Fashion in Assassin's Creed Bits and Pieces

Assassin's Creed I

The Templars wear your standard crusader garb. The chain mail under the surcoat and cloak with the red cross. His concept art had him wearing black, which was worn by sergeants (one step above knights, who wore white), and was also worn by some characters in the game,  but I am unsure of which would be more historically accurate. To be fair, though, the white robes are more recognizable.

Interestingly enough, I was unable to find any contemporary portraits of Robert de Sable, though I'm pretty sure the actual man wasn't bad-guy bald.

I wasn't able to find any quality or contemporary images/descriptions of 12th century Syrian/Persian clothing, but from what I did see (mainly from the 1300's), it seems like Altair's clothing is completely wrong.
Also, because I'm a jerk like that, I have to comment on the Assassin Bureau Chief's/Malik's coat.

It's basically a super simple modern coat, which has no place in the 12th century.

Assassin's Creed Liberation

Aveline De Grandpre

Guys, Aveline just really wants to be in the Edwardian period. She's dressing for the era she wants.

This dress doesn't fit well into any time period, but that hat is certainly Edwardian. The V shape at the bottom of the bodice is slightly reminiscent of 16th century English wear, The skirt silhouette looks a bit like the something from the 1790s (after the game ends), sort of reminiscent of the bumroll. Those sleeves look like a failed attempt at period sleeves.

And her step mother, Madeliene de L'Isle,

Kill it with fire.

I don't even know where to start. Bias cut things again, natural bust curvature, which is wrong. The sleeves are just weird and don't fit into any time period that I know of. The hair is kind of alright, but it's just not close enough, and the flower thing looks like a rosette from the French revoluation. Also, what is with this game and low necklines/low boob placement? Honestly, both of these female characters have the bust silhouette that happens without a bra. I'm not a fool, they wouldn't be wearing modern brassieres, but both of them would be wearing stays, which lift the bust, and actually create a straight silhouette from the bust point to the waist.

Assassin's Creed Unity

First things first. The character model for Napoleon was amazing.

A portrait painted in 1792, and a screenshot from the game.
The uniform is wrong, but the face is perfect.

But enough of the niceties, let's move on to Elisa de Laserre.
I'm not even going to discuss her main outfit, because it's just as random and unrealistic as Aveline's assassin's outfit.
But her ball gown is something I will harp on.

Here it is in all it's gory (pun intended).

This is the point where I start making dismayed noises, fanning myself, and over dramatically falling out of my chair. First off, it's plain ugly, and from a historical perspective it's wrong from head to toe. It looks like they took most of their inspiration from the rococo period rather than the early 1790's. She's supposed to be a French noblewoman in the early 1790's her hair should be up. The style had the majority of the hair situated above the neck, with a relatively small amount of it draped over the shoulders.

The necklace is awful. I don't know what the artists were thinking with the top. I would expect to see the off the shoulder neckline, and small puffed sleeves on a gown from the 1850's/60's. The bottom part of the sleeves looks like leather, which is just wrong. Moving on to the bodice itself, there is some very modern color blocking there. I haven't seen a bodice like that EVER, in any era of history. The stomacher-ish thing is a really weird shape. Stomachers were always triangle shaped. Also, if we look at a side view (below) it's obvious that the gold part is actually layered on top of the black. Stomachers would always be layered below the two sides of the bodice.

At least they got rid of that hideous floating ruff/whisk.

The triangle portion below the bodice also makes no sense. True, stomachers could be quite long, but it is obvious that in this costume, the lower part is not a part of the bodice, and the little charms have no historical precedent that I've seen. The two gold portions on either side of it wouldn't bother me if they reached all the way to the bottom of the skirt, as many dresses did have panels or sections of embroidery in that position, but in their cropped state they bother me. I'm not certain about the flaps at the hips. They mostly look like Cinderella's  dress, which was discussed by Kendra at Frock Flicks here. The ribbons look like some sort of reference to the ribbon detailing on french gowns in the mid 18th century, though these did not have free hanging ribbons, rather they were sewn onto the skirt.

If we look at the bottom of the dress we see gathering similar to the robe a la polonaise, popular in the 1780's. I found a couple of examples of layered gathering, I just wish that the over-skirt was gathered higher, closer to the waist, with longer hanging sections, like this. Oh, and one last thing that I know would horrify the ladies at Frock Flicks:

AHH! BACKLACING!

(Did anyone else notice that it took 4 images for me to explain how bad this outfit was?)

Shao Jun

This Chinese Assassin turned up in the animated short Embers, and is the playable character in AC: Chronicles China. But onto her outfit.
Bah ha ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha. Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah. Ok, ok, calm down, deep breaths... (snort) Bwah ha ha ha ha, oh my god, ha ha ha ha ha.

GET THE F*** OUT!!!!!

There's so much that is wrong, I'm just going to show you what's right.

Standard women's dress in the Ming dynasty was actually comparable to the Korean Hanbok, with pleated, less voluminous skirts, and longer bodices.

Honestly, the last  two outfits would be quite easy to move around in. and it would be relatively to hide weapons in the sleeves.

I think they would have done better to create a simplified version of Ming dynasty armour. Perhaps by removing many of the ceremonial symbols, and slimming down the arm wear. From what I can tell, armour from the Ming, Song, and Qing dynasties was quite similar.

WARNING: OFF TOPIC RAMBLINGS CONTINUE FROM HERE TO THE END OF THIS POST, IT IS ABOUT AC, BUT IS NOT ABOUT A CURRENT GAME.

I would love to see an Assassin's creed game with a female protagonist set in the early part of the Qing Dynasty (images are from The Legend of Zhen Huan, because I love that series. If there's one thing that Chinese costume dramas do right, it's the costumes.).
Qipao in the Qing dynasty covered the body in a loose A line shape with wide sleeves and a side slit that began at the hips. Under this was worn a blouse, the sleeves of which were visible inside the larger sleeves, along with a pair of trousers-the result of the Manchu culture valuing horsemanship.

The clothes were fairly easy to move around in. Noble women wore flower pot shoes which had a tall platform located at the center of the sole, and were richly embroidered. The Manchu did not practice foot-binding, and made several attempts to ban the practice, beginning in 1634. These made women look taller and more elegant, as the proper walk required slow, small steps.

As much as I love them, I will admit that these shoes restricted movement, so a main character would either have to not wear them or kick them off.
But I think the most interesting gameplay would come from the accessories/ornaments.

Before the iconic mandarin collar came into fashion women wore embroidered scarves called longhua. Literally a million uses.
The other part that made me thing was the hairstyles.
The long, flat ornament at the top of the hair, called a bianfang, could easily be a blade.

Also, the majority of the ornaments were hairpins. With the amount used in some of the more elaborate hairstyles, it would be easy to stab someone to death.
Last but not least: the Nail Guards.

These elaborate metal coverings were worn on the ring and pinky fingers, and served as a status symbol. It would (obviously) be almost impossible to work in such ornaments, and they served to show that a woman didn't have to. With the right upgrades, these could basically function as hidden blades.

RAMBLING OVER

Thanks for reading. I'll probably continue with other bit's and pieces posts as I keep looking at the rest of Assassin's creed.

Fashion in Assassin's Creed II

So I've started watching the Showtime's Borgias show. I do find myself laughing my way through half the episodes, partly because I know my renaissance papal history, and partly because of other nerd things, but the costumes are fantastic and accurate. As someone I talked to put it: "It's a good show, but not a good history."
I recently also played AC2 with one of my friends, and was talking about the  history, and now I'm going to talk (aka whine) about the costumes.

Starting with the Ezio Trilogy

DISCLAIMER: Due to my inexpert knowledge, and the fact that the games have merits other than the costumes, as long as it falls into the "High Italian Renaissance" style I will consider it accurate.

Young Ezio

The one on the left is flipped

The embroidery on the doublet is decent, fitting for a nobleman, and the slashing is alright-though it would be more fitting on a Tudor era doublet, at least they got it somewhere in the renaissance. I really wish it had sleeves on it. The shirt appears to have the right construction, but I'm not quite sure about the bracer-ish thing. Of course it would all be better if he would  DO UP YOUR SHIRT YOU FOOL! YOU'RE NOT A PEASANT! In full body renders you can see that he is wearing boots, which is actually alright, since he spends most of his time running around outside.

Interestingly enough his brother dresses better than him-though he too has the shirt issue (but at least it has nice sleeves).

Assassin Outfit

*Falls out of chair laughing*

Ok, I will admit it is renaissance-esque (though the belt strikes me as more rococo). Once again a semi-decent doublet and shirt, but he still needs to close them. The boots are still appropriate, if a bit elaborate. The rest is laughable. I don't know what they were going for with the bias cut tails in the front and back, but there is certainly no historical precedent for them that I can find.

All of his remaining Assassin's robes follow a similar pattern so I'm leaving them off.

Sorry Ezio, for all your charms, your sense of fashion is terrible!

Claudia Auditore

I refuse to talk about her assassin outfit

Actually dresses quite well. I would like the neckline to be a bit lower, her hair to be down, or in a less opaque snood (she's not married), and to get rid of the giant ribbon thing at her waist, but otherwise, I give her a pass.

Same with their mother, Maria Auditore. I don't like the jewelry, but otherwise, there's a lot here that I like. 

They've got the neckline coming down lower, with the partlet covering the chest. True, partlets were often transparent or fancier, but this opaque one works, and it gives you the impression that she prefers more modest clothing. I like the ribbon detail, it seems like a nod to the fact that sleeves would sometimes be tied onto the bodice. Also her hair is done up in a style appropriate for a married woman of her status. All in all pretty well done.

Paola
We're not even going to address her courtesans (except for the fact that their hair is semi decent).

Ask someone else about the stripes

I like the neckline...and that's about it. I have no idea what's going on her head wear. Honestly, she should be dressed the most elaborately, because it's her job to draw attention to herself, and her clothes are pretty bland. If you want to see what an actual renaissance courtesan gown would look like check out this post.

Giovanni and Mario Auditore

The two of them dress pretty similarly. They both are wearing long vest like garments that I'm pretty sure are supposed to be based on the schaube or chamarre, but I am not certain. Giovanni is most definitely wearing a style called virago sleeves. These were long paned sleeves tied at the elbow. They were also popular in the 1660s...160 years after the game is supposed to take place. He should also be wearing shoes rather than boots, because every time we see him he is inside. Mario's slashed jerkin (it's a jerkin because it looks like it's layer over a doublet and does not have sleeves) look more like something I would expect to see on Henry VIII, but at least it's in the renaissance. I'm not really sure about the leather armour, but it's stylistically close enough that I will let it slide, however, ruffs did not come into fashion until later in the century.

Leonardo Da Vinci

oh boy

As an AC fan I like this outfit, but as a historical costume fan I don't. Virago sleeves again, take the boots off, and I'm not really sure about the slashing on the upper chest. The hat is alright.

Rodrigo Borgia

BAHAHAHAHA

It's vaguely papal. Ish. Papal robes are actually one of the few things in the world that have not changed since the renaissance. These would be alright if it weren't for the weird sash, the shoulder thing, and the gloves...Actually if they just turned the whole thing white it would be an improvement.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Put down the sword, you're a politician, not a fighter.

One of his outfits is quite good, and obviously based on his statue at the Uffizi.

Looking fierce does not make up for a lack of accuracy

From a purely fashion standpoint I like it, from a historical one I hate it. The outer thing looks like it's trying (and failing) to be a tailcoat, and I don't think anything really had such an asymmetrical opening. The collar of his doublet is really weird, but it would be acceptable without it. The boots are way too high, and it looks a bit like he's wearing some kind of panned breeches.

Caterina Sforza

This one baffles me, because they were going in such a good direction with the concept art, which is clearly based on a portrait of the original woman. The neckline was in the right place, the sleeves could have used a bit of improvement but were mostly good, the skirt had good volume, and the top had lacing that was characteristic of slightly later renaissance gowns. What went wrong?
Update: I've found out that in a "missing sequence" they have her wearing a dress identical to the concept art. Which only makes the first one more confusing.

Cesare Borgia

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Maybe? Embellished breastplates were a thing, but take that cape off, you're not Thor. I'm not so sure about the belt, and the hanging tails of what I'm guessing is supposed to be the doublet. I would prefer him to be wearing actual sleeves, because I don't think bracers were really a part of standard dress.

I want to take a second out to talk about portrayals. Assassin's Creed really got Cesare's personality right. By all historical accounts the guy was an a******, and I've seen him called a sociopath multiple times. But if you look at the Borgias TV show, he's a nice guy. He's loyal to his family, with a sense of honor. He's basically a hero character, but he's definitely not Cesare Borgia. All I can say is holy flattering portrayal, Batman. 

Now, Lucrezia Borgia, there's a girl who knows how to d-

Oh honey, no.

That whisk is Elizabethan at best. I don't know what's up with that choker, and the cross necklace is much to gaudy. The slashed sleeves are a nice touch, but at that length it looks more like the top of a virago sleeve(I shouldn't have to keep saying that) it would be alright if they had a bunch of volume. The bodice shape wouldn't be popular till the 1880's! Her skirt looks like something from the 1790's rather than 1500. Let's not even talk about the hair. For a good picture of a Lucrezia in a red dress check out this screencap from Borgias.

In conclusion, if you want to learn about renaissance Italian clothing, Assassin's Creed is the wrong place to do it.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. I will eventually be covering the rest of the games.

I Author Gripes ABout History Bonus Round:
Why are there a bunch of Franciscans in the Vatican at the beginning of AC: Brotherhood?
I don't know about you, but I would not sleep with Caterina Sforza.
-Did the I have the means to make more [sons] thing actually happen/was there an original rumor? Because I've seen it in 2 places now.

Why I love Spec Ops: The Line

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD661k1UpvQ

It looks like a second rate CoD clone, and in many ways it is. The controls are outdated, and unwieldy, game play is basically the same no matter what you have equipped, and it's not fun. Yeah, I said it, the game is not fun to play. If Borderlands 2 is ice cream, then this is Brussels sprouts-or something, you get the idea. I don't explain half as well as Extra Credits, so if you want to hear more about that check out their videos here and here.

What I'm going to be talking about and analyzing is the story, and how it affected me.

WARNING: LONG POST AND MASSIVE SPOILERS

I'm going to be going through some of the big scenes, and talking bout my take on them and the choices I made. If anyone has played the game, or has an opinion on one of these feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

WHITE PHOSPHORUS

Yup, we're starting with a whammy.

Even on my second playthrough this part game me jitters.

I went into this section knowing what would happen (a white phosphorus attack on troops ends up hitting civilians). That didn't help at all. It made it almost impossible to take the final step, knowing what it would result in. It's a visceral scene, and it's painful to watch. There is no alternative, and you can't skip it. The player is presented with a no win scenario. The only way to avoid it is to quit the game. If you want to advance you have to commit an atrocity. Though it is virtual, it is by the player's hand. I know that when I was making my way through it I felt some measure of devastation. It's breathtaking.

WHY DO WE TRUST KONRAD WHEN HE COMES ON THE RADIO?

Ok, maybe trust isn't the right word. Why do we do what he tells us to do?

Because other games have trained us to do it. Here's two alliterative examples: Borderlands 2 and Bioshock. In both games characters talk to us over the radio/ECHO, and we follow the instructions of these disembodied voices without a thought. If they tell us to jump off a cliff, we jump (or not, you do get more XP), if they ask us kindly to do something, we do it. It's a slightly more advanced Pavlovian response, and most gamers have it.

SOLDIER VS THIEF

"The civilian on the right stole water-a capital offense. The soldier on the left was sent to apprehend him. Which he did...killing the man's family in the process...This is an order, captain. Who lives? Who dies? Judge these men, or pay the price of insubordination"

Yes, there is a revelation about this but right now I'm focusing on the choice in it's own context.

I chose the soldier. In my mind I could understand a person stealing water to live, but not massacring a family as punishment. But this isn't the really important aspect of the scene. There is a third option: the player can choose to shoot at the snipers. In essence there are only two options obey the orders Konrad gives you, or disobey. I chose to kill one of the men, and so did many other people. Because the voice on the radio had given us an order. He handed us authority, made us the judge of people who we had not need or right to judge. What does it say about humans that we will take this authority when it is offered, but will later pass it off as "I was ordered to." For people like me who chose to "judge" think about your choice, then think about World War 2.          It's not a self esteem booster.

LUGO SHOOTING THE RADIOMAN

This is Lugo, the guy who, when asked if he "ever actually hear[s] the sh*t coming outta [his] mouth?" responds "No, I do not, sir. I find it messes with my rhythm." He's the one who is the most disturbed by what is going on around him, and has the most violent reaction to the white phosphorus scene. But now he's shooting a guy after calmly talking to him moments before. It definitely shocked me. Lugo is the character that actually shows the extreme mental wear of the journey. Adams is, admittedly, hard to get a read on and we're meant to feel from the beginning that something is a bit off with Walker, but Lugo seemed like the every-man character, he was becoming more cynical as the game went by, but at this point he seems to have just snapped.

DID YOU SHOOT THE CROWD?

You can see Adams in the background, ready to attack the crowd.

At one point Walker and Adams are separated from Lugo, and when you find him again he has been ambushed by a group of people who have hanged him. Though Walker tries to resuscitate him. Lugo is dead. At this point the crowd turns to Walker and Adams and the player is presented with a choice. If you panic, you're likely to just hit the right button and end up shooting the crowd. I knew about this event before playing the game, so I knew that I could fire into the air and the crowd would disperse. Despite this, I've seen plenty of "let's players" end up shooting into the crowd, thinking that is what they are supposed to do. It's a moral choice similar to the one with the two men, and I think a person's choice definitely says something about them.

Well, I think I've talked about this enough for one post. My next one will be talking about the multiple endings and their implications, as well as the circular storytelling that takes place in each one.

My lack of activity

Lacktivity?

Not many new projects on Ravelry for me. There's a new hodge podge hat up there, but otherwise I've disappeared into the void.


Or have I?
I've been working on a few patterns of my own design, and I've decided not to put them on Ravelry as projects because I want them to be surprises.
And there we remain.

A Note About Yarn

Yarn is essential for knitting. Who am I kidding? Without yarn there would hardly be any knitting at all. (I say hardly any because I've seen plenty of projects that use wire, extra fabric and other materials, and of course there's always Carol Milne's KNITTED GLASS!)

Holy mother of all things god-like, that is cool!

But not all yarns are born equal, and I'm here to tell you 3 reasons why hand dyed yarn is a a knitter's best friend.
DISCLAIMER: Much of what is going to be said in this blog post is opinion, I have nothing against mass produced yarn, I just want to make that clear

For this demonstration I have volunteered 2 brands.

and

I love you guys, love your yarn, but I'm going to bash you a bit, sorry

1: Colour variation (yes I spell colour the European way, and NO; I'm not changing it)

Yarn Carnival Magenta, 1859

Berroco weekend fuschia

Can you say it? Because I can; the colours are similar (but then again it is really difficult to show the true extent of a yarn's colour in a picture). If you look at the Weekend DK you can easily tell that the yarn is the exact same colour throughout-and this sort of yarn has a place in today's indie world, don't get me wrong-but it looks flat in comparison to the Yarn Carnival yarn. Due to the way in which it is made, Magenta, 1859 has some colour variations, but these don't hinder the yarn, they enhance it. It make's the eye travel across the final knitted fabric as it notices subtle colour changes, and gives the yarn a sort of "life" that you don't see in industrial yarns. Indie dyed yarn just seems to have more personality than its mass produced counterparts.

2: Supporting your local economy

Here comes the economics talk! Hooray! But in all seriousness, support your local economy kids. The majority of hand dyers sell their yarns in their home state. This means that when you buy their yarns you support their business, and they in turn support other local businesses. Companies like Berroco have mass distribution, and while there is nothing wrong with this, it's always good to contribute to your local business community.

3: Developing relationships

The best way to ensure a customer's loyalty is to befriend them. This is especially true with the aforementioned Yarn Carnival. The creator, Ana Clerc is smart, funny, nerdy, she knows history, and technology, and music, and know a library's worth of information about crochet and knitting, and the way that different fibers and colours work. On top of that she's a great teacher, and affectionate, and has helped me grow as a knitter, and even wrote me a college recommendation letter and...If it sounds like I'm fangirling, it's because I am. I was one of Ana's knitting students and became her teaching assistant for summer camps. I've learned a lot from her, and I look up to her. Because of this, her yarn is the first brand I look at when I go to my LYS. I've even found myself looking for patterns that would specifically compliment different colourways.

All in all, hand dyed, and indie dyed yarns are completely worth the extra cost. Factory dyed yarns have a place, and there's much more that goes into choosing yarn than just who it's made by, but that's a discussion for a whole other blog post entirely.