Fashion of the Elizabethan Era free essay sample

This is shown in men’s and women’s clothes, shoes, hats, and accessories in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. (Whitmore, Deanne) In the 1500’s men’s clothing was generally black in color because it went with everything and was the â€Å"in† color. Silk doublets and velvet mantles with slashed and puffed sleeves were what your average man would wear up top. For pants, tights were still in style but breeches were beginning to become popular. The royalty and upper class would generally wear the same style of clothing as the middle class but with nicer material. The lower class people would wear whatever they could find. Men’s shoes also changed during this time. (Head over Heels 1500s) Men’s shoes in the Elizabethan era went from being heavy and bulky to being light and dainty. For example, the heelless eschapin came into style. These shoes were almost the same as women’s shoes, but excluding the heel. They were usually made of fine leather and covered with ribbons and ornaments. The lower class would not usually wear shoes because each pair had to be handmade and were often very expensive. Much like the shoes, men’s hats in the 1500’s were very radical compared to those of the previous centuries. Head over Heels 1500s) During the early sixteenth century, men’s hats were flat, silk or velvet slabs sitting on top of the head, but by the middle of the century they revolutionized into massive hats that looked like crowns on top of people’s heads. Hats were tall and decorated with feathers and multicolored. Extra accessories were also quite popular to wear during the time period. (England Fashion during the Elizabethan Age) The accessories men wore in the 1500’s were generally a jerkin and ruffles worn over a doublet. Jerkins are usually made of thick leather for extra protection. The next ornament men would wear is the ruff. The ruff is a collar that sticks out eight inches and is stiff from starch. It made the men that wore them look like dogs with cones on. Women wore these too, but they didn’t wear them long because they didn’t quite catch on with women. They showed too much of their necks. Women’s fashions were very conservative, only allowing the showing of their face and hands. (Lad, Kashmira) Women in the early Elizabethan era usually wore a kirtle with a fitted bodice and underskirts. The kirtle is an overdress that is fitted at the top, and then opens up at the bottom. It has a slit in the front, starting just below the fitted part, showing the underskirts underneath. Underneath the fitted part they would wear a corset to make them look skinner. The skirts they wore under them were called petticoats. Petticoats are extra skirts that give the wearer a more hourglass figure. For richer people, the farthingale was in fashion, an underskirt that was very tight in the torso and came into a hoop at the waist. Women would wear huge gowns over these with what looked like wings sticking out their backs built into the gown. They would wear very dainty shoes with these as well. Lad, Kashmira) Shoes for women in the 16th century were very similar to mens. They were often made of fine leather or, if the lady was wealthy, then silk velvet or brocade. They had lots of embellishments on them, especially slashing and puffing, because that was the theme of the time, but sometimes ribbons and other decorations were added to them as well. A certain overshoe was also v ery popular during the time, the chopine. The chopine was worn over a dainty shoe to give the woman height with its platform sole. It prevented the good shoe from getting dirty. They were eventually banned in some places because women could fall while walking in them. Women’s hats in the 1500’s were, however, very different than mens. (Head over heels 1500s) The hats women wore in the era were very diverse. They would sometimes just be wraps, but other times, they would be huge things sitting atop the head. One of the smaller head ornaments they would wear was the curved French hood. It looked like a hood that was falling off of the back of someone’s head. Another smaller head covering was the gable hood. It was pentagon shaped, heavily starched scarf worn on top of a woman’s head. They would sometimes use wire framing inside the scarf which was very decorative. One of the biggest hats women wore in the 16th century was the horned head dress. This was a truly fantastic invention. It had two extensions, one to each side of the head, extending out to each shoulder. Draping off the extensions was some sort of sheer material usually decorated with jewels. For women accessories weren’t very prominent in the beginning of the century because Britain was still a member of the Catholic Church, which banned jewelry, but when the country broke away from the church and the ban was lifted. Towards the end of the century, women began to wear the occasional strand of pearls or a small necklace with gems in it. Approaching the 17th century, the jewelry ladies would wear became more and more extravagant. (Lad, Kashmira) When the 17th century arrived, the enlightenment was in full swing. This caused new mens fashions to come into style. Petticoat breeches were the new thing for men in the 1600s. They were breeches that puffed out at the waistline, making the man wearing them look like his belly was where his midsection was supposed to be. Underneath this garment they would wear â€Å"flattering and fanciful hose to accentuate their shapely legs†. This type of outfit was generally associated with rich people of the time. Long cloaks were very fashionable during the era as well. They were usually worn with a usual shirt during the time, breeches for pants, and a crucifix and chain to tie it all together. Mens shoes of the 1600s were also very different from the previous century. (Head over Heels 1600s) Shoes men wore in the late Elizabethan era were usually pumps with rounded toes that came up to the ankle. They usually had a small leather heel and were often decorated with slashes and puffs. Boots also became popular because of a royal’s obsession with them. Another royal, King Louis XIV loved to wear high heels with red soles and red heels became trendy after Louis XIV of France favored the style. The style was not so popular in France, because there was tension building up against the king, but it migrated into other countries, like Britain and became fashionable. Men’s hats in the 1600s were the only things that became less radical. (Christmon, Charlene) Men started to wear hats that were smaller again in the 17th century. They did add plumes to the side of them to make them look prettier. They would also sometimes put feathers of ostriches or other rare birds on the side of them as well to show off their wealth. The materials they used for hats were felt, wire, the plume or feather, and another usually more expensive cloth. The hat maker would make a wire frame for the hat, then glue felt around it, next he would cover the outside in the expensive cloth. After that he would sew the hat band, and finally he would attach the plume. He would fit each hat he made to the person who it was for. Like hats, men’s accessories did change in the in the 1600s. (England Fashion during the Elizabethan Age) The changes in male accessories in the 17th century began with the collar or ruff. The ruff was cast out, and was replaced with a new sort of collar. It is just a longer version of today’s collar, the same length as the ruff, but it doesn’t have the starch and wire supports. Men also began to carry short perfumed gloves around during the time period, just in case there was a need for them along the way. Women’s fashion also undergoes some massive changes during the late Elizabethan era. (Head over Heels 1600s) Women’s dresses start to be made out of lighter material so they are heavily embroidered to make them appear richer. The backs and sleeves of gowns become fitted instead of being puffed and slashed. The necklines on them also became a little bit lower and rich women have lace around them. In women’s underclothes, the girdle was introduced, and the farthingale was still fashionable. There was a new invention in collars, the partlet. The partlet is a collar that scrunches up and is fitted all the way up the neck, it looks very uncomfortable. Women’s shoes went from looking a lot like men’s to a look of their own in the 1600s. Christmon, Charlene) Women’s shoes of the 17th century were embroidered in silk, satin, and velvet. They were also trimmed with lace that fell in a huge flounce over the shoe. The slippers and overshoes of the 1600s developed into heels that would generally measure around six inches. The heel would be made of either wood or leath er and would be painted to match the costume. Chopines were still in style too during that period of time as well. Women’s hats and headgear also changed in the century. (Head over Heels 1600s) In the seventeenth century, cap coverings usually replaced hats in most of Europe and in the newly discovered Americas. One type of cap was the coif, a close fitting cap that covered the top, back, and sides of the head. Earlier ones were usually made of white linen and tied underneath the chin. As the century went by, more and more women had them decorated with embroidery and lace edgings. Another type of cap was the wrapped head linen. This type of wrap was exclusively for lower classes. It was a turban-like arrangement of linen on top of their heads. The lower class didn’t have money to waste on hats, so they just took old linens and wrapped them on their heads in a certain fashion. The Mary Stuart cap, originating from Scotland, became popular during the 1600s as well. It was very similar to a coif but it came to a point at the top of the forehead. In accessories, women also began wearing much more jewelry during the time. (McGann, Kass) In the Elizabethan era, social classes were much upheld. The social classes influenced the fashion of the time. There were even laws made about what people were allowed to wear, for example only royalty could wear ermine for a little while early in the era. If these laws weren’t followed, then severe punishment could be enforced. No upper class person wanted to be caught wearing the same style outfit of a middle class person; therefore, styles were constantly changing. When the middle class figured out a way to copy the fashion of the upper class in a cheaper version, the upper class would just change the fashion. In the Elizabethan era, by observing a persons dress, it was evident from which social class they came. Fashion played a huge role in shaping this era in time.