Hi Elizabeth,
Well, velvet and damask was more highly desirable than simple silk, so if you
had the choice between simple silk or buying some velvet and making a partlet
from that velvet (maybe because it was all you could afford of the velvet),
then you would wear the velvet. It is also possible that the velvet one is
their "best" partlet so they wore that for their portrait, but may have had
other partlets.
I'd have to go read the inventory writeups (thinking the ones for Mary Tudor's
would be more pertinent to your question), but the info we have on the garments
is going to be limited. Dress in the Court of King Henry VIII didn't have much
specific info on partlets, other than one listing for Henry having one made of
satin. The write up discusses that there was inventory upon Henry's death that
lists a number of partlets remaining, but no break down of what they were. I
don't have the inventory book yet as it is darn expensive.
Mary's short inventory has partlets made of purple tissue, cloth of gold
tissue, crimson velvet, crimson satin, purple velvet, purple satin ("turned up"
with purple velvet, I think), and a partlet of tissue raised with crimson
velvet and lined in crimson taffeta. Some were made separate from the others
(in satin and in velvet) with the rest to match their French gowns - usually
the ones in tissue or velvet. Remember, this is the inventory of the Queen, so
her colors and fabrics were going to be the most desired/expensive.
I personally made a wool gown, and a matching wool partlet, as I wanted a
matching partlet not a velvet one. IIRC, there are only a handful of images
that I've seen where the woman wears a partlet, and yes it was either in velvet
(maybe real black wool for Mrs Pemberton) or matching in damask. But that is of
images that survived, and of women usually wearing their best for their
portrait.
I say if you want to make a silk taffeta gown with a matching partlet of the
same fabric, go for it. There is enough evidence in the inventories to show
that partlets were made of silk (satin) and not always velvet or
damask/tissue/cloth of gold.
Kimiko
On Mar 1, 2012, at 12:17 AM, Elizabeth W wrote:
> This evidence leads me to two possible conclusions either the only time a
> partlet is not made of velvet is when it's a brocade or that if you have a
> coloured gown you make the partlet out of the same dress.
> So I'm hoping that either somebody else on this list has a better art
> collection than me and can provide an example of a coloured silk gown with
> a partlet or, failing that, somebody can make a good logical argument why
> one is more likely than the other.
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