Part 3: Farthingales
This is Part 3 of a series on the various layers in Renaissance clothing. The focus is on European clothing, specifically English, French and Spanish dress. If you have not read Part 1: Underwear or Part 2: Corsets, you may want to read them first.
The farthingale, or Verdue Garda (from the Spanish 'verde', willows, and 'garde', guards), made its first appearance in the early to mid 16th century in Spain. Essentially, the farthingale began life as bell shaped, moved into a conical shape for a brief time during the Tudor era, went back into a bell shape during Elizabeth's time and finally became the wheel farthingale of the late 16th and early 17th century.
At first, these hoops made from bundles of willow, were placed on the outside of the skirts. This, however, didn't last long. Almost immediately, the farthingale became a separate accessory so that it could be worn with all the dresses in a wardrobe.
Farthingales, later known as hoop skirts, became extremely popular during the late 16th century and retained their popularity through the Victorian era. Several versions, such as the wheel farthingale and the French farthingale (which was, at times, little more than a bum roll), were also introduced during the late 16th and early 17th century.
The Tailors Pattern Book, published by Juan de Alcega in 1589, contains the only known pattern for a farthingale in existence. Alcega gives the shape of the pattern pieces required, as well as directions for putting them together. In Janet Arnold's, Patterns of Fashion and Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlockd, she gives an excellent write up on making the Alcega farthingale in addition to examples from the wardrobe accounts on other farthingales owned by Queen Elizabeth.
Alcega's version of the farthingale shows the tailor how to account for the extra amount of cloth needed to form channels into which the hoops would be inserted. The forming of these channels from the skirt itself makes for a rather beautiful finished product, but is extremely time consuming.
Accounts in Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlockd mention farthingales in which the channels are made from guards or strips of fabric sewn to the skirt. This would account for the name verdu guarde which farthingale comes from.
The first mention of farthingales in the accounts of the royal wardrobe comes from 1545. Farthingales could be of two types.
- Spanish or round (which was a circular skirt stiffened by hoops)
- French (a roll, stiffened with wire and placed about the hips).
Accounts of French farthingales appear in Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe in 1561. By 1580, a variation of the French type, which consisted of a half roll, usually stuffed, was worn. It allowed the front of the gown to fall straight.
- Wheel farthingales were also worn. These were literally a wheel-like apparatus, fastened about the waist and extending at a straight line from there, giving a very abrupt edge to the skirt.
When making your own farthingale, as with the corset, make it out of natural fabrics. This breathes better and your legs will thank you. As with the corset, the farthingale does not have to be plain and white. Accounts in the Wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth mention scarlet, orange and black as a few of the colors of farthingales that Elizabeth owned.
If you've never made a farthingale before, make the type that uses guards as channels for the hoops. The Alcega example is fun but requires a bit more time.
For hoops, you can either:
- Strip your own willow in the winter, and boil them until they are soft.
- Or you can go to your local hardware store such as Home Depot and hit the plumbing section. There you will find a type of opaque plastic tubing which also comes with its own brass connectors. The usual size of farthingale takes about 33- 35 feet of this stuff which runs about .35 - .45 cents a foot. The brass connectors are around a $1.50 a piece.
When it comes time to either wash your farthingale or stuff it into a suitcase and fly somewhere with it, you can undo the connectors to fit the hoops in. This tubing is actually very similar to the willow bents and is much less flimsy than modern hoop wire. Avoid modern hoop wire if at all possible.
When you place your hoops, make sure you place the top hoop just where your fingertips can reach so that you can use the top hoop to control the farthingale when you sit down. The bottom hoop should hang right at your ankles. Any lower and you will catch your foot on it with disastrous results.
Lastly, make your farthingale before you make your outer garments. As with the corset, the farthingale will change the shape of the outer garments in surprising ways. It can add anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of length to the skirt.
About Author
Laurellen de Brandevin, also known as Tammie L. Dupuis, has been sewing since she was six years old. She holds a degree in Archaeology from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT., where she discovered the S.C.A. Laurellen's first love is Elizabethan clothing, but current projects include a survey of rectangular construction methods encompassing the Eurasian continent and writing her magnum opus, The Renaissance Tailor; Recreating Clothing from the 16th and 17th Centuries. She lives in Seattle, WA with her son (who is already showing an interest in fine clothing) and works mundanely as a graphic designer for a downtown advertising firm.
Laurellen's website, www.vertetsable.com is an ongoing project connected to her book. She can be contacted at laurellen@vertetsable.com.
