A few things to consider before you purchase one of our patterns

***All Revival Clothing Patterns, both digital and print book formats, are FINAL SALE and not eligible for exchange or refunds***

Please note: our patterns are adapted from our original, industrial grade production patterns so they contain only the minimal markings used by professional production sewers and are intended for intermediate and advanced sewers. The instructions are a basic guide and written with the intent that the user understands patterns and clothing construction terminology and techniques. That said, we have used these patterns for many years in actual production, so they are vetted in terms of sizing and accuracy.

You will need access to Adobe Acrobat Reader version X or later in order to open the file and a printer.

In addition, in order to make large format patterns available to the home sewer, the patterns have been converted to a ’tiled’ .pdf which means, you will print many individual 8.5″ x 11″ pages and tape them together to make the full sized pattern.

For the digital version:

• • • Downloadable digital pattern you can print at home – not a physical product
    • You will need access to Adobe Acrobat Reader version X or later in order to open the file and a printer.
    • After you purchase the pattern, you will receive a confirmation email with the password for the pattern and a link to download an encrypted .PDF, that includes instructions and the pattern itself. The file may only be downloaded once.
    • SAVE THE PASSWORD – you will need it every time you open the document 
    • Please make sure we have the correct email with your order and we are on your spam whitelist – we cannot resend the email with the link to download as it contains a unique link for you to use.

All Revival Clothing Patterns, both digital and print book formats, are FINAL SALE and not eligible for exchange or refunds

A note about sharing – PLEASE DON’T SHARE THESE FILES, copy the pattern or use it to produce items for sale. We are a small company, hoping to share our experience and ideas with you, in order to help you make beautiful, authentic, well-fitting medieval clothing. This pattern is intended for personal use by a single customer and we have priced it accordingly. Abuse of the user agreement will negatively affect our ability to continue to provide this service. We have spent a couple decades researching and perfecting our patterns and we are trusting you to use them in the spirit they are intended. So please, honor our single user policy and help us continue to serve the greater re-enactment community.

Size Chart

Note: In our women’s clothes we’ve abandoned ‘standard’, modern sizing because it is far from standard, and tends to cause more confusion than provide accurate information. So, please judge your size by your chest and waist measurements. We do not give hip measurements because the gown flares dramatically at the hip and is so generously sized there that fit is not an issue at that point. A range of fit is given for each size because the lacings and placket in the back start at the top and extend to below the hip providing flexibility within each size as well as a near perfect fit to each individual within that size range. The gowns run long with a small train so that you can wear them in the authentic fashion of the period – trailing along the ground or hem it to your desired length.

The 15th century was a time of great cultural and social change in Europe. In the north, the old institutions of the Middle Ages were waning, while south of the Alps the Renaissance was already being born in Italy. It was a century that saw the rise of humanism, the first of the great Renaissance artists, the birth of the printing press and the discovery of the New World. But it also saw bloody civil war throughout England and the Empire, the rise and fall of the Dukes of Burgundy, and the stirrings of religious discontent that would blossom into the viscious religious wars of the following century. Amidst this culture of change and innovation in art, arms and armour, a variety of new clothing styles emerged, largely driven by the luxurious courts of Burgundy and those of the wealthy Italian despots.

We have chosen to introduce our forthcoming 15th century line with this dress because of its versatility and uniqueness. Based on contemporary artwork, we have chosen several distinctive elements of early-to-mid 15th century clothing: a wide, somewhat squared neckline revealing the top of the underdress, front-lace closure, and short sleeves flaring into long streamers, an evolution of the tight sleeves and tippets popular with the 14th century cotehardie.

Although some of these individual elements first began appearing in the second half of the 14th century, they did not commonly appear, let alone in combination, until circa 1400. Together, they create an elegant and distinctive garment typical of the first half of the 15th century. This means that such a gown is still contemporary with the last fashionable years of our current 14th century cottes, while at the same time overlapping with the introduction of the gowns and doublets that typify the middle and late 1400s, allowing you many different ways to elegantly match your lord across much of the century, and making for a good introductory garment to 15th century fashion.

This gown’s front closure uses the same placket design as our back-laced gowns, allowing it to be fully adjustable. The lacing, split sleeves and linen construction makes for a perfect dress on hot summer days. Our standard lace is a natural color or you can get black for an additional charge. Made in 100% linen, the split-sleeved frontlace gown is available in the colors listed below in all of our standard sizes. Please note that in our historical references, below, the gown is always pictured as a short-sleeved gown, with the underdress omitted. This is simply so that he lines of the overdress are not obscured in the drawings. Please note that the gown is always shown worn with a long-sleeved underdress. In period, ladies did not brazenly display their arms!

Read more about the 15th Century in our From the Pen of History article here!