HOW TO MAKE A 17TH CENTURY SPANISH COLLAR: Constructing the Golilla and Valona

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How to construct a mid 17th century style Golilla Collar and Valona. In direct answer to Royal decrees that Elizabethan style ruffs were no longer permitted to worn in Spain, linen workers created this unusual style of collar. Made from a piece of straight-cut linen, it relies on bias, stitching and shaping techniques to achieve the classic Spanish shape.

The name of this neck piece, Golilla is actually the name for the under-propper and the linen piece itself is the "valona" which is named after the Dutch region from which the original concept for the collar was taken. In Jacobean costuming, people often attempt to make collars like this by cutting the piece to shape and simply finishing the edges, but the singular, truly Spanish extant example that we have of this kind of collar, it shows that the piece of linen from which it is cut is a perfectly straight rectangle.

The skill of the needle work is what brings it into the fine shape that is so indicative of true Spanish-ness in the period. Is it as comfortable as the high collared Regency collars and cravat? Not really. I can completely understand why the people of the period complained about its comfort.

The foundation is made of card stock, and it is quite stiff, requiring the wearer to be very careful when turning their head. Unlike the earlier 17th century doublet styles which have high collars, this accessory is best worn with a collar that is quite stiff and a bit shorter than those of the 16th or 17th centuries.

By the time the 18th century comes around, this style of collar is a subject of ridicule...BUT, even after 100 years, it was still part of Spanish formal dress. Even as late as the mid 19th century it was still part of ceremonial dress.

In much the same way that wigs were still a part of the judges attire in English law, so too, the Golilla collar was part of Spanish "official" styles of dress. In today's world, it is usually only seen in parades and things which have a historical air to them.

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