Following historical technologies, masters will recreate ancient bride's costume in ten days.

It will be a bold historical experiment - a group of artisans will create an accurate reconstruction of the 17th century girl’s wedding costume in ten days of continuous work.

They are to work with authentic tools, following historical technologies. Masters will find themselves in the work atmosphere of the 17th century chambers, where their colleagues laboured for Moscow nobility 300 years ago.

Every member of the project has great experience in the study and reconstruction of historical costumes. However they will work for the first time in such an environment

History, fashion, and contemporary art intertwine in the project. This is experiment and performance, creative collaboration and ode to craft.

The bride’s costume consists of 8 items.

It is also complemented with accessories and fittings. Almost all of it will be made during the project. We order reproductions of historical fabrics and materials abroad - original fabrics came to Russia in the 17th century the same way.

  • Sleeves decorated with gold embroidery

    Excavations near Moscow Kremlin brought up burials of young princess Evdokia Staritskaya. She had a silk shirt with long sleeves, decorated with gold embroidery on. Before the project starts and basing on this find we will make an embroidery on the sleeves of our shirt called «rubashka» in Russian.

  • Patterned European-style stockings

    Findings in the Ascension Monastery of Moscow Kremlin will be our reference.

  • Handmade «forged» lace made of silver threads

    As reference, we used the feryaz’ of Maria Ioannovna, niece of Peter the Great. This is a humeral outerwear made of expensive silk and metalized lace, which was called «forged» in the 17th century. We have been making 10 meters of this lace for several months.

  • Handmade silver ribbon

    This is another type of humeral outerwear. We are recreating ohaben’ of the first half of the 17th century from the collection of the State History Museum. This ohaben’ probably belonged to Tsarina Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva. We are making a ribbon of silver and gold threads.

  • Reproduction of Italian patterned damask* of the 17th century

    Rich boyar daughter’s dowry had to contain fur clothing. A fur coat made of expensive Italian silk lined with squirrel fur will be the most impressive part of the wedding costume.

    *In Russian «kamka» - old Russian name for monotonous silk fabric with a double-sided pattern. Due to the interweaving of different threads we get shiny pattern and matt background on the front side of the kamka. On the underside - the other way around.

  • The first Russian reconstruction of the 17th century wedding crown

    Unfortunately, not a single original crown of the 17th century has been preserved and we cannot make a copy of any particular headdress. Therefore, we are recreating a wedding crown that could have been on a girl during preparation for wedding or for celebration in the 17th century.

    We will focus on Avgustin Meyerberg’s drawings from his voyage to Muscovy, on descriptions of Russian tsarina’s headdresses from the 16–17th centuries, and on several contemporary historical researches on women’s and girl’s headdresses of Moscow Russia.

    We have been working on the wedding crown since autumn of the year 2019. It will appear in the project in completely finished state. Transparent silk veil and golden decoration for cornrow will come with the crown.
    We have been working on the wedding crown since autumn of the year 2019. It will appear in the project in completely finished state. Transparent silk veil and golden decoration for cornrow will come with the crown.

  • Ear jewelry with granulation* and gemstones

    The jeweler is now making unusual earrings with filigree and colored glass beads for the bride’s dowry.

    The decoration will be ready-made for the project.

    *granulation - small gold or silver balls (diameter of 0.4 mm or more), which are soldered onto filigree ornament of jewelry

  • Decorated with small flowers made of metal and gemstones. Original decorations were lost.

    We have been dreaming of recreating elegant shoes embroidered with pearls from the collection of Kremlin museums for a long period of time.

  • Sleeves decorated with gold embroidery

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  • Patterned European-style stockings

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  • Handmade «forged» lace made of silver threads

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  • Handmade silver ribbon

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  • Reproduction of Italian patterned damask* of the 17th century

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  • The first Russian reconstruction of the 17th century wedding crown

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  • Ear jewelry with granulation* and gemstones

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  • Decorated with small flowers made of metal and gemstones. Original decorations were lost.

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    «Our workshop has been creating costumes for historical projects for 5 years. For festivals, living history parks, and photoshoots, historical hiking, and archaeological experiments. We made the events brighter staying behind the scenes. «Svadebka» project opens the curtain and brings us closer to people who most often see the final product. The experiment not only reveals the reconstruction of the seventeenth-century female costume. It also shows that the process of creating a costume itself can be studied, and that we can observe craft turning into art».

    Nastya Leonevskaya,
    author of the project

    The project was prepared in collaboration with masters from other Russian cities. Many of them had to deal not only with rare ancient crafts but also with researches on the history of costume.

    Artisans:
    Chief tailor
    Tailors
    Embroiderer
    Master of shoes
    Jeweler
    Storytellers

    Leonevskaya Nastya

    Author, presenter of the project, and workshop leader.

    Recreated the Venets.

    Tarasevich Marina

    Chief tailor of the project

    Fashion-designer

    Over 30 years in the profession

    Has been sewing since the fourth grade at school

    Worked in fashion fur industry for 9 years

    Worked in Vyacheslav Zaitsev Fashion House for 16 years

    Sigailova Natalya

    Sews the Rubashka for the project

    18 years in the profession

    Worked in costume warehouse at the «Gorky film studio» and as fashion designer in an atelier

    Worked as costume designer in «Eralash» for 8 years

    Sankova Ksenia

    Makes the Ohaben’ for the project

    6th grade tailor for women’s outerwear

    27 years in the profession

    Worked for the Moscow art production «Rosgosсirk» for 19 years

    6 years in the Circus of the Zapashny brothers

    Sidorova Irina

    Sews the Shuba for the project

    She learned the craft of sewing from a tailor-grandmother

    30 years in the profession

    Sewed everything, from accessories and clothes to upholstery for furniture

    Larionova Julia

    Makes embroidery of the bride’s Tufli for the project

    Multi-skilled artist and craftsperson

    She has been creating costumes since childhood

    She began making historical replicas 7 years ago

    Explores women’s wardrobe of past epochs

    Kuznetsov Ilya

    Narrator of the project

    20 years of working with leather items

    Craftsman and designer at «Finecrafts» workshop, where high-quality and historically authentic shoes, bags, gloves, and belts are recreated.

    Original materials and correct technologies, tools and fixtures are extremely important for the workshop.

    In 2011, in England, he studied one-to-one with the famous master of historical shoes Sarah Juniper.

    Ismailov Max

    Makes the Tufli under guidance of Ilya Kuznetsov for the project

    Craftsman by a vocation

    Apprentice at «Finecrafts» workshop

    He has been participating in historical reconstruction since the age of 15

    Efremenkova Julia

    Makes the Kosnik - gold decoration for cornrow; weaves buttons of metalized threads and a braid for the Shuba

    Expert of every thread technique, including the unique sprang-technique, tablet weaving and weaving on weaving reed, etc.

    Self-taught, studies the technology of ancient crafts

    Has been engaged in historical reconstruction of Russian costume for 15 years

    Vdonina Nadejda

    Narrator-master, responsible for making dowry for the project

    Has fulfilled orders for historical costumes for 7 years

    In addition to cutting and sewing, knits with a needle, spins, weaves at a vertical loom, tablets, berdo; makes laces on a lucet, fingerloop; colors with natural dyes.

    Holds masterclasses in crafts

    Participates in many projects of our workshop

    Shestak Svetlana

    Master of making dowry for the project

    Carpet weaving artist-master

    Self-taught tailor

    24 years in the profession

    For 12 years she worked as an artist of metalwork and designer at the blacksmith company «Svarog Art».

    Holds masterclasses in carpet weaving at the workshop «Red Fox»

    Learned to weave in the workshop «Pro Sundress»

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    We have studied many documents, books, and articles in order to make every authentic element of the costume. In addition to these sources, we received advice from specialists who not only sew but are also engaged in scientific research on textile of Muscovite Russia in the 16–17th centuries. They helped us create scientific basis of the project.

    We learned previously unknown decorating techniques and the complicated technique of gold embroidery from the latest research by historian Yelkina Irina. With this knowledge, we can make our wedding costume more detailed, and the manufacturing technology - as historically authentic as possible.

    Sources we used: marriage records of the 17th century and the inventory of royal property, archaeological finds, preserved artifacts from the epoch of Muscovite Russia; notes of travelers depicting life and clothes in Muscovy.

    We used the following materials:

    Kostomarov, N.I. Sketch of the home life and customs of the Great Russian people in the XVI and XVII centuries / N.I. Kostomarov; author essay and commentary. B.G. Litvak, under the general ed. N.I. Pavlenko. - M .: Republic, 1992 .-- 303 p. - (Chroniclers of the Fatherland).
    Zabelin, I.E. Household life of the Russian people in the 16th and 17th centuries V. III. Home life of Russian tsars and queens in the XVI and XVII centuries .: Materials: in 3 volumes. / I.E. Zabelin; - M.: Languages ​​of Slavic culture, 2003. - 960 p. - 3 v.
    Stepanova, Yu.V. The costume of Ancient Russian Man: reconstruction according to archaeological, written and pictorial sources / Yu.V. Stepanova. - M.: “KDU”, “University Book”, 2017. - 140 p., Ill.
    Persian and Turkish fabrics of the XVI – XVIII centuries in the collection of the Historical Museum. - M.: History Museum, 2015 .-- 256 p. : ill. - (Gold Fund of the Historical Museum)
    Russian historical portrait. The era of the parsuna .: Publication for the exhibition of the State Historical Museum / ed. L.V. Platova. - M.: CPI “Artist and Book”, 2004. - 280 p., Ill.
    Necropolis of Russian Grand Princesses and Queens in the Ascension Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin: in 4 volumes T. 3: Burials of the 16th – early 17th centuries. Part 1.2 / Ans. ed. T.D. Panova. - M., 2018 .-- 700 copies.
    Frolov, D.V. Seventeenth-century Saransk in documents and artifacts: monograph / D.V. Frolov. - Saransk: Publisher Konstantin Shapkarin, 2019 .-- 444 p.
    Zhabreva, A.E. written and graphic sources on the history of Russian costume of the 11th – 17th centuries / A.E. Gill; Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences; under the general ed. N. A. Sidorenko. - SPb .: BAN, Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2016 .-- 480 p., Ill.
    Vishnevskaya, I.I. Precious fabrics / I.I. Vishnevskaya; issue ed. I.V. Markov. - M .: CPI "Artist and Book", 2007, - 180 p., Ill.
    Elkina, I.I. Textiles of Moscow Russia XVI-XVII centuries. According to archaeological data: attribution, technology, reconstruction: dis. cand. Hist. sciences: 07.00.06: is protected 02.28.20: approved. : / Elkina Irina Igorevna. - Moscow, 2019 .-- 318 p.
    Rogov A.A., Khatsko K.N. The experience of the reconstruction of the female ohaben’ of the 17th century. from the collection of the State Historical Museum [Electronic resource] // History of military affairs: research and sources. - 2014. - T. Intravenously - p. 435-463.
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    While artisans are preparing the wedding costume guests will help collect the dowry - to fill the trunk with handmade scarves-shirinkas*.

    The variety of ways to decorate this accessory of the 17th century allows everyone to reveal their imagination and skills. There is a special working area for needlework in the workshop. Experienced artisans will help guests.

    When finished, the wedding costume will be presented at the exhibition of the project. There will be a list of all artisans, guests and other participants who contributed to creation of the dowry.

    * In the 17th century, «shirinka» was the name for square scarf, often decorated with gold or silk embroidery, «forged» lace, fringe, and pearls. «Shirinka» got its name, probably due to the width (rus. «shirina») of the piece of fabric which was cut to make a scarf.

    The project will result in the recreated wedding costume and in a movie showing the whole process of this work.

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