La cotte simple

Impressions after the Medieval Congress

Tasha Kelly — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:16:16 +0000

For the third time, I attended the International Congress on Medieval Studies held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, which went from Thursday, May 9th through Sunday May 12th. My first time there was 2004, when I was five months pregnant with my son. I experienced the conference with the sense of being an outsider, [...]

The post Impressions after the Medieval Congress appeared first on La cotte simple.

Medieval Martial Lovefest in Kalamazoo

Tasha Kelly — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:33:17 +0000

This coming week is a busy one! I’m flying into Chicago on Wednesday and will then travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan with my beau to attend the 48th Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies held on Western Michigan University’s campus from Thursday May 9th through Sunday May 12th. Bright and early Thursday morning (8 AM), we’ll [...]

The post Medieval Martial Lovefest in Kalamazoo appeared first on La cotte simple.

Fourteenth Century Clothing Workshops in California

Tasha Kelly — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:38:14 +0000

On Saturday, April 13th, at Loyola Hall on the campus of Santa Clara University, I presented an afternoon of immersion into the tailoring of two famous French pourpoints dated to the fourteenth century: The Charles VI and the Charles de Blois. It is impossible to study fourteenth century clothing without paying at least some attention [...]

The post Fourteenth Century Clothing Workshops in California appeared first on La cotte simple.

Change to Bay Area Plans

Tasha Kelly — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:51:31 +0000

It appears more folks are interested in workshops/hands-on learning than in the lectures, so the offerings for the event at Santa Clara University on Saturday, April 13th is changed as follows: I will be presenting the Charles VI research, including my reproduction, as planned, followed by a grande assiette sleeve workshop. This will occur in [...]

The post Change to Bay Area Plans appeared first on La cotte simple.

“Redressing What We Know”: slide-enhanced lectures in April

Tasha Kelly — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:09:09 +0000

**UPDATE: The bust support and farsetto lectures are cancelled; in their stead there will be a grande assiette sleeve workshop. Please see the more recent blog post for details. Plans have firmed up for a day of lectures by Yours Truly to be held on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara , [...]

The post “Redressing What We Know”: slide-enhanced lectures in April appeared first on La cotte simple.

The cotehardie that ate my brain!

Tasha Kelly — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:04:48 +0000

My sweetheart’s birthday is in early November. He gently suggested I might make him something historically-themed and fine to wear. I thought this was a capital idea, given my experience and interests. I decided to make him a cotehardie in the style of Charles de Blois. I have my own pattern for easy fitting, after [...]

The post The cotehardie that ate my brain! appeared first on La cotte simple.

Placing your 14th century buttons just so

Tasha Kelly — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 22:31:36 +0000

The 14th century in Europe is notorious for many things, but one of my favorite (and less grim) legacies is the button. Mind you, buttons existed before the 14th century, but it was during this time that the fashionable integration of buttons gave us a true embarrassment of riches. Indeed, it is the 14th century’s [...]

The post Placing your 14th century buttons just so appeared first on La cotte simple.

Examination in France

Tasha Kelly — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:46:47 +0000

I made arrangements to visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Chartres, France on the 1st of July, 2011 to examine the pourpoint of Charles VI, a crimson-colored, padded and quilted jacket dated roughly to the late 1370s. This was planned as part of the fulfillment of my contract with the Society of Antiquaries of London [...]

The post Examination in France appeared first on La cotte simple.

Applying for the Janet Arnold Award

Tasha Kelly — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:25:21 +0000

Most people reading this blog already know who Janet Arnold was. For those who do not, she was a clothing historian who brought gravitas and academic acceptance to a much-neglected aspect of material history. She published multiple books that brought extensive understanding of 16th through early 20th-century tailoring to us. Sadly, she has passed away, [...]

The post Applying for the Janet Arnold Award appeared first on La cotte simple.

Welcome to the new La cotte simple!

Tasha Kelly — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:01:50 +0000

I’ve finally ventured into the world of WordPress. This wondrous authoring tool has allowed me to bring the look and functionality of La cotte simple into the 2010s. I hope you like its new appearance as much as I do. I’m excited to be unveiling the revamped site because not only do I believe it looks a million times [...]

The post Welcome to the new La cotte simple! appeared first on La cotte simple.