The Role Of Clothing In Elizabethan England

Elizabethan women dressed reasonably different than we do today. Women often wore many layers. The first layer would

Pearls draped around her shoulders and her neck, a large hooped skirt twice her size, and a pleated lace ruff--all these were part of the attire of Queen Elizabeth I and the trend-setting style of her era. The Queen often seemed to glow and radiate power and beauty with this revolutionary garb. For the Elizabethans, this was a desirable look that had to be mimicked. People of this time wore corsets, ruffs, and followed the stylistic lead of their Queen. Her extravagant dress made her an icon of the time and a leader in top fashion for the Renaissance.

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.

The poor man wore very different clothes than the rich. They wore a very simple blouse made of very cheap fabric again, they tucked them in their pants. For pants they wore a often brown loose fitting pant and even the poor man wore this kind of leggings underneath it.

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

They had no intention of going for a natural, modest, or conservative look; they strived for elaborate, artificial, stylized, and striking: “As Elizabeth's wardrobe became more opulent and elaborate, with a more exaggerated silhouette, so did that of her courtiers” (Royal Museums Greenwich). It was imperative to be fashion forward; meaning, if the Queen was wearing it, so should everyone else (who could afford it). Queen Elizabeth’s dress was similar to men’s style with broad shoulders, wide hips, and slim waists as she tried to appear more petite than she actually was. Many women during this time followed in her footsteps. Not only did the Queen have a great influence on women’s fashion, but she greatly influenced men’s fashion as well. Before the Elizabethan Era, “Men's fashion was much the same as it had been under her father and brother, favouring a broad, square silhouette with layers of garments made of rich fabrics” (Royal Museums Greenwich). After Elizabeth took the throne, the customary dress altered. Men began to wear corsets to obtain a cinched waist and stuffed 'peascod' doublets to make their stomachs pop out and have a pointed shape. On top of this, men’s dress consisted of underclothes such as a shirt, stockings or hose, codpiece, and corset and over clothes such as a doublet, separate sleeves, breeches, belt, ruff, cloak, shoes, and hat.

Women's fashion had undergone many characteristic modifications prior to 1750 and more so into the eighteenth century. Fashion trends were being set in the Old World, from France to England, and Colonial women were all too painfully aware of the need to adapt towards a sophisticated and up-to-date appearance.

Ever wonder where the strange fashion choices of society’s favorite Disney movies originated? It might be a bit of an understatement to say that the apparel of men during the Elizabethan Era was odd, but each piece of their outfit had a crucial role to play in their daily life. Clothing worn during the Elizabethan Era was greatly dictated by the Sumptuary Laws, the wealth of the individual, and fashion trend of neighboring countries.

Fashion now is incomparable to the Elizabethan Era. This time period was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I, she became queen in the year 1558 until her death. Clothing wasn't just merely a trivial thing in the days of Elizabethan times. It was taken very seriously by the people for the reason that it controlled social order. In Addition, it provided information about the person wearing them.

Today we often conceal the genitals but, this was also the case during the fourteenth century. From the late 1200’s and the early 1600’s men wore a simple piece of fabric that would tie down to the individuals. The purpose of the padded garment would emphasize the area of the scrotum region of a male. It may sound ridiculous but, English men of status took pride in the freedom of showing off their crotch. This paper will deal with the history, style and overall reasoning why men wore these garments. The codpiece is a garment of clothing that still has historical significance today.

“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.

Higher class women had the gold cloth and silk, etc. (L.K. Alchin. Elizabethan Era. May 16th 2012.)Women should be able to dress accordingly to their taste. But back then, that wasn’t an option.

face I'll grime with filth,/ Blanket my loins, elf all my hair in knots,/ And

My eyes fluttered as the sun crawled into the gaps not covered by my eyelids. I could smell the fresh sweets being cooked by the servants. The lace curtains swayed back and forth as the fresh air weaved throughout the room, adding a new aroma of fruit. The sweet smell of the fruit dispersed throughout my room. I grabbed the dainty lace cover and moved it with grace. Sitting up quickly, I blinked multiple times to allow my eyes adjust to the light. Today would be a thrilling and riveting day. My husband and I were invited to appear at the theater. He had asked me to accompany him yesterday and I had gladly accepted. I had told my friends I would be there. A servant then knocked on the thick wooden door, interrupting my thoughts. ( pg 43, Daily

The people who lived during the Elizabethan Era were not allowed to wear whatever they like or desired. Their Fashion choices had to be followed by a strict law! The English people chose to establish social classes by the colors they wore and this had an affect on costumes used in theatre. Queen Elizabeth I followed the sumptuary laws, which was only certain classes were consent to wear specific fabric and colors. Therefore in plays the actors could only wear certain colors for their costumes that displayed what role and class their character was in. The clothes worn during this era was a result of Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuary laws, which had an affect on costumes used in plays, and each color a person wore had a significant meaning.