English Renaissance Dress
English Renaissance dress style was quite heavily influenced by the French, and to a lesser degree the Spanish. Indeed some scholars debate whether there was an actual English Renaissance, but they do admit to an “artistic flowering” during the reigns of the Tudor monarchs. The English Renaissance period was characterized by achievements in literature and music, rather than the visual arts of painting and architecture that was developing in Italy and France. Even though some elements of English Renaissance dress were borrowed from other countries, they did make variations and improvements upon them. One example is the ruff, this small ruffle around the neck and sleeves of a man's linen shirt, which could vary greatly in its ornateness, became a favorite of English gentlemen. The ruff had originally been introduced in Spain by a noblewoman wishing to hide a blemish on her neck.
During the English
Renaissance,
many garments of
the same style were
worn by both the
upper and the lower
classes.
However,
the
type, quality
and
especially
color, of the
fabric used
for
these clothes
varied
greatly between the classes.
To the rich, fashion was very
important as a
symbol of
their wealth and influence;
to
the
poor, however, their
concerns
were that a
garment be
practical,
and above all
durable.
All classes
used wool
or
linen for
shirts and underwear,
but
of vastly different
quality.
Only the extremely
wealthy
could afford
cotton or
silk
under garments. These
were
often
embroidered with gold,
silver
or silk
thread.
Fabrics used in
English
Renaissance clothing
were colored
almost
exclusively with
vegetables
dyes. The most common
being
madder
for red,
woad for blue,
and walnut
for brown. In
order to create other
colors and
shades, a chemical,
known
as a mordant, was
needed. For
instance,
alum used with the
weld
plant would
produce
yellow, whereas iron or tin used
with weld would
result in
shades of
green. The most
expensive
dyes to
produce
were bright red
and
black.
Therefore, only the truly
wealthy
wore
jet
black
clothing, and
scarlet,
during
the
English
Renaissance,
referred not to
a color,
but to an
extremely
expensive fine
grade of
wool.
Because dyeing was
expensive,
the
clothing
of the poorer
classes
was
generally
limited
to
uncolored
linen
and
brown wool.
Laws passed during
the English
Renaissance, known
as Sumptuary Laws,
were
supposed to
help curb some of
the
growing
extravagance
centering
around
clothing,
but they also
further
enforced
and
emphasized the
differences
between
the classes. Only members of
the royal
family
could
wear “fur
of the black genet”. A person
must
be at
least a
viscount, in
order to
wear
sable, and
a
Knight of
the
Garter
to wear
blue or
crimson
velvet.
Howards' Renaissance
Dress is
committed
to
bringing
you a variety of
Renaissance,
medieval
and
gothic
clothing
and
accessories, ranging
from
peasant
wear to
more noble
dress. Most of our garments for men and women are
available in plus-sizes. As you
browse our
pages
for
gowns,
breeches,
tunics,
vests, doublets, and much
more;
we
hope to
entertain you with
a little
English
Renaissance
history
along
the way.
Thank you
for
visiting with us,
and we hope
you
will
come back
often!!