F
encing became popular during the
renaissance as the sport of the nobility, and continues to be a sport today,
though not thankfully restricted to nobility. A fencer needs proper protection due to
the fact that it is a deadly martial art, regardless of time period. These protective garments have changed
from padded and non-padded doublets in the past to trim coats, electric wire,
and lightweight body armor in today’s collegiate competition fencer. Today’s Midrealm fencer differs in many
ways from the modern collegiate fencer.
While the modern classical fencer uses a white uniform, Kevlar body
armor, and fights in a straight line called a strip, they require
In trying to get this article together, it became evident that multiple articles are needed. So lets start with the basic premises of the fencing garments.
The primary garment used by the SCA fencer is a fencing doublet. One has to wonder why they are called doublets? The word "doublet" originally referred to a garment made out of two layers of cloth (i.e. lined). This is because it was the primary garment of the period in which fencing started, so the name stuck. . All men wore a jerkin or doublet in their day-to-day lives. The differences between a jerkin and a doublet are that a jerkin could be worn over a doublet, but a jerkin would not have been worn alone. A doublet could be worn underneath a jerkin, or could be worn with a simple shirt underneath. Doublets could be more ornate with embroidery, jewels or fancy trim. A jerkin would be generally a heavier coat in the same style in leather or wool. A jerkin is also sleeveless, while a doublet has sleeves.
Why should we be interested
in what was being used in period by the fencing masters and the gentles who took
up the sword? Simply that it helps
today’s SCA fencer get into the idea of fencing in period, and perhaps a period
style. The really nice thing is
that it looks right and actually helps in practicing the period moves.
But what can one do to be a period looking fencer? The answer is to look at actual garb worn in period. That then leads us to portraits, extant garments, statuary, funerary brasses, stained glass windows and lots of other art that has survived the centuries.
It is costly to travel to Europe to see all the extant garb available, so it is recommended to look at books of costume on the period (try for those which contains portraits, extant garments or more than just someone’s rendition in a line drawing such as Peacocks 1066-1960 or any of Norris’ books), period woodcuts, or frankly, ask other fencers whose garb you admire, most are happy to tell you. There are a few sources that I recommend as a starting point; Millia Davenport - The Book of Costume, museum websites of paintings (see references), Period Patterns (has great documentation and photos), Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion. Racinet’s Full Color Pictorial History of Western Costume is also a good place for general ideas. From there you can determine what you need to do next bearing in mind the rules governing armor for the kingdom.
The first rule in creating usable fencing gear is safety, safety, safety, as fencing gear does not breathe well. Heat stroke and other such maladies are life threatening, do not compose garb that will put you in danger. DO NOT BE UNSAFE. In consideration of safety, one must include taking a punch test of the fabric, but also includes other safety things that one does not often consider. These other things may include, breathability of your fabric choice, breathability of the design you are making, and how do you get in and out of it. Think of heatstroke and the fact that the Chiurgeons will cut you out of your garb if it cannot be removed easily. (I recommend Velcro of the main opening because of this)
There is more to the armor than just a doublet. There are also pants, such as pluderhose or Venetians, or a skirt. In the photo of the fencer in Figure 15, the pants are derived from the Sture Suit in Arnolds Patterns of Fashion. They have been totally sealed and are one continuous accordion of fabric folded to look like pluderhose for safety. These are different from fashion pluderhose, which are dangerous on the fencing field. Photo 1 could be bounced from the list due to entangleable pluderhose.
asunder. Loose pieces
can be ripped from the body or trap a blade. Either way, it is dangerous and steps
should be taken to assure that all pieces are secured. If you are unsure of how to make the
sealed version of pants, or want the look without the fuss, use trim or striped
fabric. It creates a similar effect
without all the bother. (see Simplicity photos below) Lower armor such as pants and skirts
will be covered in a future article.
We have seen what is in period, how does this correspond to what is needed to be SCA fencing legal? A Midrealm fencer needs to have a minimum protection all the way around the head, the neck, the torso, the arms, the hands, legs and feet. See the Midrealm rules for up to date specifics on what is needed. http://www.midrealm.org/marshal/handbook/rapiercombat/mkrcmhv2web.pdf
PUNCTURE-RESISTANT MATERIAL 
Puncture-Resistant Material
is any fabric, leather, combination of fabrics or combination of fabrics and
leather that will withstand the Punch Test. Examples include (but are not
limited to):
1) Four-ounce leather
2) Four layers of heavy
poplin clothe
3) Ballistic nylon rated to at least 550
4) Commercial fencing
clothing rated to at least 550
Kevlar is not an acceptable
material, as it may degrade rapidly.
OVERLAP
There shall be sufficient
overlap between separate pieces of protective gear (at least 3 inches when the
fighter is at ease) that, regardless of the fencer's stance or movements, the
minimum protection for that body area shall be preserved.
Now is it mandated that you have a period correct outfit to fence, NO, but one must be safe and think of things before fencing garb is made by you or someone else. And sometimes it is fun to meld into ones personna and time of fencing with period looking garments. It is always up to the fencer to determine how period they want to be. The fencing outfit can be as simple as a plain unadorned tunic up to a well-fit velcroed closure doublet or a period painting reproduction. All ranges can be seen on the fencing list.
For those willing to go the next step and make their own fencing doublet but cannot draft their own patterns, the following manufacturers can be used as a GUIDE. Be forewarned, I do believe that all garb should be fit to the person and just because it is a pattern does not mean that fits you in all manners of the rules. The 3-inch overlap rule must be applied to all patterns, commercial and personally drafted as well. Please make up all patterns in a cheap non-stretchy fabric such as muslin first. I am making a general assumption that you know what size you are by measurements. If not, take your measurements or have a friend do it. For those that prefer drafting their own patterns, the graphed extant doublets in POF are an excellent place to start. However, if this is much too much work to try and graph a pattern, take a shirt, similar to an oxford shirt and draft a pattern of this. My first drafting, as the commercial patterns were not available was off of a modern fencing jacket. After 9 full revisions the first one was done. Since then I have found that a front closing shirt or close fitting jacket works best.
Patterns:
Dashing Doublets, Mc Calls, Simplicity, Period Patterns, and Margo Anderson’s are good sources of commercially available patterns for doublets. As pattern numbers change from year to year it seems, below are some general photos for you to note.
From the pattern photos, you can note a
general theme. Basically, a jacket,
fitted through the body and covers over the waist and top of hips. A mandarin style collar is not
necessary, but does lend itself to a snazzier look. More on the collar itself
later
Must remember the 3-inch overlap when
designing the doublet. A good guide
is to wear the doublet mockup with what you are going to wear on the bottom,
pants or skirt. Do a full lunge
extension, is anything showing? If
not, good design, no revisions are necessary. BUT, if there are clothes underneath
showing (or skin) there are a few things that you can do to alleviate this
problem.
1)
extend the jacket
length, yes this will lay a little different, but does help especially when
wearing a belt.
2)
Add a longer
skirting under the waist piccadils (tabs at waistline)
3) Add a cummerbund waistband to pants or skirt.
In utilizing patterns such as these, certain
problems have come to light. First,
the three inch covering problem.
Most of the doublets tend to sit at or above the waist in these
patterns. See above for ways to
make it 3-inch overlap legal. Of
all the above patterns, the EASIEST pattern for a newbie is the Simplicity
costume pattern. It fits well and
does not require lots of fiddling except for the 3-inch overlap.
Sleeves are also a problem in some of the
patterns, notably with Dashing Doublets Pattern. While a really nifty sleeve for being
not sewn in, if used one will
not be able to lifting the arm above waist level. There is an easy solution, take an
oxford/dress shirt sleeve and
use it as a pattern. It works well
and has great mobility. Make sure
that the armhole and top of the sleeve lengths match. It is ok if the sleeve is bigger than
the armhole, if otherwise, make the top of the sleeve bigger. If you want really puffy sleeves, they
are basically a rectangle of fabric, 30 x 24 inches, (the 30 inch side) pleated
or gathered into the armscye or armhole of the doublet.
Collar: A mandarin collar is similar to the
collars used on period doublets.
These are short collars which stand up. They range from 1 inch tall to 3 inches
tall. Make sure the collar has
enough room for the coif to fit inside.
The gorget then goes over this.
Now onto figuring out your pattern to
you. Take your pattern and transfer
it to the fabric. Add a minimum of
3 inches to each side of the doublet opening for the 3-inch overlap rule.
Check the size of the doublet body against you with any bits of armor you
need underneath, such as chest protectors and coifs, and pull in or let go
areas. Pin and mark with a marker
or pen. If necessary, redraw
the pattern on another bit of muslin.
Discard the one that doesn’t fit.
Mark the one that fits with a pen or marker and stash in with the
pattern.
Fabric:
OK, so you have your pattern, idea, and now
need fabric. What are you going to
make your doublet out of? Whatever
you choose, the fabric must withstand the punch test. See the rules for the punch test.
If you want a brocade or spiffy external
layer include that along with what you are going to line it with. All must be punch tested together. A personal recommendation for fabric is
trigger. It is a medium weight
poplin fabric that can withstand the rigors of fencing, being stuffed in a bag
and washed several times. It is a
great fabric to start out fencing with, or used as a lining for that spiffy
layer you have gotten for the exterior.
A good measure of how much fabric will be how many layers is it going to
have to be. For a fencing jacket
for a medium to large person traditionally is 4 yards 60” wide Trigger. That includes 3-4 layers and what is
needed for the sleeves. If you are
using 4 oz leather, it is recommend to get two hides.
Now that that is said and
done, what has been used for Midrealm legal fencing gear?
See above, but for names you can recognize at
the fabric store, there are:
Silk - punch test for number of layers. Noil/Raw has been used due to
price. Good, but silk eventually
degrades in sunlight.
Trigger
Poplin
Tightly woven cotton
Velveteen - back with impenetrable material,
cotton velveteen is recommended
Tapestry/upholstery fabrics – only thing here
is to make sure that it is not backed with plastic.
Leather - 4-ounce
weight
Tightly woven fabrics - must be able to
withstand the punch test, i.e. trigger.
Linen has not been shown to be a great fencing garb candidate due to the multiple washings a fencing garment needs, and because it is a more open weave fabric. This does not say that it cannot be used, but simply that it may not want to be considered as first line due to these factors.
Putting it all together:
Next, make sure that you have washed all your
fabric and are ready to cut. Pin
the body of the doublet that fits you on the fabric, replicating the placement
in the commercial pattern instructions.
Use whichever sleeve pattern you want, paying attention to the rules,
collar, piccadils. (or as some refer to them, tabby bits), and any other piece
you want on the doublet. A helpful
piece of information: If you need
to make multiple layers of the same piece, layer all the pieces together and cut
as one. If your scissors cannot
handle that, then make sure each piece is cut as close to each other as
possible.
Now we are at the sewing part. Sew the two front pieces of the doublet
to the back of the doublet to make a jacket. (sew the sides and shoulder
seams. If you are able, sew all the
layers of each piece as one. I.e.,
if it needs to be 4 layers thick, then layer all 4 backs together as one piece
and sew to 4 fronts on either side of the back, making one jacket piece 4 layers
thick. If you are adding trim to
the doublet, now is a good time to do that. Then attach the sleeves. After the sleeves, work on attaching the
collar, then move on to the piccadils and skirting.
When all that is done, the doublet can be
fitted for closures. Personal
preference after all that hard work is VELCRO. Why Velcro? Primarily for safety and ease of getting
into and out of the garb. Second,
if a medical malady does strike you, bear in mind, the Chiurgeon’s WILL cut off
garb that can not be taken off easily.
Fancy closures are fine, but when your life is in danger, VELCRO will
save you and your garb. (You can
always put buttons over it, or fancy trim to hide the
velcro)
Lastly there are a few ways to
spiff up garb cheaply. One outside
layer of a brocade/upholstery fabric, Lace, trim or buttons – looks nice, but
may not last long, or pearls
and jewels - these too may not last, and they become targets for opponents to
hit and pop off.
Photo 1 http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~wew/fencing/lovino1.html
Photo 3 George Silver Paradoxes of Defence
(http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/paradoxes.html)
Photo 4 Saviolo(http://www.cs.unc.edu/~hudson/saviolo/)
Photo 5 Arte Dell Armi Achille
Marozzo
Figure 6 Simplicity patterns
(http://www.simplicity.com)
Figure 7 Margo Andersons Patterns
(http://www.margospatterns.com)
Figure 8 Dashing Doublet
patterns
Figure 9 Period patterns
Figures 10&11 Arnold, Janet;
Patterns of Fashion, McMillan, 1985.
Figures 12-14 Alexander Blackram Nov 1,
2003
Photo 1 Bad pants
06-19-2004 by Spooky Poet
From the
Doublet
1. a. A close-fitting
body-garment, with or without sleeves, worn by men from the 14th to the 18th
centuries. (Rarely applied to a similar garment worn by women.) Obs. exc. Hist.
(The doublet had many changes of fashion, being at one time with, at another
without, short skirts. In its various sleeved and sleeveless forms, it was the
prototype of the modern coat, jacket, and waistcoat.)
1326 Wardr. Acc. Edw. II,
26/3 Unus doublet pro corpore Regis. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 571 Dubbed in a
dublet of a dere tars. 1489 CAXTON Faytes of A. II. xiii. 115 They hadd couertly
vndre theyr lytel doublettes rasers. 1548 HALL Chron., Hen. VI (an. 15) 135 That
it was ynough for a woman, to judge the difference betwene the shurte and the
dublet of her husbande. 1627 DRAYTON Agincourt, etc. 158 Dublet, and Cloke, with
Plush and Veluet linde. 1740 GRAY Let. Poems (1775) 83 We should have taken it for a red
sattin doublet. 1835 URE Philos. Manuf. 133 George Fox..travelled as a
missionary..buttoned up in a leathern doublet with sleeves.
b. phr. doublet and hose;
esp. as the typical masculine attire; also, as a sort of undress, or dress for
active pursuits, implying absence of the cloak worn for warmth and protection,
or of the gown, coat, or cassock befitting age or dignity.
1598 SHAKES. Merry W. III. i.
46 And youthful still, in your doublet and hose, this raw-rumaticke day? 1600
A.Y.L. II. iv. 6 Doublet and hose ought to show it selfe coragious to
pettycoate. 1603- 4 Const. & Canons Eccl. §74 That in public they go not in
their Doublet and Hose, without Coats or Cassocks. a1654 SELDEN Table-T. (Arb.)
38 One man can go in Doublet and Hose, when another Man cannot be without a
Cloak. 1858 LONGFELLOW M. Standish I. 3 Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of
Cordovan leather.
c. doublet of defence (or
fence): a body-armour composed of metal plates covered with cloth or leather; =
BRIGANDINE. Obs.
1418 E.E. Wills (1882) 37 A
Doubeled of defence couered with red Leer. 1463 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (1841)
158 Ffusten..ffor to make doblettys off fence. 1488 Will of Sharnebourne
(Somerset Ho.), Doblette of fence. 1885 Fairholt's Costume in
Some discussions on the origin of the word
doublet
Collins English Dictionary says it comes from the French
'double' which means the same as the English 'double'. There's also a word
'singlet', which is a garment worn under all your other clothes, usually for
warmth. So it may be that the doublet, worn over an undergarment (usually a
shirt or equivalent), created a double layer of clothing.
Sinech
It refers to the fact that the doublet itself is two
layers (i.e. lined). The word developed in the early days when hosen began to be
pointed to a vest-like garment -- a pourpoint. A lined pourpoint was called a
doublet in French. And then the doublet came to mean the shape we think of when
we say "doublet". Kass