SarahSutter

=Women's Fashion in the Elizabethan Era=

Themes
European fashion in the 15th - 17th centuries was often dictated by the country which held the most power. During the time when Elizabeth came on to the throne in England, this country was Spain. Therefore, the trends that were popular at Spanish courts (such as the Spanish farthingale) spread throughout Europe and were adapted into each country's wardrobe (Elgin).

Geometric shapes were another influence on fashion during the Elizabethan era due to the growing interest in math and sciences brought on by the Renaissance. Whale bones (and other bones) were used to reinforce the garments (bodice, farthingale, etc.) and emphasis was put on the shoulders and waist (Lad).

Men, as well as women, were always sure to be displaying the latest fashion trends. Interestingly, they were also concerned with a small waist and broad shoulders and therefore wore a doublet (a male version of the bodice) (Elgin).

Getting dressed could be quite a process, as is shown here. Between putting on the multiple layers, lacing up bodices (if a woman had servants to help her the laces would usually be in the back; if she did not and had to do it herself, they were usually in the front), putting on shoes, doing hair and makeup, and anything else that might be needed, it could take a significant amount of time (Singman 98).

Upper Class Fashion
Elizabethan fashion is best known for the extremely narrow waists, full skirts, and full sleeves that upper class women wore. The bodice, which had been worn by women before, became more tightly fitting, and was reinforced with things such as whale bone, wood, or even metal. In the Elizabethan era, the smaller one's waist was, the better and prettier one was considered. The bodice flattened the chest, made the shoulders look broader, and made the waist as small as possible. During the beginning and end of the Elizabethan era the neckline of the bodice was low, while during the middle it was a high neckline (Singman 97). Throughout the Elizabethan era, nearly everything was embroidered. Bodices, in particular, were embroidered heavily. Pearls and other rare gems were embroidered onto the bodice, until the fabric underneath could barely be seen (Elgin).

The contrast between the small waist and the huge skirts was extreme and important. In order to make the waist seem as small as possible, a huge skirt had to be attached. The farthingale served this purpose well. The Spanish farthingale was an underskirt that had whale bones (or a similar material) sewn into it. As it went further down, it got wider. When the skirt was laid on top, it created a bell shape. It was extremely popular in the 1570s. Later on, around the 1590s, a more extreme version of the Spanish farthingale was created; the French farthingale or "wheel farthingale" had spokes that stuck out vertically from their waist, and then fell straight down. When the skirt was put on top of this, it made a cylindrical shape. Ruffles were often placed around the edge of the "wheel farthingale" to soften to severity of the angle (Elgin).

Sleeves were generally large and puffed out at the shoulders. Variations of sleeves came in and out of style almost over night: sometimes it was fashionable to have them loose up until the elbow and then tight the rest of the way, then a few days later it might be in style to have them loose the whole way down and then tight at the wrists. Sometimes it was the trend to have it gathered periodically down the arm. Then maybe it was fashionable to have slashed sleeves. To keep up with the ever changing expectations of sleeves, most sleeves were detachable and could be laced or attached to the bodice, depending on the current style (Singman 98).

Slashing clothing, although at the height of its popularity before the Elizabethan era, continued to be popular while Elizabeth was queen. Sleeves especially were prone to being slashed, to allow bright or contrasting colors to poke through. Men slashed their shoes so their bright stockings could be seen through them ("Elizabethan Upper Class Fashion.").

Elizabethan fashion is well named because no one was dressed more fashionably than Queen Elizabeth herself, as we can see from these accounts of her clothing from detailed documentation of all the monarch's possessions. "excluding her coronation and ceremonial robes, Queen Elizabeth had at least: 99 robes; 102 French gowns; 67 round gowns (pleated all around); 100 loose gowns; 126 kirtles; 136 foreparts (embroidered under-petticoats); 125 petticoats; 96 cloaks; 91 cloaks and safeguards (over-skirts); 43 safeguards and jupes (jackets); 85 doublets; 18 lap mantles; 27 fans; and 9 pantofles (slippers)" (Elgin).

Middle and Lower Classes Fashion
The women of the middle and lower classes drew their inspiration from the upper class; however their clothing was more simple and practical. The women of the middle class might have worn fitted bodices, but they were not nearly as restricting as the upper class. Instead of wearing a farthingale under their skirts, many wore a roll instead. The roll gave them a "softer version of the wheel farthingale look." It was also more practical and it kept their skirts from under their feet as well (Singman 99).The women of the middle class stuck to more basic fabrics and simple colors, such as black or brown.

The women of the lower classes made do with homemade clothing. They usually wore only a simple bodice and a plain skirt with an apron over their skirt and a kerchief over their shoulders. They had limited materials and fabrics: generally only coarse wool, flannel, and russet (Elgin).

Materials and Accessories
The upper class had the finest weave and best cloth, while the middle class made do with everything else. The upper class and nobles wore clothing made out of such materials as velvet, satins, furs, silks, lace, cotton and taffeta. The most popular colors were black, cream and other formal colors, although Elizabeth only allowed her favorites to wear black or silver. Later on (1590s) women wore light, shimmery fabric with sequins decorating them. Reds and purples were generally only allowed to be worn by nobles and the upper class due to the cost of the dyes, and middle and lower class people sometimes wore pinks and dull reds (Elgin).

Fashion Restrictions
The Sumptuary Laws were put into place to dictate what could be worn by who, according to social classes. For example, only royalty could wear clothing trimmed with ermine, while the lesser nobles could wear clothing trimmed with fox or otter. Also, gold cloth or gold tissue could be worn by the Queen, her mother, sisters, children, aunts, Duchesses, Marquises, and Countesses, but could not be worn by Viscountesses or Baronesses. If these Sumptuary Laws were not followed the consequences could be harsh. They could be charged with fines, loss of property or titles, and in some circumstances, life ("Elizabethan Upper Class Fashion.").