Renaissance Fashion

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Renaissance fashion played an important part in the cultural life of the Europeans as it was a symbol of their social status and influenced modern fashion.
Styles varied throughout the years, but some styles remained similar throughout the Renaissance. For example, men wore panty hose, trunk hose or pantaloons, and doublets in all eras of style, and women could always be seen in dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts that put emphasized small waists.
Men’s clothing was stuffed for extra fullness, but this was usually only the sleeves and pants. The rest was very tight. Women’s dresses were embroidered, trimmed with lace and covered in gilt ornaments. The sleeves of their dresses were could be large and open, puffed in circles to the wrist, or tight and fitted to their arms.
Women’s fashion was considered to be at its “fullest”. Their skirts were large with the help of petticoats and later the farthingale. They concealed the wearer’s feet in the early ages of the Renaissance but later started to lift and show the newly styled, high-heeled shoes of the woman. Popular fabrics were silks, brocades, velvets, and laces, all covered in precious stones. The colors of the fabrics would change with the styles, but the people of the Renaissance would never let go of their passion for jewels.
The history of Renaissance fashion is divided up into about three time periods. Each time period had a style from a different country. Probably the most influential styles were from the Italians, the Germans, and the Spanish.
The Italian style lasted from about 1480 to 1510. The fabric that clothing was made of was patterned rather than solidly colored. The hemline of men’s clothing became shorter as the women’s skirts grew longer.
In the year 1510, the Italian fashion gave way to Germanic dress. Men would wear hose or breeches with a brief, wide gown, giving them a short, square look. Women’s skirts remained full and extravagant, but now they were pleated or had a pleated apron on top.
The Germanic influence evolved into Spanish fashions around the year 1550. Men wore doublets that were made rigid by stuffing horsehair, whalebone, or cardboard into them. Women also stiffened the bodices of their dresses. The Spanish favored geometrically shaped clothing made of dark cloth to better accentuate the jewels that adorned it. During this time, the skirt of a woman’s dress added another element to its full and layered fashion. A farthingale, which is a series of hoops that circle a woman’s lower body from the waist, was worn under the skirt to reach enormous size. The French farthingale was shaped more like a drum.
Other accessories that were worn by people were ruffs. Ruffs were collars that were made of linen, tulle, or lace and held in place by wire. They
started out small but grew larger as the Renaissance wore on. Hats were also worn during the time, such as biggins (worn by children), bonnets, and linen caps which curved over the hair.
Hair wasn’t visible until the late Renaissance due to a law that had stated that headwear must have been worn when out in public or else the violator would have to pay a fine. Hairstyles varied mostly only among women. Hair was large, big, and sometimes frizzy. The hairline was plucked to create a larger forehead and hair, which was usually ornate, was covered in jewels.
However, elaborate clothing was only for the wealthy. Sumptuary laws were enforced to stop peasants from wearing nice clothing and jewels. Peasants wore a simple easy jerkin with a large cloak and simple shoes and hats. The law also told certain people what to wear. For example, public penitents wore pure white robes and prostitutes had to wear red skirts. It was in these ways that clothing and fashion defined a person’s social status, and it still does today.
Clothing during the Renaissance was a great, powerful thing. It defined social status and changed dramatically throughout the entire Renaissance. It was now decorative instead of merely functional. It also influenced many of the fashions we see everywhere today. In fact, it was during this time that fashion really started to change from the Dark Age styles to modern day styles. A more closely fitted and tight style came into view. Dresses hung
less loosely and shoes were less flat-soled with the invention of the high heel. The Renaissance was about art and literature, but it was about clothing, too, and was the beginning of the importance of fashion in culture.