Elizabethan Nobleman

This outfit was originally made for Mike to wear at our wedding where he wore it with tall boots and a 17th c. style hat. But more recently, we decided to make add a cloak and more appropriate head and footwear, and I think it has turned into a pretty respectable Elizabethan noble outfit now. The paned slops are still a little long compared to what you usually see in period portraits, but the longer-style styles pants were worn in Germany, so maybe that's not too big of a stretch. Below, you will find a picture of both versions of the outfit and a brief description of the construction.

I originally planned on using the Fantasy Fashions pattern for constructing Mike's doublet, but it was much too small, so I had to drape and draft my own version. The doublet was made out of wonderful black velvet, lined with the green, and interlined with thin cotton batting to help it hold its shape. The paned slops also came from a Fantasy Fashions pattern with a bit of length added to the legs so that they would end below the knees. I bought gold and black piping (with the attached flange) to edge each strip, but this turned out to be a complete nightmare! The slippery velvet and piping wouldn't stay put when I was sewing it, so I had to rip out more seams than I care to say and baste everything together... which took just as much time as couching cord on by hand. I eventually switched to cording for the trim on the doublet, and this proved to be much less nerve-wracking and cost quite a bit less as well. And speaking of cost, if you consider the price of the velvet, piping, buttons, hat, gloves and boots, Mike's outfit cost well over twice as much as my wedding gown... but I guess it was all worth it to have such a well-dressed groom!