The Role Of Clothing In The Elizabethan Era

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

During the Elizabethan Era, there were a set of rules controlling which classes could wear which clothing called the Sumptuary Laws. The Sumptuary Laws controlled the colors and types of clothing a person could wear. This allowed an easy and immediate way to identify rank and privilege (Elizabethan Era | Clothing). Those found dressed in inappropriate clothing could be fined, lose property, lose rank, and even be killed (Elizabethan Dress

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

In the Elizabethan period, women were subordinate to men. They were considered to be ‘inferior' beings who were controlled by their husbands, fathers or any other men in the family. Women were not allowed to hold their own opinions, views or lifestyles. Men had control of everything, some of these included money, politics, work, children, women and home.

The Elizabethan Era took place from 1558 to 1603. The Elizabethan era is also known as the Golden age and was during Elizabeth I reign. This epoch in English history witnessed many threats and changes in the tide of social, political and artistic life in England. This epoch was during the time of the Renaissance and was an age of exploration and expansion abroad. This was the last period before England joined a union with Scotland.

Fashion is a big part of many people's lives, but it is constantly changing and growing. In the Elizabethan time fashion was very different than it is today. For example trends and materials used have changed. The colors people wore told a lot about who they were, unlike today. Some parts of fashion have stayed pretty constant throughout the years. For example today and then there are known designers around the world. Also fashion still impacts lives greatly. So when looking at fashion throughout the years it is evident that materials, trends, color usage, designers, and the impact on society has greatly changed and is still changing.

Imagine a woman rising from bed wearing heavy bedclothes of wool or cotton. Underneath she would be wearing a corset for sleep, made of cotton, wool or a mix of heavy linen. After brushing out long hair, which was rarely washed, she would be wrapped in a light cotton garb that would protect her skin from actually touching her formal corset. Often corsets would stretch from the mid-hip region to the breasts. Corsets were constructed of whalebone and metal stays, which shaped the ribs and stomach to form a fashionable waist of approximately eighteen inches. After the corset was tightly laced (which required assistance of at least one other person), then heavy wool or cotton stocking would be pulled on. Stockings were held up ties, girdle-like bloomers or special buttons in the petticoats. At this time, a woman would put on six to eight petticoats . She would put on a special top to keep the corset from touching her dress. At this point, a woman may have worn a large hoop skirt. The large metal device would allow the woman to keep proper social distance from her guests and potential suitors. Often the woman would have to be lowered into the hoop skirt. If the hoop was too heavy, a woman would be placed in the parlor room and she would remain there until after a dinner party or until such a time she could remove the hoop because it could render her immobile. In some rare cases, small rolling wheels were attached at the bottom of hoop skirts to aid women in moving

The Victorian Era depicted a traditional woman. Women were expected to be beautiful but conservative. A notable fashion piece to mention is the notorious corset. Krystal D’Souza states that corsets were meant to, “… accentuate a woman's breasts and hips, while cinching the body at the waist, and dramatically curving the back” (D'Souza). The corset was created to slim the waist and make the hips and bottom larger. This was meant to create the ideal, “Hour glass shape,” women were expected to have. In the Victorian Era, dresses were worn all the time and the skirt length had to be passed the ankles. Pagoda sleeves were essential to dresses to cover shoulders and high necklines were made to cover the women’s neck and décolletage. If the skirts were not touching the floor, skirts were closely worn over the hip and flared out just above the knee. (Joshi). The Victorian Age signifies a time period where women had to follow stringent dress codes. The thought of showing any feminine flesh was un-lady like and unrespectable. (Alchin “Women

By the 1780s, a glimpse of delicate thread stockings held in place with ribbon-like garters, could be seen beneath ankle length skirts that were surprisingly entirely

In the Renaissance times wealthy women had a very rough time even getting into their clothes. “The wealthy had clothes made by tailors, who often customized their own patterns. But without closures like zippers and buttons, people often had to be sewn into their clothes! Laces and corsets eventually solved some of these problems, but it was still incredibly difficult to get dressed back then.” (“Tailored”).

After woman were done with the chores around the house such as vacuuming, laundry, and dishes, they would go run arrans while their husbands were at work. Before going out to do the arrans they had for the day they would change into a walking suit. A walking suit would be higher quality than than the casual clothes paired with surdy low heels. For a walking suit it was also appropriate/ accable to wear a tailored dress. In the afternoon the most common thing women would do is have tea with their friends, and would be semi-formal or formal. Women would wear lighter or bright colored clothing with more trim. The shoes and accessories for tea parties were more elegant as well compared to casual clothing. Shoe lengths would be medium to high, with sheer tights to match the color of the women’s dress, and gloves to match the color of the dress or white. Their hats would be anything to assinchuate the dress such as feathers or a sun hat. The host of the party would be required to wear a long more elegant dress than her guests and is to wear no hat. Working women who had jobs suited for women such as teachers or secretaries wore day dress or skirt and blouse set for their work attire. For the lower class the cotton dress that would be considered a simple dress that was only appropriate for at home with just their family might be there only dress that they wore the whole

The elizabethan era was a pretty tough time to be alive, and so crime was rampant in the streets. But no amount of crime was worth the large assortment or punishments that were lined up for the next person who dared cross the line.

They had to wear what they were told, by law. Those laws about clothes in the Elizabethan era were called Sumptuary Laws, and they were strictly obeyed. (L.K. Alchin. Elizabethan Era. May 16th 2012.)Lower class women were required to wear the less appealing fabrics and material.

Elizabethan Era Social Classes Imagine being labeled from the day you were brought into this Earth as one just like those before you, being treated like those before you, and acknowledged like those before you. The construction of Elizabethan social classes were the result of categorization, The Monarch, Nobility, Gentry, Merchants, Yeomanry, and Laborers were the six primary divisions during the age (Wood 2015). This was the time of royalty and wealth when everyone wanted to rise in power and class. Queen Elizabeth I was the monarch and leader of all power during the era, she contributed to many important changes and improvements of the time, the Golden Age was crowned and the advancement of English literature and poetry excelled (Wood 2015).

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.