Woollen Half-Sleeve Front-Laced Kirtle

Description

Are you looking for an off-the-rack dress for your late 14th or 15th century persona? This wool kirtle is appropriate for 14th or 15th century impressions. It is full length, without a waist seam, laces up the front and has short sleeves.

This versatile dress makes a great base for your outfit. You can wear it on its own, over an underdress (smock, shift, chemise etc) and style it with accessories such as pin-on sleeves. You can wear it as the foundational layer under a gown. You can also wear it over a full-sleeved dress to provide a great contrasting layered look.

Dresses of this style were commonly worn during the 14th and 15th century and were the basis for many outfits across different classes and locations. It makes a very practical dress for reenactment or LARP, and is suitable for a broad range of personas.

This reproduction is made with rectangular body panels, with side gores in the skirt and set-in sleeves. The neckline and lacing panel are faced with linen to add strength and avoid stretching. This is top-stitched to avoid it showing during wear. The eyelets are done by hand, but the other visible stitching (topstitching and hems) is done by machine, as is all the construction sewing.

This reproduction is made of 100% recycled wool and is a deep wine red colour.

Historically, wool was the most common fabric for kirtles. Not only was wool readily available, it has many excellent properties such as ease of cleaning, inability to hold onto smells, fire resistance, ability to cool when warm and warm when cool, and it holds onto all of these properties even when wet.

Additional information