We are pleased to present these images of a distinctive set of vestments recently made by the Studio for an esteemed customer in New Jersey (USA). This set was made according to the size of chasubles of the 16th century, being more a variant than a reproduction of such vestments. They were made from a delightful brocade with a floriated woven design in gold and chocolate brown upon a base colour of ivory. The vestments were lined in silk taffeta in a beautiful and muted shade of green.
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The vestments were ornamented with a vintage orphrey braid made of silk; it features a Cross in two shades of gold upon a vibrant yellow base.
These vestments were ornamented with a simple column, back and front, which is attached to the chasuble. We might say a little more about this ornament. An unfortunate trend in vestment-making is employing a column of great width to ornament the chasuble. Sometimes this amounts almost to 30 cm (12") ! This always looks disproportionate, even unseemly.
The column orphreys made by the Studio to ornament our chasubles are constructed to careful measurements. Often we use one of our unique braids as the basis for such columns, which we enhance by running a galloon along either side. The above photograph shews just such an arrangement. The wider orphrey braid is carefully arranged at the neckline and the bottom of the chasuble, so that its particular decoration is not truncated. In this case, the particular is a stylised Cross, which is repeated at intervals along the orphrey. A galloon of knotwork in burgundy and gold has been mounted on either side of the wider orphrey braid. This same galloon is run around the perimeter of the chasuble and the neckline. For most of our chasubles, the perimeter is trimmed with a narrow galloon.
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