Little Welsh Viking

Right, time for some later stuff than last time. This post is about my late 14th century cotehardie. Basically it's a big wool coat to go over your tunic. Speculum Humanae Salvationis. Cotehardies all over! The design is going to be based on mostly manuscript depictions, such as "The Romance of Alexander", and "Speculum Humanae Salvationis". It will also be based on some memorials, and on the experience of other re-enactors. As far as I can tell, these things were pretty simple. I'm not bothering with the grand assiette sleeves ,as they're not necessary for the period, so this will essentially be a tunic, slightly shaped to hug the body, with narrow, button closure sleeves. Ho hum. Let's liven this bad boy up a bit...PARTI-COLOUR! Speculum Humanae Salvationis. Cotes! Yes! A half-and-half! This will be a silly coat! Sorry: "cote". I love parti-colour. It's a silly idea, it's extra work, and it's amazing! The...

These are what I'm working on! One of the Gotland Stones. Note baggy trousers tucked in at the knees. Well, actually I'm working on a jumper (knitted) a tailcoat (velvet) and some trousers (wool). The last week or so has seen me looking at all manner of Viking websites, trying to find out how their damn trousers worked! "They go over your legs!" I hear you cry. Well ha, flipping ha! I know that. Where to shove what is the easy bit where these things are concerned! No, I mean what they actually looked like, how they were constructed.Think of all the pants we have now: skinny, super skinny, boot cuts, flares, culottes, chinos, jeans, shorts, pedal pushers, joggers, yoga pants. All of which have a place in modern fashion and lifestyles. Were people any different in the past? Heck no! They changed for fashion, warmth, work, war, and bedtime, just like us! So, on to the leg-sleeves! Norse trousers are a thorny issue. We know they wore them. We know they came...

Hello! I'm Jimmy, and when I'm not acting, playing music, or writing, I'm a Welsh re-enactor. This is the first post on a blog that will hopefully show the historical clothes projects I have on, the research I'm doing, and shamelessly plug some of the shows I'm in! Hope you enjoy following my quest to make myself look as old fashioned as possible! So, without further ado, have a few pictures of my early medieval impressions. I've been a member of Regia Anglorum for...crikey, eight years now! And it's a pretty research based group, so I try to keep my kit as provenanced as I can. The first picture is my 'generic' early medieval look (plus gloves I knitted, because I was cold!). It's my 'jeans and t-shirt' look for the 9-11th century comprising tunics, hose, braies, shoes, and in this one, my lovely sword by Heron Armoury. The second picture, courtesy of my lovely girlfriend, and fellow re-enactor Peryn (aka Isabel Northwode) show...