Woman's+Clothing

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Imagine this...you're at you're favorite clothing store shopping the latest trends with your friends. You then have a flashback of long before yours, your parents, grandparents, or even great grandparents time. The year is 1603, the middle of Elizabethan England. The queen is Queen Elizabeth, which the Elizabethan Era was named after. It is long before the American Revolutionary War, and American Civil War. It's long before airplanes, hot air balloons, automobiles, cell phones and facebook. You look around at all the 'latest trends' and see revolting, heavy clothing with full skirts, corsets, petticoats, and stockings. During this time, the Elizabethan Era in England, women's clothing included the many articles a woman was required to wear, the laws about their clothing, and the difference between a wealthy woman's clothing and the working class woman's clothing.

To begin with, women who dressed in the latest fashion were many more layers of clothing than what we wear today. A woman spent hours getting ready for a social event or going out in public. They also used servants, maids or slaves to assist them in getting dressed (Olsen 128). Clothing was quite simple in style until 1550 until it became elaborate in layers and designs (Andrews 60). One's dressing started with the chemise, or a loose fitting undergarment (60; Olsen 128). After the chemise, the underdress and outterdress were donned, that was very tight fitting( Andrews 60; Olsen128). Once the under and outterdress were in place, the fuller dress and skirt were dressed (Andrews 60; Olsen 128). These were of the Old German style(Andrews 60). The sleeves of this dress were so long that they sometimes touched the floor (Andrews 60). The sleeves were also funnel shaped (Cassin-Scott 21).Another skirt was then added to the already huge skirt. This top skirt was the Spanish farthingale (bell shape) style in the beginning of the Elizabethan era. As the era lengthened, this skirt adapted into the French farthingale style, which was called the 'Catherine wheel' which was known for it's drum shape (Andrews 60; Olsen 129). Next the kirtle, or loose gown, was donned (Andrews 60; Olsen 129). A heavy gown was put on over the kirtle which was open below the waist showing the underdress(Andrews 60). The bodice, or chest, was cut low but nothing was shown, like it sometimes is in the 21 Century. a high ruff made of stiff material was sewn onto the bodice(60). This stiff gauze-like material was called "butterfly wings". After all of these articles of clothing, jewels were attached to the outer gown along with heavy partlets, or jewels attached at the neck(60). Elizabethan Women wore and walked in 10 layers of clothing each day in all kinds of weather(60). The way women dressed in the 1500s and 1600s is much different than how women dress today. 

 In the Elizabethan Era, from 1550 to 1650, there were a few laws about the clothing people wore. One set of laws about clothing was the Sumptuary Laws(Alchin). The Sumptuary Laws were used to control behavior of people and to ensure that specific class structures were maintained(Alchin). The English government made sure that specific class structure was maintained with clothing because clothing provided information about one's social and class status(Alchin). For example, one set of rules said that only royalty were allowed to wear clothes containing ermine, which is a type of weasel. Ermine was a very high quality fur, so the government decided that only those with absolute power, namely royalty, should have that right(Alchin). Another law said that only royalty and lesser nobles were allowed to wear fox and otter on their clothing(Alchin). This pattern of fur went so on and so forth down to peasants and paupers who only wore simple fabrics for the simplest clothing possible. With any law, there were penalties for disobeying the law. Penalties for breaking the Sumptuary Laws included but were not limited to fines, loss of property, and even death(Alchin). To those interested in looking fashionable yet modest, the Sumptuary Laws were not laws to be fooled with.

In Elizabethan England, the clothing of a woman of leisure, such as Queen Elizabeth ranged wildly in comparison to someone as poor as a pauper. for Queen Elizabeth, money was not a problem to make clothing (Dersin 153).Queen Elizabeth always had the latest fashions, the newest fabrics, and the most expensive metals(153). She hired an army for the crafting, caring, inventory, and guarding of her jewels and garments(153). In the last four years of her reign, Queen Elizabeth spent £2,381.25 (pounds) per year(153). Also, this was a time in history where people could survive on three or four pounds a year (Andrews 60). In contrast, working class women were fairly simple in making their dresses(Norris 710). Many times they tried to dress in more costly clothing than what one could afford (Andrews 58). For the average working woman, many were thought to be modest if a foreigner were to see one(Norris 710). They knew how to make fine clothing (710). If a lady was married, she was to wear a hat everywhere she went, even in her own home(710). One could distinguish what each woman did by her dress. For example, spinsters wore sashes around their waists ( 716). Market women were homely dressed (717). Country women wore homespun dresses with lined aprons, and a handkerchief around the shoulder(716). In cold weather, mufflers were worn over the mouth to protect against the cold. For country girls, sleeves were tied up to prevent getting muddy, the bodice was tied down the middle with bows(717-718). One would wear a full skirt, but it was turned up to prevent tripping and falling in the fields(718). Country girls showed their petticoats underneath their skirts(718). As one can see, working class clothing differed greatly in comparison to Nobles' clothing.

The Elizabethan Era, from 1550 to 1650 was a time of trial and error, rebirth, and exploration for many. The clothing is what many people think of when one talks about 'renaissance' or 'Elizabethan Era'. The different clothing styles, along with their laws, make some glad that one lives in the 21st Century. However, the difference between working class and the higher class will always be the same...the richer one is, the better quality of clothing one receives. In the discussion of clothing, are you not glad that in today's society, we, as a whole, can be diverse in what we wear? I am.

By: Ginny Davis :) ​

[|clothing and cosmetics ppt.]