Women's Renaissance Clothing
Women's Renaissance Costumes
Keywords: Women's Renaissance Costumes, Women's Renaissance clothing
Although women's Renaissance clothing styles changed from year to year, the basic styles remained the same. Long dresses with detachable sleeves, tight-fitting bodice, linen chemises and a fuller skirt that would hang down to the ankles. The sleeves often had a special relevance to the wearer, sometimes they were a gift from the groom to his newly-wedded wife, or a symbol of their family heritage passed down from a mother to daughter, or they were even rented. Low-cut dresses with deeper neckline were considered fashionable.
The young and unmarried women sported loose hair styles, while the married tied it up in sophisticated braids and twists. …show more content…
Women's renaissance accessories had a major part during this period. Jewels were sewn onto patterns and headgear was a must. Women often wore veils embellished with jewels, and widows were expected to wear the hooded ones. Nuns wore habits and wimples, indicating their order by the color of their habit, black and white for the Dominicans and brown for the Franciscans.
Since the Renaissance period had a penchant for status symbols, even the shoes of various individuals declared the income and prestige level of the wearer.
Women's Renaissance shoes were usually made out of leather and garnished with some sort of satin. The style of the shoes closely resembled the slip-on, with rounded toes, and low cut on the foot. Fasteners on shoes weren’t popular until the late 16th century. Women sometimes added an accessory such as a thick wooden sole fastened to the ball of the foot with a strap, to keep the delicate fabric of the shoe protected from dirt and moisture on the ground.
Since all harvesting, weaving, and production of fabrics and clothing were done by hand during the time, the process greatly influenced the prices. This caused a huge difference in clothing style and look between the classes. Fabrics available to those in the upper classes included velvet, satin, silk, and brocade. Imported fabrics and rich textiles demonstrated wealth, but not always …show more content…
nobility.
The clothing options for lower class women were quite limited, and owning more than one set of clothes was considered a luxury.
They would wear linen, or a light, cool fabric derived from wool, flax plant, or sheepskin. Their clothing style was much less restrictive that their rich counterparts and often included a looser corset, or none at all. The possible other underpinnings included bum rolls, a crescent-shaped cushion worn around the hips or farthingales, a hoop skirt used to hold the skirts out for added comfort.
There were strict laws prohibiting who was allowed to wear what, and restriction of each and every item was detailed. These laws covered every aspect of the Elizabethan costume. For an instance, the restrictions listed on the material and color of the clothing in Elizabeth I's 1574 statute included the following:
Purple silk and sable furs were reserved strictly for the King, Queen, and members of the royal family.
The shades of scarlet and crimson were reserved for only the highest nobility including marquises, dukes, and earls.
Only the nobility and their family members were allowed to wear cloth with pearl embroidery or woven with strands of gold or silver.
Enameled buttons, chains were restricted to the above nobility which included wives of knights and barons'
sons.
Silk, damask, and satin were reserved for the above.
The only non-nobles exempted from these laws were those who were in service to the Queen or other noblewomen or men. Women and men in service to nobles were permitted materials in their liveries, with their master's colors or emblems on them. The liveries were exempt from many of the sumptuary restrictions, as they represented the upper-class master, not the servant.
The punishment for violation of these statutes was fines and/or jail. Those employing servants could face a large fine upon violating the restrictions.
You can find plenty of authentic women's Renaissance costumes, accessories and footwear for your next Renaissance fair or historical reenactment, here.
Keywords: Women's Renaissance Costumes, Women's Renaissance clothing
Although women's Renaissance clothing styles changed from year to year, the basic styles remained the same. Long dresses with detachable sleeves, tight-fitting bodice, linen chemises and a fuller skirt that would hang down to the ankles. The sleeves often had a special relevance to the wearer, sometimes they were a gift from the groom to his newly-wedded wife, or a symbol of their family heritage passed down from a mother to daughter, or they were even rented. Low-cut dresses with deeper neckline were considered fashionable.
The young and unmarried women sported loose hair styles, while the married tied it up in sophisticated braids and twists. …show more content…
Women's renaissance accessories had a major part during this period. Jewels were sewn onto patterns and headgear was a must. Women often wore veils embellished with jewels, and widows were expected to wear the hooded ones. Nuns wore habits and wimples, indicating their order by the color of their habit, black and white for the Dominicans and brown for the Franciscans.
Since the Renaissance period had a penchant for status symbols, even the shoes of various individuals declared the income and prestige level of the wearer.
Women's Renaissance shoes were usually made out of leather and garnished with some sort of satin. The style of the shoes closely resembled the slip-on, with rounded toes, and low cut on the foot. Fasteners on shoes weren’t popular until the late 16th century. Women sometimes added an accessory such as a thick wooden sole fastened to the ball of the foot with a strap, to keep the delicate fabric of the shoe protected from dirt and moisture on the ground.
Since all harvesting, weaving, and production of fabrics and clothing were done by hand during the time, the process greatly influenced the prices. This caused a huge difference in clothing style and look between the classes. Fabrics available to those in the upper classes included velvet, satin, silk, and brocade. Imported fabrics and rich textiles demonstrated wealth, but not always …show more content…
nobility.
The clothing options for lower class women were quite limited, and owning more than one set of clothes was considered a luxury.
They would wear linen, or a light, cool fabric derived from wool, flax plant, or sheepskin. Their clothing style was much less restrictive that their rich counterparts and often included a looser corset, or none at all. The possible other underpinnings included bum rolls, a crescent-shaped cushion worn around the hips or farthingales, a hoop skirt used to hold the skirts out for added comfort.
There were strict laws prohibiting who was allowed to wear what, and restriction of each and every item was detailed. These laws covered every aspect of the Elizabethan costume. For an instance, the restrictions listed on the material and color of the clothing in Elizabeth I's 1574 statute included the following:
Purple silk and sable furs were reserved strictly for the King, Queen, and members of the royal family.
The shades of scarlet and crimson were reserved for only the highest nobility including marquises, dukes, and earls.
Only the nobility and their family members were allowed to wear cloth with pearl embroidery or woven with strands of gold or silver.
Enameled buttons, chains were restricted to the above nobility which included wives of knights and barons'
sons.
Silk, damask, and satin were reserved for the above.
The only non-nobles exempted from these laws were those who were in service to the Queen or other noblewomen or men. Women and men in service to nobles were permitted materials in their liveries, with their master's colors or emblems on them. The liveries were exempt from many of the sumptuary restrictions, as they represented the upper-class master, not the servant.
The punishment for violation of these statutes was fines and/or jail. Those employing servants could face a large fine upon violating the restrictions.
You can find plenty of authentic women's Renaissance costumes, accessories and footwear for your next Renaissance fair or historical reenactment, here.