The Role Of British Clothing In The Elizabethan Era

Elizabethan fashion influenced the modern day fashion world in many aspects. In Elizabethan times, fashion was often used to show status in society, and was very important to women. Fashion today can be compared to the same aspects. Women wear different brands or types of clothing to show status or capital. Although women don’t wear as many layers of dress clothing, women often are

Have you ever wondered what people in the Elizabethan Era wore? Fashion was just as important in those days as it is to some people today. What people were wearing mattered to others, and even the government. During the Elizabethan Era clothing, accessories, and cosmetics were all a part of daily life.

In this essay I want to examine how the corset evolved from a staple of the British feminine wardrobe of the Nineteenth Century into a symbol of an outmoded tradition – only to later return as a statement of female liberation. I am going to look at different aspects of this development including technological advances, economic facts, external events, particularly the First World War and changes in social, political and aesthetic attitudes. I will also look briefly at the role of Chanel on the silhouette and how this impacted on the corset: focusing on the trend to towards ‘opulent androgyny’ in the 1920’s. Finally I will examine the resurgence of the corset

Throughout history, fashion has been the biggest indicator of social and economic status. While the sumptuary laws of the Elizabethan era that determined the color and style people of different ranks were allowed to wear ended around 200 years prior to the time the novel was written, society has always imparted a strict set of rules for its given era on propriety. There’s always an emphasis on dress no matter what age, the rules just fluctuate from era to era. Therefore, given societies set rules that it upheld, it was frowned upon for someone of a different

“The clothes make the man”(Twain Alexander Atkins).The clothes showed how rich they were and who they were. Victorian clothing from rich to poor displayed how clothing was important to society.

The Elizabethan era lasted from 1558-1803 while Queen Elizabeth 1 reigned over England until her death. It was known as the height of the English Renaissance during which English literature and theatre reached its peak. At the time there was also a lot of political conflict between the Catholic and Prodestant churches. There was also a growth of wealthy middle class being able to live and dress like upper class people.

Both men and women wanted to be in the height of fashion, especially when it came to hair. Noble men would also dress just as extravagantly as their female counterparts. This is contrary to modern times, as today's men tend to not spend as much time and money as women on appearance. To the people of the Elizabethan era, beauty was everything. Anything or anyone ugly was inferior.

The masque which the idea wasn’t originated in the Elizabethan era was taken from the design and style of the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. There were also performers called “Mummers” during the early medieval times that would reenact stories all in mime. They’re attire wasn’t nearly as embellished as those in the Elizabethan era they usually just kept it simple especially the masks weren’t decorated whatsoever, the main purpose of them was to primarily keep the performers face hidden.. Masques then developed into a form of entertainment for the Elizabethan court members and they had actors that would dress up elaborately with these intricate embellished masks. They would precede to perform songs and dances retelling stories/speeches most of the time it was to honor the Queen and if it was dedicated to her she would attend them. But, other occasions the theme would be pastoral, fairytales, or portraying mythological tales.

These separations were created because of Sumptuary Laws, which are various laws for controlling what individuals can wear and behave in each class. First, the nobles of England were said to be able to wear fabrics made of silk or satin with vibrant and lively colors. However, the lower classes-- especially the poor-- wore fabrics that depicted earth tones. In Elizabethan times, it was actually illegal to wear the color of purple if an individual was under the rank of a count or countess, but as always, there are exceptions to the rules of fashion. The queen of England, Queen Elizabeth I, was allowed to wear any fabric, pattern, and color she wanted because she was the most powerful figure in Elizabethan times.

The clothing of the Middle Ages, like everything else was decided by the pyramid of power. The pyramid of power was the Middle Ages Feudal System. Medieval clothes provided information about the rank of the person wearing them. From the 11th through the 14th centuries, medieval clothing assorted according to the social standing of the people. The clothing worn by nobility and upper classes was clearly different than that of the lower class. Medieval clothes provided information about the status of the person wearing them. The clothing and fashion during the medieval era of the Middle Ages was conquered and highly influenced by the Kings and Queens of the era. Only the wealthy could dress in fashionable clothes.

During the ancient and medieval cultures, clothing styles were relatively static and uniform. The dress was dependent upon the practicalities of everyday life that the boundaries impose by these practicalities of life, cultures found ways to imitate and express the beauty they saw in their daily worlds through their self-adornment. These elements in the Early and the Late Middle Ages contain the following: Braies, Cote-Hardier, Sideless Surcote, Wimple, Magyar, Parti-colored, Revers, and Poulaine.

Throughout history clothes have a wide variety of meaning, and clothes can simply hint at one’s fashion sense, they also serve to be a reflection of their owner’s social and political status. People throughout the centuries have utilized garments to express their wealth, and or social and political status. While flaunting wealth can be the product of an ostentatious home for Roman Senators or commissioned portraits of royalty, clothes have also been a significant factor in this show of wealth. Social/Political classes are also affected by clothing, people at the top of the classes showed off their wealth through the clothes that they wore. The classes affected how people were treated as well,therefore if one dressed lavishly they were treated

Clothing In The Middle Ages There are many different types of clothing and fashion trends that were a part of the Middle Ages. Women, men and Peasants had specific styles of clothing based on what they can afford and what is acceptable in their social and economic class. Women’s fashion was recorded in timelines and changed frequently. Lord’s clothing had also been recorded in timelines like the women’s clothing and economic class mattered. For Women and men the more money you had the more fashionable you became.

Lastly, each color, during this era, had a meaning and also represented which class a person was in. “Elizabethan clothing, material, and fabrics used in Elizabethan Era was extremely important” because clothes represented more than just how you looked it demonstrated your

Medieval women’s clothing was an important part of their social standings and showed the wearers rank and position in society; it was also not just affected by wealth as social statuses changed what you were and were not allowed to wear. The feudal system defined what they wore with the king and queens leading the fashion. There were also laws as to how a person could be dressed and the cost of the item/s for example: Only royalty could wear ermine trimming, only nobles, upper class and higher classes were allowed to wear velvet, silk, fur, lace, cotton, taffeta and coloured or dyed materials, lesser nobles were allowed to wear fox an otter trimming, lower classes could only wear wool, linen and sheepskin and the lowest classed, labours and