Renaissance Costume: Part 2

Last year I made an Elizabethan costume for myself to wear to the Renaissance Fair in Annapolis. It was fun to see everyone's reactions when they saw me, especially the little girls. The only trouble was that Alan didn't have a costume to wear, so we were an odd pair. Me in a ballgown. Alan in cargo shorts. So Alan agreed that he would wear a costume this year if I made one for him, and I just happened to already have a pattern:

Awesome, right? I like the one on the left better, but didn't want it to look like a Robin Hood costume. Instead, I wanted him to look cool (well, as cool as possible :) Sort of like what Joseph Fiennes wore in the movie Shakespeare in Love:

So I decided to make the collarless shirt, but without any of the lace trim (I knew that would not have gone over well!) For the doublet (vest), I am going to put buttons in the front instead of having it lace up. I think this will make it look a little more like a nobleman's clothes.

First up, I made the shirt because it seemed like it would be the easiest. It didn't take too long, only a few hours. For the fabric I used a creme-colored gauze. I changed the pattern slightly to lengthen it because Alan is so tall.

The pattern also said to attach ribbon at the neck so it could tie close, but I thought it would look funny with a bow right there. So I rummaged around in Alan's drawer of man pins (for ties and lapels) and found two that work really well! One was a gold cross, and the other is an Episcopalian shield. I really like the shield pin because it looks like a coat of arms:

Next, I decided to work on the pants. I picked out a black lightweight corduroy fabric. Here is a picture of the pieces all cut out:

I worked on the pants this Saturday when hurricane Irene was storming up the coast, so I'm almost finished. I'll post again soon once I get a chance to take some pictures. I have to work fast because I just started hearing commercials for the Renaissance Fair on the radio!