In the days of the Renaissance

      Ah, th' merry Renaissance Faire is approaching as some may be aware, at least to our town, and I always make it a tradition to attend every year. I never cease to enforce the policy upon my family of wearing the appropriate attire for such a rare occasion meaning we must wear period costumes! If I could, I'd make it a law that one must come in Renaissance clothing to the Renaissance faire for it merely makes sense to do so. I try to take every opportunity and excuse I possibly can to dress in period costume. It's not like you can just wear it all the time right? So now I thought it might be an appropriate time to talk about what one would wear in the days of the Renaissance, especially if you're thinking of going to a faire or are just curious to know what the fashions were then. So without further ado...

                 A Brief Background on The Renaissance (c.1350-1600)

   The Italian Renaissance began around 1350 while England was still having it's problems dealing with the Hundred year War. The English Renaissance didn't really take off till around 1450 with the Wars of the Roses at the end of the Hundred Years War, which marked the end of the Plantagenet era and the beginning of the Tudor. The English Renaissance included two eras- the Tudor(1485-1558) and the Elizabethan era(1558-1603). The Tudor era actually spanned pretty much over the whole English Renaissance and ended with Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603.

    Women always wore long, trailing gowns up until around 1350, and men wore similar long trailing robes. Then the women's gown split into separate parts such as the bodice, skirt, and chemise and the men's split into the doublet and stockings. The women's skirt was shortened, for this became the fashion in the Renaissance which also allowed women to move more freely. As the period went on, their skirts became more voluminous, reaching a greater circumference and full clothing became the fashion. At the end of Elizabeth's reign, the Spanish influence became more predominant with geometric shape-stlye clothing rather than form fitting as the earlier centuries promoted. This was also apparent with men's fashion as they started out with normal size doublets and nether stocks and trunk hose. Then they started slashing the trunk hose and wearing more padded doublets that would give a barrel appearance to themselves. The birth of fashions that resemble most of what we wear today may have started most during the 16th century. The women's and men's clothing both went through extreme changes from the Medieval to the Stuart, starting with long slim gowns and ending with full, separate parts and the popularity of the farthingale among women. Overall, this developed into today's separate apparel such as the basic shirt and pants, with of course, five more centuries of fashion change, but this is where it started. 

                                               

                                                          Women's clothing

Robe/ Gown

  The robe or gown emerged out of the Medieval era having at first a long train and floor length sleeves. Things became cut shorter and separate pieces of clothing evolved out of this. The gown split into the bodice, chemise, and skirt which replaced the long, floor-length robe. The decorative gown was still being worn throughout the Renaissance, but mainly for nobility. It would go over the chemise and under layers which could show beneath the gown if it was slashed. Slashing rose in popularity in the 16th century and would let the under-skirt show by cutting open the robe or gown. The gown or robe was basically a long, fashionable overgarment that would range from close-fitting to loose and from having sleeveless to long, hanging sleeves.

Overskirt
 The skirt was part of the main three essentials of Renaissance commoner dress as it developed after the long, trailing robe and became the fashion of the day. The overskirt in particular was a skirt that was worn over another one that might be either slashed down the middle or draped a tucked to reveal the skirts beneath.






Bodice

 There is a difference between the bodice a corset, as I know this might be confused. the bodice was a tight, sleeveless garment for the upper body that was worn over the chemise and laced in front for peasants and sometimes to the side or back for upper classes. This was an overgarment whereas the corset was an undergarment used strictly for support and shape.

Chemise
  The chemise was the basic loose-fitting undergarment that usually was one-piece though sometimes two pieces. They would serve as the first layer of clothing and reached down long so slashing to the overskirts or layering could be done.








Corset

As mentioned before, there is a significant difference between the corset and bodice. The corset was a tight-fitting garment that would go under the outer garment and lace up in the back. This would give support and achieve the desired shape to the torso. Yes, volume was the fashion in the latter half of the 16th century, but it was the volume of only the skirt and sleeves that gave the torso a slim and petite look which was what women wanted to achieve at that time and what we would call the hourglass look.

Underskirt

 Also known as the "forepart" or "petticoat, the underskirt is a skirt that goes underneath the overskirt and can show out of the opening of the overskirt if it's slashed or draped. This serves the same purpose the chemise does as the most under layer of the skirts. 

Farthingale
  Originating in Spain, the farthingale was an underskirt with hoops made of whalebone, wood, or rope sewed into the skirt that would give the overskirt volume and width in the late Renaissance. There were mainly two kinds of Farthingales: the French and the cartwheel. The French farthingale or bumroll, was the first one, introduced in the late 1570s to England from France. It gave the gown or skirt volume in the hip and and helped to achieve the bell shape of the skirt. The cartwheel or also called drum or great farthingale rose in the late 1590s that evolved from the French. This took volume to an even further step with its great circumference. The back would rise higher than the front giving a slant to it.

Surcote
 Originating in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Spanish surcote was a sleeveless garment and went the full length of the garment under it. It was typically worn over a chemise, kirtle, or other gown. In the early 14th century, the armhole became a long, vertical slit that went to the hips.













Kirtle

 The kirtle began in the 16th century and was originally worn under a gown and over a chemise. Then it became its own gown, being worn as an over garment. It would consist of a bodice that would lace up in front and an attached skirt that would run down the full length of the chemise.

Ruff
 The ruff was introduced from Spain to England around 1555 and started out as just a collar with figure 8 looking ruffles. It became larger and larger and by the end of Elizabeth's reign, it needed the "rebato" which was a half-moon shaped, stiff collar that would support the ruff and tilt it at the desired angle. The ruff would need to be starched which would set and stiffen it. Elizabeth herself would be the ideal example of this gigantic ruff towards the end of the Renaissance that needed the rebato.







Partlet

 Originally, the partlet was a collared, ruffled little garment used as a covering for the square necklines of the Renaissance for modesty's sake. It migrated from outside the garment, to tucked underneath as the era went on. Detachable sleeves could be attached to the partlet as well. Later on, during the Elizabethan era, when the ruff was introduced, the partlet also acted as a separator between the ruff and the face so the ruff would be protected and need less laundering and would have extra support.









                                                                    Men's clothing

Shirt
 The shirt was the men's basic undergarment usually made of linen and consisted of the band-collar and cuffs.
















Doublet

 The doublet was a tight-fitting jacket with padded shoulders that would button up in front and ended at the torso. It was worn over the short or drawers and was considered improper to be worn without an over tunic, jerkin, or mantle until the end of the Renaissance. Usually separate sleeves would be attached.

Jerkin
 The jerkin was a sleeveless vest or waistcoat worn as an outer garment. It would be worn over a a nobleman's doublet for propriety or over the shirt for a peasant. The doublet and jerkin can easily be confused, but the main difference is that the jerkin is more of a loose-fitting, longer garment that goes over the doublet, while the doublet is supposed to be covered by the jerkin and doesn't become a stand-alone garment until the 17th century.







Hose

  These were close-fitting stockings that started out in the Middle Ages. They went up to the waist and covered the feet. By the 16th century, the hose split into two parts: the trunk hose and the nether stocks.

Trunk-hose
 These were the upper hose that began in the later 16th century after the hose split into two garments. These were like a pair of baggy pants or trousers that covered the legs from the waist down and stopped around the knee. Towards the end of the Elizabethan era, these became loose fitting and puffy and sometimes were slashed. Examples of this would be slops and venetians. An example of a more tightly fitted, short type would be the earlier round hose or canions.


Nether stocks

  The nether stocks were more like tight-fitting stockings that covered the calf and stopped around the knee where they were attached to the trunk hose. They were one of the two garments the original hose split into like the trunk-hose. They could even have embroidery on the inner calf but of course, usually was for the wealthy.

Tunic
   The tunic was a loose-fitting outer garment that went down to the knee. It was worn mainly by peasants towards the end of the Renaissance for it was considered unfashionable by society. It was worn with a belt around the waist.








Ruff

 Like the women, the men wore the ruff as well which was introduced to England from Spain around 1555 and grew in circumference as the Elizabethan era went on.