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The
Landsknecht Projects 10/30/09
So Ok, at GWW a good friend came up to me and asked me to do a Landsknecht for him. I won't mention his name- nothing to do with anonymity, but much more that he wanted it to be a surprise. He's tired of the old and wants a change for the new (at least temporarily). Besides, if you’re in Caid, you probably already know him and I guaranty you that you have seen him. He presents some interesting challenges. He is a big man- as tall as I am and greater in girth. This is not meant by any means as being disparaging. No, simply it's a statement regarding the specific challenges I have to face and over come. Most of the people I have costumed for have been built kind of like me, so it's been easier. This particular project presents some pretty exciting challenges for me. If I didn't like him, I wouldn't actually care what he looked like. I'd just charge him money and send him on his way with the stereotypical Landsknecht looking attempt at garb. But because I hold him in pretty high regard and I've known him for many years and he's trusting me to make him look good, I'm going to do just that dammit! So the first thing I have to do is scour the internet for images of larger Landsknecht in period. Lo and Behold, I found one! (presumably so, at least)  Here's
a big man. And this outfit looks pretty good on him. Now this isn't the
one I'm going to be recreating, but it does give me good clues
on
what may de-emphasize those thing we do not want emphasized.
For instance, notice how large the armsyce are cut and the general hugness of the sleeves. It puts his chest and abdomin in perspective. The diagnol slashes poinbting ot the center line. The lack of decoration on anything we don't want ot draw the eyes too. And seriously, look at the hat! Yup, this is a good study piece! The hose that cuts beneath the knee holding the legs in perspective with the rest of the body. And again, the slashing angling down to the knee. 11/08/09 Oh my, brother, what have you done to me! Dear boy, what a hell of a guantlet you have laid at my feet.... This is going to be so much fun! Imagine if you will, 3 medium sized boxes filled with fabric samples 100's of fabric sample...  Here it is- all organized in vaguely matching colors.... So here is the game. Find as many of the fabrics that match close enough and put them together. Then, figure out which pieces are close enough to be put togeth as a single cloth and witch of those "Fasculli" will clash in the most period way possible. Now- where did this man come across all this fabric? Thats a story in it's self. For many years his family owned a custom upholstery store which, when they retired, they were left with all of these samples they used in the shop. Some of the samples were sold, others were given away, but these...these are what he picked for himself. This suit is more than a set of garb. It's a nostalgic walk through the sweet memories of childhood. Not something to be fucked with. OK, to digress a bit- this is a lesson in color matching and compliments. As I sit here writing this my wife is working with our youngest daughter- Fiona- in seperating the piles above into pallettes. Fiona loves colors and even picks her own clothes in the morning with such skill that it puts to shame all those wannabe's on Project Runway (one of my favorite shows, by the way). She has Fiona seperating and running little errands. Fiona is having fun and Alana is getting the help she wants but isn;t currently geting form because I'm writing this instead. For all you parents out there who are trying to get things and yet whine about not having enough time with the kids- take a lesson. Now, for a rteference on colors and styles of Landskenecht outfits I am primarily using a wonderfull book written by Paul Hector Mair called De Arte Athletica 1. this book was written, illlumed and illustrated in 1550. De Arte Athletica is a massive work of over 1200 pages, broken up into 2 volumes and coincidentally the first volume can be found here: http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bsb00006570/images/ The site is in german and I'm assuming the language of the text is Latin. Not only is it an incredible work for the martial artist, but for the costumer, illuminator, book binder, calligrapher, etc, etc etc... and it is lovingly brought to you by the Bavarian State Library- the same people who brought us that scrumptious dessert, the Bavarian Cream Pie! One of the things I have learned from coming through this voluminous tome is that, unlike the popular myth of the Landsknecht robbing the dead of the battle field for their clothes and thats how they appeared to get all mis- matched, the conglomerate of colors used in making this style of outfit is intentional. Yuppers- sure is. Check it out for your self. The colors are complimentary. And many times the colors on the hose are countercharged, even though the styles of decoration and cut are different! So why all the bright colors and mismatched designs? Well, a couple of things come to mind. Firstly, Landsknecht were used as mercenaries. This would make them easily identified on the battlefield. Why be easily identified on the battlefield? Well, probably not becuase they wanted to be killed. Nope, I'd wreckin' it had more do do with basic economics. See, those people who hired mercenaries didn't have a standing army great enough to deal with the threat facing them- and in the case of Florence in the early 1500's, no standing army at all. So they paid the Landsknechts to to it for them. Now if I was a mercenary, knowing I was only paid half upfront, with little chance of getting paid the rest if we actually won, I would want the enemy to know who I was just incase they wanted to cut a deal on the side. After all, mercenaries are, by nature, for sale. And If I was an opposing General of the army and I saw a bunch of hardened proffesional soldiers in front of my people, I'd have a little trouble sending my troops to their death if I could design a different strategy for success. See what I would do is send an emissary to the Landknecht camp, offer to buy their contract and use them to invade the enemy cities and rape, pilage and plunder their little hearts out. My soldiers lived, their families madly in love with me for arranging a peacefull solutions to get their husbands and sons back to them to work the family farm, and my government would reawrd me greatly- possibly with the govenership of the towns I conquered in record time. And the Landsknechts? They got their money, their loot, their booty and got the hell out of my new province. A win-win situation for eveyone. Don't think it happened that way ever? One of the benifits of studying Machiavelli is that you get to see where he went wrong in his dealings with mercenaries, which lead him to organize the first citizen militia for Florence. And thats only one small section of the world where these games have been played....Study, my friends, and see for yourself.... Anyways, thats my theory on the clothes. I have nothing other than anecdotal "evidence" that gives me a basis for my "cocnclusions" but it seems to make sense. Atleast as much as the stripping the dead on the battlefield theory... The second theory is that the Landsknecht used cloth like everybody else did- as portable wealth. A well trained set of mercenaries dressed to the tee, bristelling with weaponry would strike fear into any underpaid, under equipped army on the family. Portable wealth, with a psychological terrorism componant. This too makes sense to me. Ok, back to work on this. I've wasted enough time on my theories... Now that we have them all sorted into pallettes, this is what I have to work with     So much color, so much complimentary colors.... Oh brother, you have no idea what I'm going to do to you, do you.. MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Seriously my friend, you are in BIG TROUBLE buddy. Oh yes- that many colors, that flamboyant of garb, oh yes in deedy. Sept 18th, 2010 Less than a year later and I'm back on the job! Ok, truth be known I've worked a little here and there on this project over the year...I have a sketch, I have a pattern, and I have a clue- the three most important things every costumer needs to be successful :-) May 17th, 2011 And it has begun! Patterning is almost complete, and the doublet is under way! Now, my dear friend and brother, you're eventual corruption into the fashionable side of the SCA is near completion. Once you you have tasted the greatness, the glory, shear and utter joy that is fashion within the SCA, your dreams of plain coutnercharged houppelandes will die on the vine and you will seriously jones for your next hit of historical haute couture! My dear friend and brother has asked me to keep this little project on the down low... he wants to surprise the unsuspecting populace of Caid with his new found grandeur. So I will be excessively cruel in my updates. Just wait and see ;-) May 29th, 2011 So I've been slaving away for the last three days on this doublet for three days now and it's turning out wonderfully! I won't be posting pictures anytime soon... because of the whole surprise thing I'm insisting on... Word pictures! The doublet is waist length , top half is diagonally slanted inward. The bottom half is paneled. Won't go into a color scheme because that would totally give it away. The slats I've decided to round off the exposed edges and I've kept the paneling on the lower half broad. The armsyce I'm cutting large to accentuate the chest and shoulders, as well as to provide built in air conditioning for my brother.- who is decidedly not used to anything other than T-tunics. OK, houppelandes- but seriously, it's a T- tunic with fancy sleeves and froofy hemlines- and not later period garb. Anyways, I've FINALLY have all the cloth mapped out, got the pattern down,made the mock ups, and this weekend...cut into those very same 17"x 17" pieces of cloth that have been decorating my sewing room for the last year and a half. Yup- took the major steps this weekend. Rock and Roll, baby! Oh, and just in case I didn't mention it, pictures will follow.... the unvailing of the suit! I'm so mean, I know. It's almost habitual! 5/30/11 Big day in this doublets life.... All the bits and pieces are currently (as soon as I get off the computer and start sewing again) beign attached to the foundation fabric! Oooooooooooo! I'm so excited!!! Handsewing, handsewing, handsewing.....can't continue on with doing some handsewing..... stitch, stitch, stitch.... start stitching down the diagonals....must get those curved edges down nicely... Got the back done, start working on the sides. My poor fingers.... It's noon and time to call it. Yay! Now to do nothing for the rest of the day! Must enjoy as much as possible....last day of vacation....*zombie walks out to the couch and plonks down*.... Things I have learned: 1) Although it works, using a female dress form for a males doublet is not ideal, and will lie. Terribly. Horribly. Foully. Throughly. 2) Must have faith in my patterning- especially when it works. Never try to re pattern a part of the piece without consulting the original, proven, pattern. Especially when cloth is at a premium! 3) Never use the waist circumfrence at the hip line :-) 4) Liberal use of pins saves time and headaches 5) Always know when to quit work for the day. No seriously! Not quitting while the quitting's good spells disaster |
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