The Role Of Clothing In The Elizabethan Era

As said in the article Women’s Fashion in the 1800s London,”These were worn under the clothing, bodices with boning on either side and lacing to hold it together. More affluent

Modern day fashion is a more carefree approach. There aren’t usually any rules when it comes what to wear, and women are granted the freedom to choose what they would prefer to wear. Women generally enjoy this aspect of society, since many things are still controlled. Unlike the Elizabethan women, modern women prefer to wear jeans on an average day. T-shirts with fun, different sayings on them are often times paired with jeans. Some women even prefer to wear men’s clothing, such as jeans and loafers. Most women often wear shirts that show a little more cleavage than what would be seen as appropriate in Elizabethan times, as seen in Figure two. (Modern day 1) Commonly, women are classified by what sort of brands they wear, or what type of style they have, like the Elizabethans.

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

Women, much like today, wore gold earrings, silver hairpins and pearl necklaces. Special chairs with no arms were necessary for most women to sit down. Men had a clear taste for wigs and periwigs. Most plantation owners wore periwigs. Periwigs resembled long natural curly hair. The affix peri means encircling or surrounding, and this is exactly what the wigs do. Periwigs eventually got switched out for regular wigs. A man had to powder their wigs with white chalk. This could cause quite an embarrassment when chalk would cover a man's shoulders. A sudden dust/chalk storm could also start up a breeze passed by. They would style most of these wigs with a ponytail. At the end, they are tied at the end with colorful bands. Slaves usually powdered the chalk on the hair. A slave could have easily gotten irritated by the impromptu dust storm taking place. The men finished their look by wearing satin knee breeches and an embroidered velvet or satin waistcoat. Their shirts featured plenty of laces and ruffles to gawk at. When out a man usually wore a full-coat or a cloak. Children wore the were shrunken versions of their mothers or fathers

During this era, the society trends were changing. The women were wearing dresses with strapped-in girdles and pads underneath, while the men experienced a change in suits and daily wear. Men usually wore knickers to just below their knees, while women wore elaborate designs and hooped skirts.

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.

The role of women in the household and workforce was changing dramatically. Before this time period, women aspired to marry a successful and rich man so that they could live comfortably. Marrying a well-endowed man would ensure the wife with a steady income source and pleasurable life. This idea changed because women were starting to gain independence and strived to make their own money from jobs other than prostitution. Even women 's idea of modesty changed. They would usually dress modestly and wore their hair up as to not look prudish. This idea was thrown out the window, and women started dressing for

Women wore underdresses made of linen or flax and woollen overdresses like aprons with straps fastened by decorative brooches. Over the dresses and aprons she wore cloaks or shawls made of wool. Their shoes were made of leather. They had long hair and usually wore scarves.

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

Fashion is very important in modern day society, and can be seen all around. Most of what people know about fashion today came from the fashion during the renaissance. From the vibrant fabrics to the spectacular jewels, renaissance fashion has been thoroughly threaded in the fashion of modern society. Modern day women often wear shorty, fun gowns, tightly fitting jeans, and lower cut tops. Popular fashion trends for men in modern society include saggy jeans, V-neck shirts, and stylish watches. “A fashion is merely a form of ugliness so unbearable that we are compelled to alter it every six months” (Oscar Wilde). Fashion in modern day society is ever changing, but most changes do not stray too far from the original product.

The wealthy people had worn expensive fabrics such as satin, velvet and cotton. In my city the poor had worn flannel and many other cheap priced fabrics. For many people cotton was known for what many wealthy people would wear because it is not easy for someone to get there hands on it. Most men here in Florence had worn boots, pants, shirts, vests, and hats while most women would be seen walking around the streets wearing shoes, two skirts while one went under the other one, a shirt, a bodice, and a hat which would sometimes be replaced with a snood. Women had also braided their hair. On many women you would also see curls because it is a sign of beauty. Clothing was an important treasure to many people in the upper class of nobility and aristocracy who would spend a lot of money on the clothes they wore. Some women had made their dresses fancier by decorating

In the 16th century fashion in Europe was similar in most countries. In this century women would wear gowns or dresses. In Spain women wore cone-shaped skirts but as the century progressed the gowns became more lavish. Gowns were made of different fabrics like silk, velvet and lace. The dresses were adorned with beads, pearls and jewellery and were decorated with patterns of stiches and embroideries.

At the end of the 18th century there was one of the most significant events in the history of dress. Men gave up their right to all the bright, more elaborate, and more varied forms of clothing. They left all that to the women. Men abandoned their claim to be considered beautiful. They, instead, aimed at being useful in society.

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.