Italian Renaissance is one of the most fascinating eras in human history. And this includes the fashion of this time. Just think about all the famous names from the period: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Lorenzo Medici, the Borgia family, Columbus... This dress takes you right back to the Italian Renaissance. It is elaborate with precious materials and lots of details. And as it is made just for you, you can choose your own favorite colors! This style of dress really works for all sizes. The waistline is slightly raised to about a hand above your natural waist. For most women, this is the smallest point of your waist anyway. The structured bodice gives a beautiful neckline and the whole gown just transforms you into a renaissance goddess. The dress on the pictures is a size XL. You get a dress made of four parts: - chemise with wide and long sleeves - kirtle (underdress) with side lacing - dress with front lacing - detachable sleeves The CHEMISE is about knee length and very wide. It has a drawstring neckline and can be adjusted to the dress you want to wear on top. The sleeves are very wide and long to be pulled out under the sleeves of the dress itself. The KIRTLE has a fitted bodice with two layers of sturdy cotton as lining. It is stiffened with cord in the front to give the smooth line of the time without the need of an extra corset underneath. The kirtle has a side lacing which allows for a bit of adjusting in sizes. The skirt begins a hand above your natural waistline. It is quite wide and can be decorated with trim. The bodice front can be made with a different fabric like the one you see in the pictures (in this case silk brocade). The neckline can be accented with trim or pearls. Please contact me if you want an offer for a kirtle with a nicer fabric at the bodice front. The DRESS has a fitted bodice as well and a lining of one layer of cotton. It is open in front, showing the kirtle. The lacing at the bodice front allows for a bit of adjustment, too. The skirt is either from the same fabric as the bodice or has panels of different fabrics like the one in the pictures. I offer the dress with solid colors instead of embroidered panels. If you want embroidery or a pattern, please ask before buying the dress. As with the kirtle, you have many options for decorating the dress. We should talk this through before you order the dress. The SLEEVES can be done any way you want. You can find some inspiration in movies or series like "Borgia" or on paintings of the time. The sleeves are always detachable. If you want a different look, just change the sleeves. For pricing here, the sleeves will be similar to the ones in the pictures and made from the dress fabric. If you want your sleeves to be different, we should talk about this before you buy the dress. MATERIAL The dress I offer is made from the following materials: - Chemise made from 100% cotton - Kirtle made from silk dupioni (100% silk) with a PLAIN (i.e. solid color) front. Please ask for a patterned fabric on the kirtle front. - Dress made from cotton velvet (100% cotton) or silk dupioni (100% silk) or a mix of both as pictured. - Sleeves made from both the dress and the kirtle fabric You can have other fabrics as well. As it is nearly impossible to list all materials, please ask me for quotes on certain fabrics. TRIM Trim similar to the one in the pictures is included in the dress. Please contact me for details. COLOR I can provide silk in many colors. Cotton velvet is a bit more limited in color. Please ask before buying the dress if you have a specific color scheme in mind. HISTORICAL ACCURACY: This dress will fit for historical events for about 1500 Italian renaissance. You want to opt for the following if you plan on wearing it for historical reenactment: - you want a solid colored kirtle front on the bodice. it does not need to be the same color as the kirtle but there is very little evidence of brocade in paintings. - you want a skirt on the overdress in just one fabric and color. Again, there is about 75% skirts in solid color and one fabric in paintings and about 20% made from damast or jacquard or brocade but these have a different cut to the garment. I do all seams, even the visible ones by machine. If you do not want this, please ask for a change in cost before you buy this listing. I can do visible seams by hand but this will cost more and take a lot of time. Please take a look at the FAQ below for SIZING, details about SHIPPING, CUSTOMS DUTY and PAYMENT PLAN options. GPSR Producer: Andrea Fahrbach, Köhns Weg 2c, 23863 Bargfeld-Stegen, Germany, andrea@gewandfantasien.de ----------------------------------- pictures Model: Branwen https://www.facebook.com/pages/Branwen-Model/445225495554323 photography and retouch: Atelier Simone Richter https://www.facebook.com/pages/Atelier-Simone-Richter/285331678171538 necklace and earrings: The Vintage Angel https://www.facebook.com/TheVintageAngel --------------- For more dresses, costumes and matching capes, check out my shop at http://www.gewandfantasien.etsy.com Want to be the first and only person to know about discounts and promotions on Gewandfantasien? The only way is to sign up for my friend's list: http://bit.ly/gffriends (copy&paste) ----------------------- For anyone with allergies: I have cats.