I have an itch to revamp the Veronese overgown in time for Folsom Renaissance Faire, since it looks like the Chateau Rose will be attending in one form or another. And if I can’t have an actual new gown, the next best thing is to remake an old one.
My idea is to make it over into a Venetian gown with a ladder-laced front, based on this portrait of Isabella Canossa by Paolo Caliari (Veronese), 1547-48, from the Louvre. I lightened that image to try and see what the lines of the dress actually are. Then I searched around online for more on that portrait and came across an even better sketch by Paolo Caliari in the Louvre’s online database (see third image in the gallery).
These and the Portrait of a Lady attributed to Giovanni Antonio Fasolo, 1565-70 (towards the bottom of the page), are the main examples I can find of Venetian ladder-laced gowns that also have split-fronts showing the petticoat (and it’s not entirely clear that this is what’s going on in the front of the first Caliari image either). But hey, two or three possible pieces of documentation is better than none!
I’ve already removed the hooks, eyes, and buttons on the front of the overgown. Now I need to take it apart at the side seams and figure out how to widen it and add fabric so it fits better. Then I’ll sew the bodice to the skirt, as they currently hold together with hooks and eyes, which is unnecessary in the gown’s new incarnation. Altho’ first, I’ll probably need to re-pleat the skirt because the waist measurement will change. We shall see how it looks at the center front…