Hot girl summer, but make it Viking

The sudden popularity of "historybounding" brought a whole lot of design content to my social media feeds right as I began thinking about my summer wardrobe – which was, like, January, because I live in a swamp. I'd already made a few modern pieces in addition to my historical sewing at that point. What could be more natural than designing my own historically-inspired-but-modernly-wearable garments?

In a vague attempt to rein myself in, I stuck with inspiration from Medieval Europe. The main elements I wanted to feature in these designs were simple patterning and textural detail. A medieval shift, for instance, is built on a basic T-shape.

And that, folks, is the poster for maximizing fabric use.

As usual, despite the proliferation of elegant court folks in my inspiration images from the period, I erred on the side of the lower classes. That conviction mostly affected the decorative aspects of my designs. Medieval garments, whether high- or low-class, tended to be patterned the same with most distinctions made through fabric quality and embellishment.  

I went straight in on drawing dresses. There was nothing keeping me from designing separate skirts, tops, or even pants, but... well, I just really like dresses. (Mariah Pattie has done several great historically-inspired capsule wardrobe designs!) After a few days of sketching, I came up with this spread of six.

I'm not bald, but I have a phobia of croquis with hair.

Tragically, I lack the budget to make six dresses in one fell swoop. My fabric limitations ultimately meant that only one of these designs made the cut (heh, heh): number three.

The slim, squared shape with keyhole neckline was directly inspired by Viking dress. It includes narrow decorative embroidery at the neck and sleeve hems. Shortening the skirt was my only planned modernization in the original design; while patterning, however, I modified the stark T shape into a dolman, where the sleeve is cut continuously with the torso and the shoulders are slightly shaped by a curved seam. It not only reduces the number of seams I've got to sew, but also streamlines the silhouette just a touch.

T-shaped vs. dolman

What about fabric? I'd already purchased that lovely orange wool for a kirtle, fully aware that I wouldn't need the entire amount. Yes, this is the mysterious modern dress that left all those fun pieces! 

But... wool. Wool. Wool?! 

Wool! Bizarre as it sounds, given our typical association of wool with heavy cold-weather clothes, wool is actually quite versatile. It's naturally moisture absorbent and breathable (unlike polyester fibers) and has better temperature regulation than cotton. This weave is also very lightweight and doesn't sit heavily on the body. Plus – because I'm all about maximizing utility – when the weather cools down, it'll be very easy to use this dress as an additional insulating layer with other garments. With that said, my first choice would have been a medium-weight linen, but the budget says no.

I don't even have enough money for chicken nugget linen fabric.
Incidentally, if you ever need a gift idea for me...

In the end, I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

Like the Vikings, I really enjoy styling with a good leather belt.

And, finally, a detail shot of the "embroidery" at the neckline, which is really just a couple rows of blanket stitch in black and brown thread. (Work smarter, not harder.)