ACC - The Partlet

The partlet I want to make for the ACC is this beauty, thought to be Maria de Medici, painted by Alessandro Allori, 1555-57, Florence (Moda a Firenze). Eleonora di Toledo is painted quite often with high-necked partlets, and there are numerous paintings of this period with ladies wearing high necked partlets with and without overgowns.

I fell in love with this partlet when researching ideas for my elevation gown, but opted for a collarless partlet at that time in order to not feel silly wearing a Florentine partlet with a Venetian gown. It was a painful choice (but the right one! Serafina and Janeanne did an AMAZING job on it). But now, I get to make my partlet.

I have ordered some adornment items such as black pearls and spangles; I have some gold cord which will hopefully service as couching cord. The original gems may have been jet (or something else altogether), not black pearl, but for the sake of cost that was my choice. It should have the right luster to feel right. I am a little concerned about the goldwork, but I'll do some tests to see if I can make it look right. There's also some gold needle-lace at the edge of the ruffle that makes me nervous.

I have the silk organza I want to use, but it looks like the embroidered part is backed by something, presumably to help the weight and stiffness - I have some buckram that might do the trick. I'll have to test how it looks under the silk and see how it reacts to embroidery to know for sure.