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Back to Heraldry A&S Main Page Back to Merouda.Com Cotehardies from Greenland Gowns An excellent site, lots of documentation and instructions. La Cotte Simple Instructions and research regarding 14-15th century women’s garment, specifically, what is referred to in the SCA as a cotehardie. Cotehardie Defined as the confusing term that it is. Women's Heraldic Surcoat Visual evidence of the heraldic surcoat on women. Pictures of sideless surcoats and sleeved surcoats, the sleeved surcoats being what is most like the dress typically seen in the SCA as the “heraldic cotehardie.” Cotehardies Medieval Miscellania’s pattern for cotehardies. Not for the beginning tailor. The pattern isn’t terribly complex, but the pattern lines can be very confusing to beginning sewers, and the pattern always requires some modification. ORLE: In heraldic terms, a subordinary similar to a bordure, in that it is a charge that follows the shape of the shield. Unlike a bordure, the orle is set away from the edge of the shield, so that the field tincture can be seen between the edge of the shield and the beginning of the orle; it’s often mistaken for an escutcheon voided because so many SCAdians display their arms on a heater shaped shield. However, on a square banner, an orle will be square, on a round shield, an orle will be round, et cetera. The orle follows the shape of the display medium. Charges, like feathers or martlets, arranged along the area that an orle would occupy are usually described as “an orle of (item).” |
Heraldic
Arts and Sciences:
Heraldic clothing is one of the most visible uses of heraldry off the list field, and outfit’s range from SCA compatible to absolutely brilliant. One of the most ubiquitous items of clothing is generally referred to as the “Heraldic Cotehardie,” usually understood to be a feminine article of clothing. It can range from a simple parti-colored item in livery colors to a full-length gown treated as if the entire dress was the field of the arms. One of the first things we must note is that “heraldic cotehardie” is a misnomer. If you are trying to do research on the subject, most of the information you will find on the heraldic cotehardie is SCA generated. The appropriate term is “heraldic surcoat,” and using that term will usually bring better results. However, the surcoat has many, many shapes and fashions. The important thing to note here is that the SCA interpretation, the “heraldic cotehardie,” is often made as a single layer outer garment. In period, the heraldic surcoat is the outermost garment; the cotehardie is one of the names by which the dress beneath the surcoat might be known. Because of the wide range of meanings both surcoat and cotehardie may have, I will not attempt to define the names further. While the terms are not interchangeable, they are so frequently used as if they are, that, for the purpose of this article, I will use the term “cotehardie” to refer to a fitted, SCA-compatible dress. My only codicil to this would be to remind the gentle reader that if you want to do a period-correct 14th or 15th century heraldic outfit, it should consist of at least an underdress and a heraldic overdress. There are a number of sites that focus on the cotehardie. This article will focus on the collection of links to period examples, examples of SCA interpretations, and my first intentionally heraldic cotehardie. To make this sort of item, one must possess at least moderate skill at sewing; individuals taking their first steps in tailoring may want to make his or her first heraldic cotehardie in his or her livery colors. Our focus here is on what makes a cotehardie “heraldic,” and much of what is true here is also true for later period clothing. For instance, the cotehardie had passed out of fashion long before the advent of the wheel farthangale, but the dress Catherine de Medici (d. 1589) is portrayed wearing on her tomb effigy is covered in the fleur de lis, a heraldic reference to her position as the Queen of France. A 14th century cotehardie, blue and covered with fleur-de-lis, would be an equally plausible dress for a 14th century Queen. It is this, the distinct use of a heraldic motif or scheme by a particular person, that makes a cotehardie “heraldic.” Were I to wear a blue gown covered in golden suns, it would not necessarily be heraldic; particularly with some of the most popular heraldic beasts of the middle ages, such motifs were often used simply as a design. Yes, it’s very heraldic, but it doesn’t automatically make the cotehardie heraldic. This is why it is sometimes hard to distinguish a dress with a gryphon pattern from a dress that is heraldic, or a black and yellow parti-colored dress from a heraldic cotehardie in livery colors. This was true in period, and it’s true in the Current Middle Ages. I have wanted to make myself a heraldic cotehardie ever since I passed my arms through the SCA College of Arms so long ago, but several things held me back, not the least of which was the dread of embroidering an orle of feathers; the only period surcoat I had seen with an orle (it was Barry azure and argent, an orle of martlets gules) had the orle confined, as best as could be determined, to the front of the surcoat, traveling the entire border of the garment: across the neck and shoulders, down one side, back across the hem, and up the other side. My arms feature an orle of feathers. I’m 5’ 8” tall. That’s a lot of feathers to embroider or appliqué. The second consideration was, of course, the colors. Black and yellow thrown into the wash together means that, eventually, you have a grayed black and a blackish yellow. I played with a variety of designs that would allow me to take the dress apart for washing, but, while they were all feasible, none struck me as really worth the effort. It was not until the advent of the home dry-cleaning kit that I began to seriously consider a heraldic cotehardie. By that time, however, I’d also had enough time to research the “heraldic cotehardie,” and had realized that it doesn’t really exist in period; at least, not as how it is interpreted in the SCA. Searches of period heraldic clothing lead me to understand that heraldry was displayed on clothing in many ways beyond the full-field dress. One could make a heraldic cotehardie simply by adding a badge, a cypher, or even a set of arms as an appliquéd patch to a basic dress. One could have a parti-colored cotehardie in heraldic colors. In fact, I realized that I could have, instead, an entire wardrobe of heraldic clothing, and none of it the typical, full-field heraldic cotehardie. But of course, I still wanted a full-field, heraldic dress. So I decided to do a late heraldic cotehardie for a costume party. I would not do it for my SCA wardrobe, but it would be an SCA compatible dress. It allowed me to practice some of the things I wanted to try without having to deal with the frustration of making mistakes on a dress intended to be “the real thing.” The last time I’d tried to appliqué something, about eight years previously, I’d been pretty frustrated with the process. I’d used spray adhesive to hold the appliqué pieces in place while I sewed them down to a banner, and it was a mighty headache. Furthermore, I’d never tried to do a dress-sized cloth field with a stamp, and the last parti-colored dress I’d finished, also about eight years ago, had been made with a modern, princess seamed pattern. So it had been a while since I’d practiced the various skills needed to make everything come out right. A practice dress was definitely in order. |
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“Not bad fer yer first try!” says Sock Monkey. |
There it is, the whole thing. This dress could probably be considered SCA compatible because of the design, but it was made as a costume for a party, and so I took liberties with the materials that I would not have taken had I made it for SCA use. That said, it’s better than a prom dress or a paisley t-tunic.
And yes, that’s right, it’s Wonder Woman. Big gold eagle on red; stars on blue, golden belt at waist, sleeves lined with “cloth of silver” and turned back, and the lasso of truth by my side. w00t!
It’s based on Medieval Miscellania’s Early Tudor pattern, which features a very late cotehardie (view 1). The dress is quarterly gules and azure.
The eagle is an appliqué. To make the appliqué, I followed the following steps:
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Here is a better shot of the blue field. The stars are heat-pressed into the pile of the fabric.
This is a simple trick:
Practice on some scrap fabric, first, to get your timing right. If you use commercially produced foam-type stamps, the heat of this technique will eventually shrink the stamp. It’s a spiffy, subtle effect. I’ve also used it on little bags, and, if your material is washable (the dreaded stretch velvet), the effect doesn’t wash out. To the best of my knowledge, there is no period evidence of crushed piles, as in this technique, although you can find voided, stamped, and burned designs.
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A more period version of the Wonder Woman cotehardie, made by Liz Pearson. This was the dress that inspired me to do my own Wonder Woman, both because it would be fun and as an exercise in taking the same elements and arranging them in a way that would clearly be a different dress.
This dress is on a woven cloth, with a mullet of eight stamped across the blue field, buttons at the sleeves, front lacing. The eagle appliqué is in approximately the same place as mine, but as her dress is divided per pale (so, two patches of color instead of four), the eagle covers the front and the back of the dress.
She and I have both gotten plenty of use out of our heraldic “Wonder Woman” dresses. She wears hers to events, and I’ve worn mine to a Halloween party, a medieval Christmas party, and a Ball. Heck, I even sometimes just wear it around the house. It’s a pretty and comfortable dress, far more attractive to my Lord than my ol’ bathrobe. |
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Two heraldic cotehardies pictured at the first Northshield Crown Tourney. The cola bottles are a shame, but the outfits are lovely. I especially like the small, diamond-shaped patch on the dress of the woman on the right, near her shoulder. One typically sees this small display of heraldry in period, but not so much in the SCA. This is a modification of a picture taken by Edwin atte Bridge. |
Other Sites, Supporting Documents Heraldic Cotehardie Simple parti-colored cotehardie. It as identified as heraldic by the maker. This is about the simplest style of heraldic cote. Note: unless the maker of the dress intends “gray” as a substitute for white/silver, then the dress would have to be in livery colors; “gray” is not among the heraldic colors. There are plenty of instances of non-heraldic, parti-colored cotehardies: my favorite is the plaid cotehardie. Thus, it would be hard to recognize this as a heraldic cotehardie for most people—something to keep in mind when designing your own. Fashion Show- Atlantian A&S Festival Mar 2001 Features a heraldic cotehardie of moderate complexity; a plain yellow field and a blue field heavily stamped with an element from the arms of her Peer. I’m not sure about her accessories—the double-wrapped belt is a Norman-era thing and I am unaware of any heraldic outfit in period that featured a woman wearing a hood wrapped as a hat; the hood-as-a-hat thing tends to be a masculine style. Nonetheless, it’s a nice example of a heraldic cotehardie that doesn’t treat the entire dress as the field for the arms. Arts and Sciences Several pictures of a cotehardie in progress, or see one picture here. The Royal Surcoat Several heraldic garments on this page, nice work all, but some better than others. I wish I had as much time to sew as this woman appears to. :-) Heraldic Display Pictorial record of a heraldic display; note the woman wearing a sideless heraldic surcoat over a red cotehardie. Very nice. There is also a woman wearing her cloak decorated semy of her arms. Also very nice. Embroidered Surcoat Appears to be a man’s surcoat, but it’s certainly worth a look; embroidery is a wonderful way to decorate a surcoat.
{Elyse Boucher} {Arts and Sciences Top} {A&S Heraldry} {Poopie the Pirate} {Help Support This Site} copyright 2005. all rights reserved. |
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