Without her, autumn came and trees became austere,
And after that the time grew quickly, year by year by year.
Still, I listen for whispers of that song I could have known,
And look to my garden, gnarled and my flowers overgrown.
I tell myself, as winter comes, if I could just have her here,
She would be my finest rose.
Corset Renaissance Dress “German Rose”
Linen Boned Renaissance Kirtle
This German medieval dress is elegant and simple, allowing your natural beauty to speak for itself while enhancing all of our best assets in all of the right places. For many years, our boned kirtle has been one of our best selling dresses. Though it’s not as embellished as some of our other collections or adorned with trim, it holds a simple, respectful beauty that is hard to deny. High-quality flax linen is combined with a flattering silhouette, a tight bodice and an elegantly draped skirt. Tie on sleeves add a little bit of elegance, with a few bold buttons along the forearm to add some functional decoration.
This dress is heavily inspired by the 16th century, especially Woensam paintings. We begin to see the basic garments of the XIV-XV century branch out and become more structured and higher waisted. This design probably would have been worn by a woman of higher status, as the lacing up the back would be difficult to do up on her own, so she would have had a servant or handmaiden. The base of the German dress is gorgeously simple, though, leaving lots of room for you to make it your own and customize it in a way that suits your persona or character. Who knows - maybe your peasant character just happens to be very good at doing up her own back lacing!
Traditionally, this German women's dress would have been worn with a chemise, as the bust is quite low. The square neckline and boned bodice work together to give you a dainty waist and a high bust, which looks fantastic with the voluminous skirt that drapes to the ground. The sleeves are fitted at the wrist, giving your arms a delicate look, and the buttons break up the fabric to create some contrast with your chemise or shirt underneath. Because the sleeves are detachable, it is up to you if you wear your kirtle with or without.
100% flax linen would not have been traditionally used for this kind of dress (more likely wool), but we like to create items that are comfortable for our customers who exist in modern times! Linen has a lovely weave to it so it breathes very well, making it a perfect all-weather fabric. The eyelets at the back of the dress are metal, meaning you can pull the lacing nice and tight without fear of harming the dress.
Please note that the matching chemise is not included, but is available from our store.
If you’re looking for a more complete outfit, take a look at our full German costume, which includes the chemise, kirtle, and overdress as well.
Please ensure you measure yourself correctly, over the undergarments you wish to wear, as this dress is very fitted.
To check how to measure yourself please click here.
Please contact us if you have any additional questions.
Materials:
- 100% flax linen;
- Plastic bones;
- Brass buttons;
- Metal eyelets;
- Cord.
Features:
- Low square neckline;
- Corset bodice;
- Back lacing;
- Detachable sleeves;
- Wide skirt;
- Flattering on all body types.
This item is part of the “Renaissance Memories” collection
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25 Feedbacks
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djamilajafee 17 of October 2023:
I'm so in love. This is pure art. Thank you so much!
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kelseysullivan03 14 of October 2023:
Dress is beautiful and well made! I got it in green. Fyi the buttons on the sleeves come very loosely sewn so you can adjust them, so make sure not to lose them when unpacking it like I did. Elena was very helpful when this happened and also let me know when a sale was occurring so I could order at the best time. Thank you for the great service and quality!
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Leah 06 of June 2023:
This dress is fantastic! I'm a busty woman, with a smaller waist and was nervous about the overall fitting of the corset. The length of the bodice makes it sit right above my hips; it is really flattering! It's not my first Armstreet dress purchase and I can't say enough how I love the quality of the material - it is sturdy enough to be use in an active LARP and the color is just perfect, even when it fades through use and washing. I'm able to put it on and lace it alone, even though it requires a bit of practice. I'll probably buy the overdress later this summer, but this dress really is beautiful with the chemise alone.
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Audrey 19 of May 2023:
Amazing and versatile piece to have. I am so pleased with this dress, even if it is tedious to get someone to tie it for me, but it is so light and comfortable to wear.
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Verbena 08 of May 2023:
I'm very happy with my purchase! It fits well and feels great. My only question is, how do you recommend washing it?
ArmStreet team:Many thanks for your feedback, we wish you much fun wearing the dress!
You can find the care guide here: https://armstreet.com/care-guide.html
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Tracy 31 of March 2023:
I am so pleased with this dress! Alyona is amazing to work with. So fast answering my many questions. Thank you! I ordered a size 10 as recommended and it fit perfectly. The dress is exactly as described and I cannot wait to get the overdress to match it. You may need a little help lacing yourself up but other than that I was easily able to get in and out of the dress. I am 5 foot 7 inches and the dress does not quite hit the ground. This is great to avoid it getting to dirty during questing. I am eager to show off this dress at events. If you are considering buying this dress DO IT! You will definitely not be disappointed. Thank you Armstreet!
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Leslie 02 of February 2023:
I got it custom fitted and for the most part it it fits.. It is longer than I asked for and the back comes up higher on the back of the neck.. I wanted it a certain length so I would not trip over it. Finally the upper arm part is HUGE... no where near what I asked them to do size wise. Wrist if fine, elbow is fine and the like 6 inches too big on the bicep area. I really wanted this dress and I paid extra for custom because I needed it.. I am busty and hour glass, but I was a bit dissapointed in this purchase. I will get it hemmed and taken in on the arms.. but I am not sure what I can do with it being too long on the back top of the dress... I love Armstreet and I buy from them at Pennsic... The fabric is really nice and it is well sewn. I am sure I will get more from them.. but probably only when I can try it on in person. I did LOVE the other 2 off the rack items I got.
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Eszter 11 of November 2022:This dress really shows its true face when you put it on! I just love it! I bought it in simple black, and when I took it out of the package it didn't look like anything special. But as soon as I put it on! It looks fantastic and cute without the sleeves, and stunningly elegant with the sleeves (and of course still pretty as well :)). The quality of the fabric and the stitching of the dress is impeccable, the skirt doesn't make me look fat despite the waist cinching (quite the opposite, in fact), and the dress fits perfectly even though I didn't choose „custom” version. As I am near the maximum of the ordered size 2, it is almost impossible to put the dress on and especially take it off on my own, but for a boned corset dress this is not too surprising anyway.
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Christina 27 of September 2022:
This dress is beautiful on! I was inbetween a 4 and a 6, and ordered the size 6, so that it would close in the back. I am fairly hourglass, and so it is a tiny bit loose in the waist, but that is a common thing for myself. My one surprise is that the arm hole is quite narrow, if you are a mid-size or plus size person with larger arms, you may notice it could be a little tight under the armpit. The boning and detail of this dress is gorgeous, and as mentioned before, it is lovely on the body. The linen is also a great weight for this dress. Considering the arm hole tightness, if I could afford it, I would still buy one in every colour. I do agree it is difficult to take off by yourself if you don't really loosen the back, but that is expected for something so heavily boned. All this being said, 5 stars. I wish I could wear it everyday.
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Nicole 21 of August 2022:
The fabric and quality is excellent, however there are a few fitting notes. The boning which goes over the bust sits strangely, almost puckering, and it feels like it may be a patterning problem. Also, the boning over the shoulders makes this dress surprisingly difficult to get into and out of yourself without completely undoing the lacings, which is less than ideal. I expect I will be doing a bit of tailoring to get the dress to my liking, but it is very well made and I suspect if you selected the tailored option like so many of the commenters it wouldn't have these teething issues.
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Natalie V2 22 of March 2022:
We are so thrilled about the beautiful look of this dress, as well as the quality of its construction, and how well it fits. Our daughter is wearing this in her brother’s wedding, then to her prom. Actually, she’d love to wear it anytime, anywhere. She has declared that as soon as she can, she hopes to add more of your dresses to her wardrobe. I am eager to share this feedback, and when we have pictures, we will post, again.
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Tamara 24 of January 2022:
great dress and great customer service , fits perfectly and feels wonderful.
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Armony 15 of January 2022:
As soon as I saw it out of the (perfectly undamaged) package, I knew it would bring me joy to wear it, and indeed, it’s always been a wonder to walk around with it. It’s really confortable to wear, and the material is of good quality. I have nothing else to say but thank you for this great dress !
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Therese 27 of December 2021:
I bought this dress with my own measures and it fits just perfect! Took a while to get delievered, but when I asked if something had gone wrong, I had it in a week and Armstreet offered me delievery to the door with DHL to compensate. During the years I've been shopping different things from Armstreet, even if I'm quite good at sewing, and it's always very high quality and perfect service.
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Cheryl 15 of August 2021:I love it... I need to get some accessories still but it's lovely and it arrived much faster than I expected! I can't wait for someplace or event to wear it.
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Kyra 06 of July 2021:
Wow! Wow, wow, wow. I can't say it enough. The shipping was so much faster than I expected and the gown is worth every penny. It is so gorgeous, so well-crafted, and just an absolute dream. I went back and forth on whether to spend the money, but I'm so glad I decided to do it. I've wanted a gown like this for ages and I really couldn't be happier!
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Esther Jackson 11 of May 2021:
I bought this dress, because I've longed for an Armstreet ever since I found it and this seemed to be the style I'd never attempt to sew. I bought it for every day wear, and yes, no one noticed. I did modify it a little, but I need pockets in my life and I can't wander around with two inches sweeping the floor. The quality is gorgeous. I bought a standard size and it came super quickly. I am planning on doing a couple of blog posts about it and do photoshoots with the dress in general.
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Emily 15 of October 2020:
I ordered this dressed in a custom size. It arrived this morning and I could not be more pleased! A gorgeously made dress, in a beautiful color, and superbly comfortable as well. Thank you, once again, Armstreet!
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Susan 20 of June 2020:
Sister and I ordered German Rose custom made. Violet for her / blue for myself. As a forty year professional seamstress, please allow me to convey how exquisitely crafted these gowns are sewn. Quality linen. Excellent seams. Love the boning placements. Professionally pressed. And the sleeves fit our muscular Irish arms beautifully. These gowns fit like a dream. (Definite value having the gowns custom made to your measurements.) Perfect first experience for sister wearing a period gown. I will be a repeat customer. (There's two other gowns I'd love to own.) Thank you again for such great communication and service.
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Anthea Tuley 13 of May 2020:
I love this dress so much. I decided to get it custom made and the quality is stunning. Unfortunately it came out about 1/4”-1/2” too big around the waist, but it’s not too much of an issue. I adore everything about this dress and I feel magnificent wearing it.
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Rachel 12 of May 2020:
My experience purchasing this item really highlighted the excellent service J always receive from Armstreet. I originally ordered a standard size as I was fairly confident my measurements matched the size chart. Customer service quickly contacted me to explain that based on the measurements I provided for another item, they would recommend a custom size in the kirtle also. I am happy to report that they were right-- this dress is the most beautiful fit and makes me feel like a princess. I did find a couple of pieces of boning popped through the linen after being worn in a combat LARP, but they were an easy fix and as with all of my gear, a bit of wear adds character. I can't wait to build more layers on top of this gorgeous dress. My only criticism would be that the buttons really stand out in both colour and style, and something a little more authentic would make a huge difference.
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Kelly-Lynn 12 of May 2020:I absolutely love this dress! It fits me so perfectly. The quality of the dress is great and the material seems very breathable and easy to wear for the whole day. I love that the sleeves are detachable as well, so if I get too warm I can just choose to not wear the sleeves and am still left with a gorgeous dress!
ArmStreet team:Good to hear! Thank you for your feedback, we love to see our customers happy :-)
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Nina 12 of May 2020:Bought this dress awhile ago and still I am in love. I love the linen Armstreet uses and the color is wonderful. I bought it in yellow. I am a huge fan of mustard yellow and sunflower yellow and the color is somewhat in between this two colors. The fit is perfect for me and it is super comfy to wear, even it has a corset bodice. I love the back lacing, even it is a bit hard to lace it on your own. With help you can lace it super fast. The bones seems to stay in their place and keep their fit, not like very cheap corsets, where bones start to deform after awhile. The arm pieces are a bit tight around the wrists. It does fit, but I personally prefer a bit more space there. Nevertheless, the dress makes an amazing body shape since the smallest part is the waist. I have already a sandhour body shape, but the dress really highlighted it even more. I have good experience with hand washing and every stain it ones had, could be removed and the color stayed wonderful yellow. After awhile I bought the rest of the "German Rose" Collection and it goes super well with all the other products.
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Amy La hay 12 of May 2020:
I ordered custom sizing in this dreas and love the results! The sewn in boning means I don't have tonqorry about a suppoetive underlayer or corset, meaning i can just put this on and go about my SCA day. It is my go to outfit for camping, as it is easy to layer for warmth and looks great with a fancy overdress for court. As no one is shaped the same, i definitely recommend custom ordering for your size- important in auch a fitted garment. Colour has not faded but corset plastic is starting to poke through the seams after 4 years of consistent wearing (and washing, so its more my fault than construction issues)
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Svetlana 09 of April 2020:
Came fast, perfect quality, fits as sewed on me
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6 Comments
I love this dress so much, I just bought another one in black. You may wear it with or without the sleeves for a very different look. It's a heavier linen so does not easily wrinkle like thinner linen dresses tend to. It's breathable as well, and has openings around the arms (and you can always remove the sleeves to cool down). You do need to tighten laces from the back (or have a hand to tighten yours). I can tighten it myself without help, though, and am not that experienced with laces. This is a flattering dress that is quite comfortable even though it has the boning.
Hi! Are the pictures shown with this dress taken with the natural linen chemise or the white one? I'd like to chose the right chemise based on what I see.
It is natural linen color shown on the pictures of the chemise.
Can the sleeves of this dress be undone and taken off?
Hello, yes the sleeves are detachable.
What is the approximate skirt hem circumference? I would like to add special trim to it to match my other pieces.
It is about 6 meters but it depends on the size.
How do you recommend washing this?
We recommend hand washing in warm water or dry cleanning.
Is it possible to get this dress in wool if one is willing to pay the difference in price?
Hello Annika, it is not possible, unfortunately.