See the fun, engaging video version of this essay here. In today’s Western world, people generally eschew the wearing of hats or headcoverings of any sort unless Mother Nature forces us to cover our locks – for instance to protect against cold, against overpowering sunlight, or driving rain. But in the not-so-distant past, it would have been unheard of for people to walk around without some sort of fabric bundled onto their pates. Bare heads were simply not done! For most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, people of all levels of society covered their hair with linen, silk, or...
Just before Pennsic 2022, I decided that I wanted, nay, NEEDED, a new gamurra, the quintessential foundational gown of 15th century Italy. You see, all of my current such gowns had grown threadbare, not very prestigious for a Contessa! My goal was to complete it in time to wear at the event, roughly two weeks to complete it. And I wanted to incorporate my latest research and discoveries from the past several years into the project. My intention was to create a gamurra that would not require the assistance of a lady-in-waiting but that would still prove a suitably aristocratic...
