Historic Costuming Sewing

New Costume Photos – Elizabethan Irish Dress

Blue Herringbone Irish Dress - Quarter Front View, by Sidney Eileen
Blue Herringbone Irish Dress – Quarter Front View

This ensemble is a blue herringbone Elizabethan renaissance Irish dress, reenactment style. The chemise is an Irish style liene, and she is wearing a single underskirt. I drafted and created this piece in 2000, but took these pictures in February of 2013. It is plus-sized.

The herringbone dress is boned with spring steel, lined with cotton duck, and covered with a polyester blend blue and white herringbone fabric. The sleeves are sewn in at the shoulder, and have button & loop closure at the wrist.

I designed the liene based on research I did at the time. It’s made from approximately 10 yards of yellow cotton broadcloth, has large pocket sleeves, ribbon holding the seam at the top, and a slashed neckline.

The underskirt is a basic gored underskirt, trimmed along the bottom with a line of yellow ribbon. The material is linen-look polyester blend.

Blue Herringbone Irish Dress - Front View, by Sidney Eileen
Blue Herringbone Irish Dress – Front View
Blue Herringbone Irish Dress - Side View, by Sidney Eileen
Blue Herringbone Irish Dress – Side View
Blue Herringbone Irish Dress - Quarter Back View, by Sidney Eileen
Blue Herringbone Irish Dress – Quarter Back View