embellished. Popular embellishments included precious metals, embroidery, pearls, and lace. Interestingly the Florentine sumptuary laws did not restrict women from owning silver or gold gorgieras, but it did restrict them to only owning one such lavish accessory in 1562 (Landini, 2005). My gorgiera will be embellished using a simple couching stitch to place gold thread along the stripes with silk thread to secure it . Couching is one of of the simplest and fastest embroidery stitches used in the 16th century, and especially lends itself to metal threads which to this day are often made by wrapping thing metal around a stout base cord such as silk, or more modernly cotton. 
Wearing and Incorporating into your Wardrobe
Those new to the basics of 16th century clothing are often confused with when they are supposed to put on a gorgiera or partlet. The simplest way to determine this is to think about why are you wearing this gorgiera? In Northern Europe there were warming partlets of wools, velvets, and damask being worn outside of the gown. When one is made of dense fabrics it is typically a warming layer that you may want to take off easily.
In Italy, and other countries, when you see a woman wearing a thin gorgiera the bottom edge typically disappears under their gown. These garments may be acting to give more modesty to a low neckline in a very religiously driven period in Western history. In these cases you would put your gorgiera on and secure your ties around the ribcage, after putting on your camicia, or shift, and any additional supportive garments you may need. In portraits of the period you can see the gorgieras on top of the camicias by peeks of embroidered camicia necklines peeking out at the center of the neckline.
Florence
Eleonora of Toledo is credited with introducing this fashion to Florence when she arrived from Spain in the late 1530's (Landini, 2005). Gorgieras popularized by Eleonora were typically lower and did not have much of a standing collar. As Eleonora’s daughter began to drive fashions in their own rights frills were added to the neckline on gorgieras, as well as more shirt like collars filled with embroidery and edged with lace.
Venice
My research has not revealed any specific sumptuary laws regarding gorgiera or their embellishment in 16th century Venice. This may be the reason I find so many more women wearing elaborate gorgieras with metal thread embroidery and pearls. Generally speaking the collars stayed lower in Venetian gorgieras until around the 1590’s when lace edged ruffs started becoming more elaborate.
Conclusions
From fine ladies to humble maids, everyone had a reason to wear gorgiera, and to have a few different ones in their wardrobe. While the reasons for wearing gorgiera varied with social class and background, it was seen as an essential article of clothing for women in the middle to late 16th century.
References
Arnold, Jannet. (2008). Patterns of Fashion 4: The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c. 1540-1660. London: Macmillan Ltd.
Brown, Patricia Fortini. (2004). Private Lives in Renaissance Venice. London: Yale University Press.
Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, and Kay Staniland. (2001). Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450. London: Boydell Press.
Landi, Roberta Orsi and Bruna Niccoli. (2005).Moda a Firenze 1540-1580 Edizioni Polistampa.
Loggia, Allori. Pitti Palace Frescos. 1587-1589.
<https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/loggetta-dell-allori>
Vecellio, Cesare and Margaret F. Rosenthal.(2008). Habiti Antichi et Moderni: The Clothing of the Renaissance World. New York: Thames & Hudson.
Those new to the basics of 16th century clothing are often confused with when they are supposed to put on a gorgiera or partlet. The simplest way to determine this is to think about why are you wearing this gorgiera? In Northern Europe there were warming partlets of wools, velvets, and damask being worn outside of the gown. When one is made of dense fabrics it is typically a warming layer that you may want to take off easily.
In Italy, and other countries, when you see a woman wearing a thin gorgiera the bottom edge typically disappears under their gown. These garments may be acting to give more modesty to a low neckline in a very religiously driven period in Western history. In these cases you would put your gorgiera on and secure your ties around the ribcage, after putting on your camicia, or shift, and any additional supportive garments you may need. In portraits of the period you can see the gorgieras on top of the camicias by peeks of embroidered camicia necklines peeking out at the center of the neckline.
Florence
Eleonora of Toledo is credited with introducing this fashion to Florence when she arrived from Spain in the late 1530's (Landini, 2005). Gorgieras popularized by Eleonora were typically lower and did not have much of a standing collar. As Eleonora’s daughter began to drive fashions in their own rights frills were added to the neckline on gorgieras, as well as more shirt like collars filled with embroidery and edged with lace.
Venice
My research has not revealed any specific sumptuary laws regarding gorgiera or their embellishment in 16th century Venice. This may be the reason I find so many more women wearing elaborate gorgieras with metal thread embroidery and pearls. Generally speaking the collars stayed lower in Venetian gorgieras until around the 1590’s when lace edged ruffs started becoming more elaborate.
Conclusions
From fine ladies to humble maids, everyone had a reason to wear gorgiera, and to have a few different ones in their wardrobe. While the reasons for wearing gorgiera varied with social class and background, it was seen as an essential article of clothing for women in the middle to late 16th century.
References
Arnold, Jannet. (2008). Patterns of Fashion 4: The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c. 1540-1660. London: Macmillan Ltd.
Brown, Patricia Fortini. (2004). Private Lives in Renaissance Venice. London: Yale University Press.
Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, and Kay Staniland. (2001). Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450. London: Boydell Press.
Landi, Roberta Orsi and Bruna Niccoli. (2005).Moda a Firenze 1540-1580 Edizioni Polistampa.
Loggia, Allori. Pitti Palace Frescos. 1587-1589.
<https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/loggetta-dell-allori>
Vecellio, Cesare and Margaret F. Rosenthal.(2008). Habiti Antichi et Moderni: The Clothing of the Renaissance World. New York: Thames & Hudson.
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