Garment Structure: The Gamurra and its Layers

The gamurra was the foundation of women’s dress from the 1470s onward. It typically consisted of:

• Fitted bodice with lacing (either side, front, or back depending on the decade and status)

• Gored or pleated skirt, attached directly to the bodice

• Removable sleeves, laced at the shoulder with ribbons or points

• Worn over a camicia, usually of linen, sometimes with embroidery

Detachable sleeves were particularly symbolic: they reflected both wealth (fabric was expensive) and agency, as women could gift clothing specifically sleeves to lovers or swap them to reflect different social roles.

The slashing detail on the sleeves draws on Germanic and Venetian influence, where slash and puff emerged as a trend. While not always present in Florentine conservative styles, this detail suits Annika’s outsider identity: a girl of Venetian origin in a Florentine world.

Construction Techniques & Methods

Period tailoring relied heavily on flat patterning, hand stitching, and structural pleating. There were no zippers, elastic, or commercial fasteners. Historical methods with natural resources were utilised to create high grade durable clothing meant to last the wearer many years.

• Due to time constraints, metal eyelets were used instead of the historically accurate hand-worked versions. In the period, eyelets would have been hand-stitched and spiral-laced using cord.

• For modern adaptation and comfort of wear over an extended period of time, corset boning was used to reinforce the lacing panels. This is not in line with historical accuracy. Regardless layers of canvas, wool, and pad-stitched linings were still used as per tradition, but comfort was chosen over strict authenticity for this adaptation. 

• Cartridge pleating was used, by first reinforcing the length of the fabric with a strip of linen and hemming it before measuring out the cartridge pleats at consistent intervals

More traditionally the bodice would have been constructed without boning but with firm support via flatlining reflecting the body-conscious but unstructured support of the time. 

Conclusion

Through this research, visual, social, and material history was synthesised into a coherent costume that narrates Annika’s internal conflict and social displacement. The gown is a wearable story: meticulously constructed, symbolically rich, and historically grounded.

Color Symbolism and Fabric

Green, the chosen main color, held rich meaning in Renaissance Italy:

• Associated with youth, hope, and fertility of a young bride in portraits, especially when paired with symbolic objects like fruits or flowers. 

• In current day and age we ambiguous symbolism: illness, envy, or liminality

A luminous silk dupioni was used for the main body and black silk taffeta for accents. These materials were prized in both Venice and Florence. Florentines were famous for their wool, but wealthier citizens increasingly wore imported silks. Silk reflected not only class but access to luxury trade.

The decision to line the dress in white linen also echoes historical practice: linen was breathable, washable, and served as the base of nearly all clothing. Chemises were rarely seen in full, only peeking out at cuffs, neckline, or sleeve slashes.

Regional & Artistic References

Paintings were a primary reference source:

• Ghirlandaio’s female portraits, such as Giovanna Tornabuoni (c. 1488), show squared necklines, open sleeves, and minimal ornamentation.

• Botticelli’s works, including Portrait of a Woman (1475), feature similar layering and sleeve detail.

• Leonardo da Vinci’s portraits such as La Belle Ferronniere (1490) for style details and embellishment placements.

• Carlo Crivelli and Vittore Carpaccio offer Venetian contrast more lavish brocades, pearl trims, and looser silhouettes.

The final dress design walks the line between these aesthetics: Florentine restraint with a touch of Venetian flourish and reflects a young woman caught between two cities, two identities, and two expectations of womanhood.