early 4AM update, day 4

[cormac]

OK, so it's not 4 AM yet. I finished the hems on my tunic, so that's done. With the help of lady_songsmith, I was able to procure a pattern for the cap of maintenance.
Then, it hit me! The Pelicans! Wearing a cap of maintenance might be in violation of their reserved regalia. So I looked up the registration to make sure I wouldn't offend anyone.

The registered regalia for the Order of the Pelican is:
"(tinctureless) a chapeau."

*blink* A chapeau? A hat?!?! If this is taken at face value, anyone who wears a hat to an SCA event is claiming to be in the Order of the Pelican. Now, we know (or do we?) that this can't be true, so we look at SCA traditions. Tradition holds that a cap of maintenance that is gules, doubled argent plummety (red with a white feathery lining) is the mark of a Pelican. But does it have to be red and feathery? Can it be green and cream? brown leather and white linen? checkered? I defer to my Pelican friends and other knowledgable Society members to help me decide whether making and wearing a cap of maintenance of any color would be offensive to members of the Order. Until then, the sewing situation remains:

shirt, tunic, surcoat - done.
pants - linen's not going to be warm enough, so I'll probably wear a pair of black sweatpants.
headgear - other than the cap of maintenance, I don't see anything interesting enough to make. If I can't wear that, I'll go bare-headed.

Comments

[firedrake-mor.livejournal.com]

The chapeau in question is typically defined as "guled, turned up ermine" or something like that. The style of the Cap of Maintenance is an old one, and the only one reserved is the combination mentioned, AFAIK.

One which coordinates with the colors of your outfit would be acceptable and striking. I'd like to see that pattern. I like the style, and it's difficult finding pre-made hats to fit my size 7 7/8 head.

[cormac.livejournal.com]

http://www.meridies.org/as/old%20dmir%20site/Costume&Fashion/0942.html It may not be the best, but it's all we've got. Believe me, I've looked.

[lady_songsmith]

Answering two posts at once, to spare your inbox --

Flat caps only really look good with Tudor/Elizabethian clothes.

Finding the period-matching chaperone too boring, are we?

As for "all we've got", like I mentioned last night, playing to the lowest common denominator works wonders. "Robin Hood/Peter Pan/Elf hat" turns up quite a number of patterns that would be 10-ft rule passable, as long as you do not take the advice to do it out of lurid green felt... *gags*

[cormac.livejournal.com]

while a hood is nice, and would be fitting for the time period, I don't have enough cloth to make one. And a chaperone, while not boring in the slightest, is a bit to ostentatious for the look I'm going for. I'll wear a chaperone with the houppelande I'll eventually make.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I would err on the side of caution if I were you.

I would 'druther see you in a biretta or scholar's cap anyway. Easier to make, no contrasting lining to deal with. If you have a yard or so of your tunic or surcoat fabric, make a flat cap of it.

[cormac.livejournal.com]

yeah...but...a biretta wouldn't be approp to the period of the outfit, would it? I mean, 15th c. Italian hat with 12th and 13th century shirt and tunic?

And flat caps are blech. No disrespect to our flat cap-wearing friends, but...blech.

Sorry, I'm just really picky on hats. Always have been.

Maybe I'll make a pileus. I'm supposed to have a tonsured head anyway, so why not protect it?

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

What did 12/13th Century scholars wear on their headbones then? I'm not sure what a pileus is.

You can tell I'm =not= a costuming major at times like these. Sigh.

[cormac.livejournal.com]

A pileus is a sizable skull cap, like a yarmulke on crack, and would be what Insular scholars would have worn prior to the influence of Milan. According to my research, the biretta existed in the 13th century, but was a very localized hat.
http://home.uchicago.edu/~atterlep/costuming/academic%20clothing.htm Here's what I'm basing my academic garb on.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

You are going to laugh, but I have such a thing made. It is made of black leather, four wide rounded triangles of black latigo [v. thick], stitched with black waxed linen. Interested?

[cormac.livejournal.com]

interested, aye. but would it fit my ginormous head?

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I'm used to the big heed thing, Jared's another. It rattles around on my heed so it might work for yours.

OK well if you don't like that, we can do ya a quick tonsure, where's the schick razor? [grin, duck, run]

See you tomorrow. Just finished up a bread pudding for Sat. Breakfast -- we can't run the amazing Heraldry Machine without fuel! I plan to spend Fri. afternoon/evening making up VHS tapes of my Food Net work as cheeeap 12th Night giveaways. Some assembly is required, but thanks to TiVo it won't be impossible, just a little time consuming. Then early to bed, etc.