ELIZABETHAN FASHION

Of all aspects of Elizabethan culture, the most distinctive may well be its clothing. It was a highly fashion-conscious age, and prized a look that was elaborate, artificial, stylized, and striking. Men and women alike were concerned to be wearing the latest and most fashionable outfits, and although the clothes we associate with the Elizabethans were worn primarily by the upper classes, their fashions influenced ordinary people as well. Paintings that hung in the great country houses revealed the Elizabethan love of display in the minute details of splendid costume - both men and women portrayed in rich, heavy velvets and brocades thickly jeweled, of stiff and exaggerated shapes, set off by fine lace ruffs (pleated neck pieces) and cuffs.

Essentially, Elizabethan Clothing was a part of the social order. It is also indicative of a specific individual's status not just reflecting how affluent or poor they are, additionally of their social reputation. For instance, in those days it was senseless for a laborer to copy rich people through "luxurious" apparel which were just worn by high societies.

The high society of Elizabethan England wore rich and lavish dresses that were made of expensive velvet, exotic silk and satin. Just the individuals from the Royal Family were permitted to possess robes which were trimmed with ermine. Less noble folk wore dressing trimmed with either fox or otter.

A remarkable differentiation to the lavish dress of the well-off was the garments worn by peasants. They wore clothes made of basic materials, for example, English cotton, wool and leather. Woolen apparel was popular among the working as well as domestic classes since it was cheap and the wool exchange saw an increment during that period.

Women
Elizabethan women wanted their clothing to look much like that of the men, with broad shoulders, wide hips, and slim waists.
Women's dresses were not made all in one piece as they usually are today.

The BODICE came down to the waist;

The PARTLET or jewelry bodice had "wings" at the shoulders and came to a point at the waist.

The SLEEVES were separate from the bodice, but fastened to the bodice with laces. The sleeve was tight at the wrist, but otherwise full. Sometimes it was stuffed to keep its shape. RUFFSat the wrist (not shown) matched the RUFF at the neck area.

The KIRTLE, a skirt, was often of different material from the bodice. The framework underneath the kirtle was called a FARTHINGALE, made of wire or whalebone, allowing the kirtle to "balloon" out from the lower body.
Some fashions included a BUMROLL (not pictured)a stuffed tube shaped item that added volume to the hip area, thus giving the wearer the appearance of a smaller waist.

HAIR was worn in many different styles, but always brushed back from the forehead. Women of the Elizabethan Age went through great extremes to achieve the look that was "in". They dyed their hair blonde, and sometimes wore quantities of peasants' hair, or strands of white or yellow silk.
The poorest class of women revealed no distinctive style, but a country maidservant might wear the bodice of her petticoat "laced before" and a blue or black kirtle.
Putting on an Elizabethan outfit was a major undertaking. With the many layers of clothing that were required for the complete look, it was thought that a women wearing the outfit would be very warm and most certainly uncomfortable! Wow! She must be stifling in that thing!

Men
Men's clothing was as colorful as that of the ladies, but men wanted to look manly so they wore clothing in the shape of armor with broad shoulders, broad hips, and narrow waists. It could be compared to a suit of armor.

The DOUBLET was the most striking (and expensive) part of a man's clothing. It resembled the breastplate of armor, covering the back and chest, ridges down the front and wings at the shoulders. It was stuffed with horsehair (talk about itchy), wool or rags so it would keep its shape.

The SLEEVES, like women's apparel, were separate garments, tight at the wrist. They were tied to the doublet with laces.

HOSE covered the body from the waist down; sometimes the upper area of the hose, like the doublet, was stuffed to give a more muscular look.

BREECHES, were fastened to the doublet and covered the body from the waist around the seat and over part of all of the upper leg.

The RUFF was a stiffly starched ruffle at the neck, usually white.

HATS were of many different shapes, usually had a band and were worn indoors.

CLOAKS were elegant capes worn over the doublet (sometimes called GOWNS if they were floor length)

HAIR and BEARDS: The hair was usually combed forward at the front to form a short fringe over the forehead. A trimmed beard and mustache came into style in the mid 16th century.