As part of cluster VESTE, DRESS — the acronym for ‘DesenhaR a moda das fontES quinhentistaS’   (Designing fashion from 16th-century sources) — aims at reconstruct a gown (made of several pieces) 

 as described in the dowry of Infanta Beatrice (1504-1538), thus contributing to the awareness of the   historical, tactile, and material dimension of women’s clothing in the 16th century.

​

          Our focus is on the process, that is, to reflect on the shapes of the body and the sewing patterns,   interpreting visual and archaeological remains, thinking about the characteristics of the textures, colours 

 and cuts of the pieces that shaped the dress, documenting the techniques and crafts, contributing

 to an understanding of the fashion history and culture of 16th century Portugal.

          Based on the dowry discharge document written in 1522, DRESS focuses on the act of interpreting,     shaping, cutting, sewing, and assembling the pieces of a garment based on 16th century narratives and   visual sources, and in the clothing moulds provided by the Libro de Geometria, Pratica y Traça published

 in 1580 in Madrid by Juan de Alcega.

​

​

​

​

                                   DRESS is a project sponsored by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon (ref. no. 227751).