A Woman's Doublet and Pink Linen Skirt

 (Arnold, Janet.  Patterns of Fashion: The cut and construction of clothes for men and women c 1560-1620. New York. 1985)

Figure 1: A German painting of a young woman at the virginals.  (Arnold, p.42)

      I originally came across this picture (Figure 1) in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion.  Painted in 1586, this German painting depicts a young woman wearing a black doublet with white sleeves ad a pink skirt (Arnold, p.42).  The doublet itself is decorated with a black braid arranged in a chevron pattern.  The young woman's doublet is also remarkably similar to a doublet currently residing in the Germanisches National Museum (Figure 2) which is believed to be from the mid 1580's. (Arnold, p.42)

Figure 2: A doublet believed to have belonged to a young woman.  c. 1585  (Arnold, p.119)

Figure 3: An artist rendition of the doublet depicted in figure 2.  Note the similarities between this doublet and the doublet depicted in figure 1. (Arnold, p. 107)

    The doublet, a popular men's fashion, began to rise in popularity as a woman's fashion in the mid 1570's.  At this time women began to adopt the wearing of doublets and jerkins with skirts.  These doublets were made similarly to men's doublets except that they lacked a lacing strip in the waist, which men's doublets had to lace the doublets to their pants.  Women's doublets were worn with skirts and while at least one of our examples shows boning being build into the doublet itself (Arnold, p.107) to provide the same support as that of a pair of bodies, it is more likely that the doublets were worn over a separate pair of bodies.  The new doublet was quite striking and quite popular with the court where Elizabeth wore them often.  This new fashion did not meet with everyone's approval however.

    The Women also there have dublets & Jerkins, as men have heer, buttoned up the brest, and made with wings, welts, and pinions on the shoulder points, as mans apparel is for all the world, and though this be a kinde of attire appropriate onely to man, yet they blush not to wear it...

                                                                                                                                                                   Phillip Stubbes, Anatomie of Abuses

    With this project I have attempted to create a doublet and skirt similar to the one depicted in the German painting of the young girl at the virginals. (Arnold, p.42)  The doublet is made of black linen with a black satin lining and is decorated with a black cotton tape in a chevron pattern.  The skirt is make of rose linen and is decorated with guards of the same black cotton tape that I used to decorate the doublet.  I have not yet finished the sleeves, that is a future project.  I have chosen materials that would have been available in period with the exception of the black satin.  While satin was available in period it most likely would have been silk satin rather than the polyester satin that I have chosen for the sake of convenience.  All the exterior stitching except for the buttonholes of the doublet and the hem of the skirt is done by hand.  The doublet's buttons where purchased from Historic Enterprises.  The front seams, as well as the collar seams and the skirting seams, have been topstitched, a finishing technique used in period to add strength to seams and to give garments a "pressed" appearance.  I have also chosen to use two rows of shoulder tabs rather than large shoulder rolls like the ones depicted in Figure 1.  I have also added lacing strips to the shoulders, although I have not yet added the eyelets so that when the sleeves are finished they can lace onto the doublet.

Figure 4: Queen Elizabeth I wearing a white silk doublet and slashed sleeves. c. 1583  (Arnold, p. 79)

Figure 5: Lady Drury wearing a doublet very similar to the one worn by Elizabeth in figure 4. c. 1578 (Arnold, p.102)

Figure 6: An Unknown Italian Lady wearing an embroidered jerkin over a white doublet.  c. 1570-1580.  (Arnold, p. 129)

 Figure 7: Queen Elizabeth I.  Her jerkin or doublet is similar to the one shown in figure 6.  c. 1580-1585.  (Arnold p. 129)

Figure 8: The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia. c 1579  (Boucher, p.221)

Figure 9: A Portrait of Bianca Capelle wearing a doublet with while under-sleeves. (Arnold, p.47)