April 2001: Rakkasah Special

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SCA Ensemble Part I:

Initial Consultation

Recently, I was approached by a friend to help design a costume ensemble suitable for wear to SCA events. Peggy, my client, has volunteered to have her project documented here in my newsletter. Over the course of the next several months, I will be sharing our progress on her costume.

Bio: Peggy is founder of Taegue Na Cuibhle, which translates from Gaelic to House of the Wheel, located in Ireland on the west coast near Connermara. Her SCA group was primarily Gaelic, but open to a variety of different ethnic, religious, social and political backgrounds. This group was active in Barony Calafia in the San Diego region from 1992 ­ 1996. Since Relocating to Northern California, Peggy has had the freedom to explore other times and climes and is now embarking on developing a Middle Eastern persona.

Our initial consultation began with an assessment of what Peggy's goals were for her costume. During our conversation, I formulate a list of Peggy's wants and needs ­ and the goals for her ensemble. As she looked through some reference books at inspirational pictures, I tried to get a sense of the image she had painted in her mind. From evaluating the images she selected, I was able to put together a list of garment pieces, and some ideas for suitable textiles

Here are two pictures of Peggy taken on the day of our first consultation.

Peggy's Goals - To have a complete mix and match ensemble of garments that could take her through a long weekend of activities at a major SCA event. These garments needed to be:

• Easy care - Peggy likes to get wild and boogie, and when you are out camping, that can mean getting dirty.
• Mix and Match - Since Peggy needs, essentially two days worth of clothes, she will need two sets of undergarments and two tunic/chemises. All of the pieces will need to coordinate with each other. A wardrobe approach will give her the most clothing options, and will make it easy for her to add garments in the future.
• Natural Fibers - In keeping with the SCA's goals of historical accuracy, natural fibers are a must. She also wants to stick to colors that could be derived from natural plant and mineral dye processes.
• Hot to Cold Comfort - Because she camps out, she needs her wardrobe to work in layers so that she can go from extreme hot to cold without sacrificing her look.
• Figure Flattering - Peggy's curvy figure can sometimes pose a problem for her, so she is looking for garments that will play up her best assets and minimize her problem areas.
• Turban a Must! - Peggy used to have long flowing red hair, but her new modern short hair looks great on her, but doesn't fit in with the historical look favored by recreationists. To combat this, Peggy looks forward to hiding her hair under turbans and veils.
• Budget - Costs must be kept to a minimum. To do this, we will be working as a team, with Peggy picking up some of the basic sewing. In addition, we will be looking for sales, reusing some older pieces.

Color - This is a good basis to start our discussion of what the pieces will look like. She has very strong ideas about what looks good on her and what she feels best wearing. Peggy's palette of colors includes:
Gold -A natural red-head, Peggy likes all shades of gold from deep rich shades to light bright pastel lemon or saffron hues.
Greens - Peggy loves green and especially likes combinations of green and gold.
Rich jewel tones of Emerald, Amethyst and Garnet to act as a counterpoint to the bright light yellows.

As she looked at images, it became clear to me that she had a fondness for India and the richly patterned, opulent textiles produced by this region. The choli, full skirt and sari combination typical of the Mughal style was high on her list of suitable styles. In addition, she was drawn to a more Ottoman styled Anteri/Yelek combination the precursors to the modern Gawazee coat. Since she's interested in assembling a mix and match core wardrobe, we discussed the possibility of building two ensembles. By using the same color palette the pieces could mix and match, but which would represent two distinctive regions or a hybrid of pieces acquired through caravan travel.

So, we were looking to create a small collection of garments:

Fitted Yelek: A below the knee length straight cut garment to wear over her other pieces. This will be her 'outer layer.' Worn throughout the Ottoman Empire, variations of this garment appear in both Saffavyd and Mughal manuscript illuminations showing the broad appeal of this garment.

Chemise/Dress: A long fitted chemise to wear under the yelek will be made from fabric sturdy enough to be worn as a dress. This would be a transitional garment that could be worn with some of her European costume pieces as well. This will be a foundation piece and the very core of her new wardrobe.

Pants: For a multi-day event it is imperative that she has at least two pairs of pants. Since the color scheme that is becoming evident is gold, green with touches of wine, purple or burgundy, we are going to try to make a pair of pants in each of these colors. Pants can really extend the wardrobe, they are easy to make and can be inexpensive when made from sturdy woven cottons.

Choli: Since Peggy has a fondness for the Mughal look, we are going to build her a well fitting supportive choli. A choli can be worn under the yelek, over the chemise or on it's own depending on the weather.

Aba: To help keep her worm on cool nights, we are recycling an old existing garment from my costume collection for Peggy. This aba is a wool blend and in a wine color that will harmonize with the developing color scheme. A built in scarf with gold and black fringe will give this garment playful flirty quality, and at the same time, keep Peggy's neck warm. Having the scarf built in means having one less garment piece to worry about loosing!

Turban: To keep the entire ensembles coordinated, we are going to cut turban cloths from the fabric we are using to make the garments. Then, depending on her mood, Peggy will be able to layer her turban cloths in different ways to create a variety of looks.

Hip Wraps: Two hip wraps that can be worn layered or separate are going to form the dance portion of her costume. A reversible hip-wrap will provide two looks with one garment. To add to the movement of the piece, rayon chainette fringe edging will trim the piece. Over the top of this hip wrap, we will add an easy to make tassel belt. While tassel belts are not historically accurate, they are fun to wear and dance in and add a lot of visual texture to the ensemble.

Next Month: Research Techniques, Images and Resources