Page:Costume, fanciful, historical, and theatrical (1906).djvu/64

32 tabard, circular pieces being cut out from each side, and the lower portion of the skirt sewn up. The old Teuton mode of hair-dressing with flowing locks prevailed, but plaiting also was in vogue, twisted with coloured or gold ribbons, or held at the back in a golden net. Simple garlands of flowers were placed in the hair, and a fillet of stuff or metal, this being shaped either as a crown, a diadem, or a coronet; and the matron adopted a fur-trimmed cap.

Italy in the fourteenth century showed a decided tendency to return to the classic form of dress. Long robes fashioned like the old tunic and stola fell in graceful folds round the figure to the ground; the sleeves were of moderate width, permitting the under-sleeves to be seen fitting tightly to the wrists. The dawn of the Renaissance brought some changes in costume, notably in the over-dress, then called a "simarre," which fitted closely in the bodice and outspread in a full trained skirt. This simarre was sometimes made open from neck to hem, and held together at the top by a square brooch; and the sleeves were of two varieties, either quite tight or else wider and very long, ending in a point, but invariably bearing some decorative border. The girdle definitely slipped to the hips, and the description of a Florentine dress runs: "A simarre of brocade fastened with small buttons on either side, the back hanging quite straight, the girdle being worn in front of the dress only." Very pretty must have been the cypriane, a gown of French origin which was worn with a high belt and had a triangular-shaped opening low on the bodice, a veil covering the bosom, and a delicate ruffle