Have to Have it!!
Suit, Spanish, Made in Madrid, 1655, owned by Nils Brahe, housed at Skokloster Castle, Sweden
When I first saw this suit, I thought it might be a modern, silver-screen interpretation of a 17th century suit. It certainly has all the elements that make stage and screen costumes discernible from extant pieces. But, once I found out that it was a suit made in the Spanish style for Nils Brahe, I was captivated. There are so many delicious little details which make me want to make this suit so that I can experience the glory of all these elements and see what they feel like to wear. Part of Spain’s sumptuary laws require foreign diplomats to “dress properly” during their meetings at court. Dressing properly meant that foreigners had to follow the local clothing customs and laws surrounding dress. So, when he had to come to Spain, a Madrid-based tailor shop made his suit.
Of particular note is the collar set. The under-propper was known as the “golilla” collar while the white linen layer that is worn over the support was known as a “Valona” collar. They were meant to be worn together. This is the only extant example we have of this very distinctive style of Spanish collar. The black foundation, the Golilla, is made of paper covered with black silk. According to one article, you can still see the Latin words printed on the paper through a tear in the cover. The white Valona layer is made of fine linen gauze. Cut on the straight grain and then carefully pleated and shaped to make it curve elegantly. I theorized that the edge of the collar is wired, but nowhere in the descriptions of the collar is that mentioned. I’ve looked at both the descriptions from the museum as well as the details from a 2017 excerpt from Fashioning the Early Modern: Dress, Textiles, and Innovation in Europe 1500-1800, about the suit and the collar’s place amid the sumptuary laws of the time.
Also of note in the suit are the pockets that are present in the front skirt. With the vertical openings, they look very convenient and simple. I cannot wait to incorporate them into one of my future suits. In my lessons, I have spent a lot of time discussing the making of doublets, but not nearly enough time on the garments that are worn over them. I think the Jacket deserves a lot more of my attention in the future and you can be assured that once I get going on making this suit, I will be putting pockets into it!
The slim fitting breeches are very similar to some pieces that I have made for the Ballet here in NYC. They have a longer line, just below the knee and they also have a little button fastening at the outside of the knee at the bottom. They have such a distinctly modern costume appearance that they were the most apparent thing that made me dismiss this suit at first as a Movie Costume. These breeches follow the same lines as those in Martin de Anduxar’s manual of 1640 in which he labels this slim fitting style as “French.” Who even knows where those labels came from or whether they were accurate. Because we know without a doubt that the suit was made in 1655 by tailors in Madrid, we can be assured that it conforms to the sumptuary laws of the time and whether Anduxar’s manual labels the style as French or not, at this time, it was considered specifically Spanish.
All of my misconceptions about this suit were dispelled when, a few days ago, I saw a photo of the collar which I had not seen before. Because of the construction techniques that I could see, I knew at once that I was looking at “the real deal.” I MUST HAVE IT! was my reaction when I saw this high resolution image of it. Not only do I have the perfect linen gauze with which to make it, I am also enamored of the fact that it appears to have a wired edge (this cannot be substantiated as it is not mentioned in any of the descriptions of the garment) which is fully covered with buttonhole stitches during the hemming process. Additionally, it is meant to be worn on top of a supportasse which is a specially designed stiff accessory that is made of cardboard, padded and covered and cut to fit exactly under various types of collars from the period. The support itself is actually what is called the “Golilla” and the collar that lies on top is a variation of the Dutch falling band.
From the tiny tucks around the back of the neck to the little eyelet design that is created by the outer hem, this little Spanish-style collar has got me all excited about plain linen work. That’s really saying something since most of the time, I don’t get too excited about linen at all unless there is lace involved.
Showing the collar with its under-proper/supportasse
I am also really drawn to the unique appearance of the fabric from which the jacket is made. I cannot tell if it is a velvet weave or a jacquard, but the simple design had a lovely texture and I feel like I’ve seen a modern textile or two with similar weave structure.
At first glance, I can see that the collar, while curved when it is complete, is cut on the grain with the upper edge as a straight line. The curvature is created with the tucks and stitching which appear to corrugate the back of the collar, allowing it to be shaped onto the support. What is interesting is that it seems to be a result of the manner in which the tucks are taken, not, in fact, that the tucks are tapered, thus creating a curved shape. In short, the tucks are not used as darts. I am hoping to contact the museum and get a few more detailed images and descriptions of the nature of the tucks. I have a few theories about what it is that we are really seeing here, but I don’t want to make too many assumptions yet. It’s too early in the research process for that.
There exists with the same suit, a matching set of cuffs which I will make to go along with this collar. Many aristocratic portraits of the period show similar type of tucks that are used in cuffs and ruffs and falling bands. I really want to know and understand the nature of these fabric manipulations so that I can teach other people how to make them and so that we can make sure we are doing them right instead of simply assuming that they are darts. Clearly, something is different about them and I intend to find out just how they differ from what we already know.
I will, most likely, be visiting Norway again next year and it wouldn’t be a long trip to hop over to Sweden and have a look. I might even be able to set up a personal viewing if I have the right conversations ahead of time. Needless to say, this suit, and all of its details have got me seriously intrigued!!
