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.