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Since the Middle Ages, Italian fashion has been popular internationally. Italy is the country to mark the beginning of the Renaissance. Many modern Italian fashion brands were founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also grew in influence across Europe and was preferred by one of the most powerful families in Italy. This era in English cultural history is sometimes referred to as the Elizabeth era which refers to learning that began in Italy. Elizabeth’s era was Queen Elizabeth I’s reign when they had a particular fashion and were full of wonderful things. This era is considered to be the height of the English Renaissance, and it also existed within the Renaissance period and borrowed much of the ideals from that period. What was so special about the costumes of the Italian and Elizabeth period? How did men and women dressed in those eras?
During the Elizabeth period, women were usually impeccably dressed in elaborate costumes with several layers of undergarments and corsets, and it also was used to indicate your social standing. The materials and even the colors of clothes of Elizabeth’s clothes were very important. The style of fashion of the Elizabeth era is distinctive and striking. For the lower class had a simple design with basic textiles like cotton, wool, or leather because dyes cost money. In contrast, the upper class had garments made from velvet, silk, and lace. There were also specific rules to identify each person’s status, Earls was the only one who could wear gold silk, and the other ones with a status higher were allowed to were velvet garments. Translated for the 21st century, many designers got inspired by the Elizabeth era, transforming the huge silhouettes into bodices and jackets. The population exploded during Elizabeth’s reign despite widespread disease including several outbursts of plague. Elizabeth’s influence on fashion extended beyond women’s clothing, and the opulence of her wardrobe began to have an effect on male garments. Men’s silhouette was broad-shouldered and formidable, using masses of rich fabrics. They sometimes wore girdles, the equivalent of the female corset. However, both male and female fashion became far busier and more elaborate as Elizabeth’s reign continued, and in a time when women were subservient to men, a woman ruled a great and powerful nation. Towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, fashion and clothing became more overstated, following the unusual style of the old queen.
The style worn by women in Renaissance England changed from year to year. The Women’s Elizabeth costume was characterized by the ruff and the large hoop. The ruff was fairly small and stiff, and it could be made from lace. They began as a simple frill at the neck of a full-cut shirt. Women’s garments also depended on their age, background, and family. The Queen was always pleased to accept presents of valuable garments, and a fashionable Elizabeth woman’s wardrobe was complex. Her garments consisted of many layers including underclothes like partlet (a yoke-like collar that fit under a ruff), Forepart, smock, rowel (padded crescents worn at the hip to make the skirt sit farther out), and petticoat, and over clothes like cloak, gown, ruff, and shoes. Elizabeth’s style demanded a tight upper body paired with a voluminous lower body, and sometimes the exposed under-skirt was paired with matching bodice sleeves. As in the middle ages, people wore linen undergarments next to the skin. Linen and wool were very common fabrics during this era because wool keeps the body warm in cold weather, and linen appeared in heavy or finer weaves with lawn being the finest weave. Men and women wore similar undershirts made of linen because it was easier to wash, and ruffs because it was indispensable to add to their elegant looks. Ruff was one of the most distinctive elements of Elizabeth’s fashion. It became more elaborate and eventually took on the gargantuan proportions that framed the face, and it was made of fine muslin or lace.
Instead, Elizabeth men were not allowed to wear whatever they liked. Men had to wear cheap materials, and dull colors like brown, blue, and beige. A man’s outfit would start with a shirt, similar a today’s dress shirt. The fabrics and colors of clothes that men were allowed to wear were determined by their position and rank. Men who belonged to the upper class wore loose-fitting shirts that were gathered at the cuff, and men who belonged to the lower class had two options: a dress or kirtle. They had to wear white or natural-colored linen because bright and dark colors were more expensive to produce, so it was limited to higher-status clothing. Men’s garments were designed to show off a narrow waist, and garments were colorful for an expression of status and identity. For the underclothes, men wore stockings or hoses. The classic Elizabeth hose were bulbous shorts, gathered into a band at the thigh, and for the overclothes, men attached a lace collar and ruffles to their undershirt. Shirt sleeves were also padded and often decorated with embroidery. For men, wearing the codpiece would cover the genitals, and it was essential for them to wear shorter doublets, but by the year 1570, codpieces were going out of fashion, and the breeches became popular. Men would wear breeches instead of codpieces, and girdles to obtain the wasp-waisted look.
On the other hand, costumes of Northern and Central Europe during the Renaissance were numerous Gothic elements. Northern Renaissance garments had some differences from costumes of the Italy Renaissance, but the general trend changed in fashion from simple to more complex. Renaissance style is represented in all samples of modern evening dresses (romantic and classic). In the Northern Renaissance garments were ornamented with decorative slashings or panes (narrow strips of fabric) under which contrasting linings were placed. Men’s Renaissance fashion imposed a short and ornamental mantle, and a hat covered with feathers and trunk hose. Women wore the bodies of their dresses closely fitting to the figure, trimmed with lace. During the 16th Century, Renaissance fashion is making a distinct separation between ancient and modern dress. The width of the shoulders had narrowed and decreased further. Frequently the hair was turned over in rolls, and adorned with precious stones, and men carried a smooth cap on one side of the head. In Italy, home of Renaissance fashion, dress always maintained a certain character of grandeur. In Germany, garments had a heavy appearance, and England studied a kind of instinctive elegance and propriety. The dresses in Germany were soft, the sleeves were close fitting and the cuff extended into a point over the wrist. Gold chains were frequently worn along with a wide jeweled because it was an important status symbol. Throughout the Renaissance, Italy had been falling under the influence of particular countries trying to impose their cultural norms. The costume of men and women had similar distinctive elements. Women’s costumes included dresses that were richly decorated, which emphasized the high position of those who wear similar outfits. At the same time, The Italian male suit was hardly influenced by military armor, which costume was more voluminous than in other European countries.
Italy during the Renaissance was the setting for social and economic change. During this period merchant class began to gain distinction as a powerful group, and the middle class had some challenges that were influenced by the opportunities that urbanization provided them. While the Renaissance era things were different, laws prohibiting who can wear what, so made each social class dress differently. Clothing was the perfect visual indicator of someone’s worth as the value of an outfit could be easily assessed by an onlooker based on style, fabric, color, jewelry, and other accessories1. Nevertheless, the North has received significant attention over the past two decades, and low countries and England have promoted the study of textiles. Renaissance had an ideology that put a human at the center of society. Men’s and women’s outfits reflected the main ideas of emphasizing the beauty of the human body.
In conclusion, the Elizabeth era was Queen Elizabeth I’s reign when they had a particular fashion and were full of wonderful things. During the Elizabeth period, women were usually impeccably dressed in elaborate costumes with several layers of undergarments and corsets. The Women’s Elizabeth costume was characterized by the ruff and the large hoop. The ruff was fairly small and stiff, and it could be made from lace. Instead, Elizabeth men were not allowed to wear whatever they liked. Men had to wear cheap materials, and dull colors like brown, blue, and beige. In the Northern Renaissance garments were ornamented with decorative slashings or panes (narrow strips of fabric) under which contrasting linings were placed. the North has received significant attention over the past two decades, and low countries and England have promoted the study of textiles. I noticed that in those eras, social class was very important because it told you how to dress and live your life if you were poor or rich. Elizabeth’s era still has an influence on outfits that we can see these days. Most women today could not imagine having to wear the many layers of clothing that women did in the Elizabeth era.
Sources.
- Kelly, Francis Michael, and Randolph Schwabe. European Costume and Fashion, 1490-1790. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2002.
- Winter, Janet, and Carolyn Schultz. Savoy. Elizabethan Costuming for the Years 1550-1580. Oakland, CA: Other Times Publications, 1987.
- Cressy, David. ‘Gender Trouble and Cross-Dressing in Early Modern England.’ The Journal of British Studies, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct. 1996), pp. 438-465
- Hooper, Wilfrid. ‘The Tudor Sumptuary Laws,’ The English Historical Review. Vol. 30, No. 119. July 1915.
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