The Gypsies, or Romani, first appeared in Western Europe in the early 15^th century. Linguistic evidence points to several group migrations from the Indian subcontinent, the first possibly around 390BC. There is documentation of them being in Constantinople around 1068. For European Gypsies (other than Spanish Gypsies) this seems to be the starting point with contact with Europe. Some of the various Gypsy tribes settled into a migratory pattern in the Balkans and Eastern Europe with others heading westward into Europe proper.

In patriarchal Europe the Gypsy men seem to have blended more quickly into the general population, more than the women who stayed around their own camps. The Gypsy women held onto their traditional style of dress well into the 17^th century, at least according to artists of the time. If you are observant you can spot Gypsy women in numerous art works in the late 15^th and 16^th century, not including the ones with Gypsy in the title.

One of the art works showing Gypsies are Hieronymus Bosch’s Haywain (Figure 1). Some other are Giorgione’s Gypsy and the Soldier (this is also known as The Tempus), Titian’s La Zingarella, Tiziano’s Gypsy Madonna (Figure 3),as well as Caravaggio’s Fortune Teller (Figure 2)and Georges de La Tour’s 1632 painting of the same name (Figure 4). The Master of the Housebook has a etching of a Gypsy family and there is a Franco-Flemish tapestry titled The Visit of the Gypsies.

The common clothing of Gypsy women is a basic gown with some gathering or pleating around the neck to make it fit. It may have a keyhole neckline opening for breastfeeding of young. This would have been worn over a undergown or chemise of basically the same construction. (See layout and cutting diagram below.) A drape is worn over one shoulder. This is sometimes of a striped fabric, and could be used to carry children or objects. The outfit was completed with a turban of cloth.

This common outfit seemed to have stayed the basically the same through the 16^th century. The first change that the painters recorded was gown took on more of a chemise look, as in Caravaggio’s The Fortune Teller and Georges de La Tour’s 1632 painting of the same name. In Caravaggio’s painting the girl still has the turban and drape of the Gypsies but the gown looks like a high neck chemise with blackwork embroidery around the neck. In the La Tour painting the older woman is in classic Gypsy clothing but the younger women only have the drape to show that they are Gypsy.

BOOKS:
The Gypsies, Angus Fraser, 1992, ISBN 0631159673, DX115.F72

Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey, Isabel Fonseca, 1995, ISBN 0679406786,

WEBSITES:
The Patrin Web Journal, Romani culture and historical information web site.

Web Gallery of Art, Collection of artwork ,all paintings shown here are from this site and belong to them.

The patterns given here are my own supposition based on artworks and a understanding of cutting diagrams for loose gowns. I happen to be approximately 5'5" and a size 22, but my height is more important to this type a patterning than my dress size. This is a loose cut gown or Thob, based on the most common gown type know in Eastern Asia and the Middle East. It has a main centre panel that covers both the front and back with a t-neck opening which is slightly gathered on a band. The sides have long gores butting up against the sleeves, to add fullness to the gown,(this is where most of the fitting will occur). The sleeves are cut ordinally into rectangles and then gores are cut off at the bottom to be attached at the underarms.

Even though I made my gown to fit myself, it will fit my size 14 daughter other than being a little short (she is taller than I am). If you need to make the gown smaller the easiest place to adjust it is on the side gores. The pattern I have made is squared off at the top of the gore. You can instead have it come to a point, to reduce the width at the bust point. The centre panel can be made narrower, but make sure that it will cover the shoulder width.

The measurements you will need are:

Full Bust

Waist

Hip

Arm Length from top of Shoulder

Hand width + 2"

Upper Arm

Length from shoulder to floor

Shoulder width.

A - Centre Panel - The length from shoulder to floor X 2 by the shoulder width + 4 to 5". I used half of the width of my fabric, approximately 22".

B - Sleeve - The arm length from the top

of shoulder by the upper arm measurement. This is the minimum width for this piece, the triangular sections will be added to this but you may want it a little looser.

C - Arm Gussets - Speaking of those triangles, they are half the length of the sleeve by half of the sleeve width - (the hand width + 2"). I know this may not make sense right now but if you cut your sleeve as panels, then cut the arm gussets, it will. By the way I cut mine with a straight section by the wrist to allow the side gores to fit better.

D - Side Gussets or Gores - The fabric left from your centre panel minus a length equal to half of the sleeve width. This is then cut in half then cut at an angle to give you four equal pieces.

There are two rectangles that are not labelled.

These are extra, and part of one (ether one) is to be used for the facing around the neck of the gown.

Fold the centre panel in half lengthwise. Cut your neck opening, leaving about 5" on the sides for the shoulders. I cut mine in an oval instead of the T-opening that was drawn, some of the paintings show this style as well as the other opening. You may finish the neck at this time or wait until the sides have been attached.

Attach the sleeve gussets to the sleeves. Then attach the side gores to the sleeves. Sew the side seams. (Note: on mine I French Seamed the first 6" of this seam.)

Attach the sides to the centre panel. Hem sleeves and bottom of garment.

Turban and Drape -

My turban is a very long rectangle of lightweight fabric, that is wonned a round my head. In some of the paintings the turbans are so large, that you wonder if there is some kind of framework underneath the fabric. I chose to do without the framework and just use fabric, because I was not sure if the turban in the paintings were allegorical or not. Please feel free to make your own interpretation .

My drape is a rectangle of fabric, approximately 2 1/2 yards long. I finished the edges and draped it around me.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Dinah bint Ismai’l
Dinah Tackett
Incp. Shire of Camden Tor, Meridies
96 Von Steuben
St. Marys, Ga 31558

htackett@tds.net