th 16

century costumes

(Northern Renaissance)

1500-1600

FACTORS IN THE DISSEMINATION OF FASHION INFORMATION

the intermarriage of the royal families from different countries imported garments and fabrics books dealing with costume travelers who brought back information about and examples of foreign styles.

TEXTILES A treadle-powered spinning wheel in combination with a device called a bobbin-and-flyer mechanism made spinning easier. Hand knitting seems to have begun in Europe after the 15th century. By the latter part of the 16th century it was being used to make stockings. Decorative Techniques of the 16th Century Embroidered decorations were applied not only to outer garments, but also to visible neck and sleeve edges of undergarments such as shirts and chemises. A variety of Italian drawn and cutwork techniques were also employed. In another decorative technique called filet or lacis, the artisan embroidered patterns on a net background
Woman's chemise from the late 16th century, probably from Venice. The white linen garment is embroidered with lavender floss silk and gold thread

 COSTUME FOR MEN AND WOMEN: 16th CENTURY

Costume of men and women in the 16th century can be said to have gone through three different phases .
early phase in which a transition was made from medieval styles to the styles of the Renaissance second phase concentrated in the second to the fourth decades of the century in which marked German influence can be seen final phase in which Spanish influences were strong.

Throughout the century, men wore an evolved form of the earlier braies, which the English tended to refer to as drawers

Drawers

COSTUME FOR MEN: (1500-1515)

SHIRTS Made of white linen, shirts were cut full and gathered into a round or square neckline. The neckline was often decorated with embroidery or cutwork. They had long, raglan sleeves. DOUBLET AND HOSE These were laced together, the doublet being only waist length. Hose were seamed into one garment with a codpiece at the front. In one version the doublet (also called a paltock in England) was cut with a deep V at the front, which sometimes had a filler (or stomacher) of contrasting color inserted under the V. Laces could be used to hold the open area together, and also to hold the sleeves in place.

doublet

Doublet

Stomacher

Stomacher - A richly ornamented garment covering the stomach and chest, worn by both sexes in the 15 and 16th centuries, and later worn under a bodice by women.

JACKET OR JERKIN Sometimes worn over doublets jackets were cut the length as doublets, were similar in shaping, and were with or without sleeves.

In England, the jerkin was used synonymously with the word jacket afterwards

jerkin

BASES

Bases were separate short skirts worn with a jacket or do for civil dress; over armor for military dress. Made from series of lined and stiffened gores (wedgeshaped pieces), persisted in civilian dress until well into the mid-century.

ROBES OR GOWNS Gowns were long, full garments with huge funnel-shaped or large hanging sleeves that opened down the front. The front facings were made of contrasting fabric or fur and turned back to form wide, decorative revers. Younger and more fashionable men wore shorter gowns, ending below the hips. Gowns were worn over doublets or jackets.

OUTDOOR GARMENTS WORN FOR WARMTH Circular cloaks, open at the front and with a slit up the back to facilitate horseback riding were worn over doublets and hose.

COSTUME FOR MEN: (1515-1550)

Whereas the earlier styles had relatively slender silhouettes, the second phase emphasized fullness in the construction of the costume with large, bulky, puffed areas.

Garments were ornamented with decorative slashings or panes (narrow strips of fabric) under which contrasting linings were placed.

The knight on the left wears the decoratively slashed costume of a German soldier. The slashed upper stocks over his hips contrast with the nether stocks, which cover his legs. Strips of cloth are tied around his leg at the knee. A codpiece is visible at the front of his upper stocks, his hat is an exaggeration by the artist of the military headdress of the period

SHIRTS, DOUBLETS, JACKETS

All these garments continued much as before, with marked increases in slashed decoration.
Instead of having separate bases, some doublets and jackets were cut with gored skirts. Some had no sleeves; some had wide U- or V-shaped necklines beneath which the wide neck, the doublet, and part of the shirt was often visible. Bases were still worn with armor.

Sleeves of the outermost garment were cut very full, often with a puff from armhole to elbow and a closer fit from elbow to wrist.

Henry VIII in later life 1537 Interalced gold braid, jewels and slashing (where the under shirt is pulled through).

Shirt

A gathered, embroidered shirt.

A slashed doublet of what appears to be orange silk.

HOSE Hose were held up by lacing them to the doublets. Some were divided into two sections, upper stocks and nether stocks, which were sewn together Codpieces, the pouches of fabric for the genitals sewn at the front of the upper stocks. Although upper stocks and nether stocks continued to be attached, upper stocks (also called breeches) eventually took on the appearance of a separate garment, and were cut somewhat fuller than the lower section. Style variations included: Long breeches, fitting the leg closely and ending at the knee. Breeches ending at the hip and more rounded. .

codpeice

Breeches

Prince Hercule-Francois, 1572. The Duke wears wide, somewhat melonshaped, trunkhose with a codpiece. His jacket with its high collar surrounded by a small tuff has the fashionable peascod belly shape, and finishes below the waistline in a row of pecadils. His hat is in the capotain shape, decorated with a jeweled band and a plume. The short cape is fur-lined.

Breeches

ROBES OR GOWNS Slight alterations in cut and trimming of robes made for increased width. The wide revers extended into a wide collar and

these sleeve types developed:

Sleeveless but with wide, extremely deep armholes lined in contrasting fabric and turned back upon themselves to show off the lining. Short, very full, puffed-and-slashed Long hanging sleeves.

COSTUME FOR MEN: (1550-1600)

By mid-century, the width of the shoulders had narrowed and decreased further. The width of the hip area gradually increased. By the beginning of the third phase, a new combination of garments had evolved, and men no longer appeared in short jackets or longer skirted jackets and hose. Instead, the upper hose and nether hose had evolved into a large, padded breech (called trunk hose), which was joined to nether or lower stocks.

Alternatively, separate breeches were worn, with hose kept in place by garters.
The codpiece gradually went out of style after mid-century.

Trunk Hose

SHIRT COLLARS, RUFFS Around mid-century, men displayed the small, square collar of the shirt at the neck edge of the doublet. Next, the collar of the shirt became a small ruffle, and in the final stage of evolution the ruff developed as a separate item of costume, separate from the shirt. Very wide, often of lace, and stiffly starched, the ruff became one of the most characteristic features of costume during the second half of the 16th century and persisted into the first decades of the 17th century as well.

Ruff

DOUBLET

The neck was cut high, its shape and finish varied. Doublets were made with a row of small, square flaps called pecadils just below the waist. Sleeves, though padded, followed the shape of the arm and narrowed as the century progressed until by 1600 sleeves were unpadded and closely fitted. Waistlines followed the natural waist at the back, but dipped to a point at the front, where padding emphasized the shape. By 1570, the amount of padding increased and the point at the front of the doublet became so pronounced that it was called a peascod belly as it resembled the puffedout chest of a peacock.

Peascod belly

JACKET OR JERKIN Worn over the doublet, the jacket was similar in shaping, but as it usually had short puffed sleeves or pecadils at the arm and no sleeve, the sleeve of the doublet beneath became the outermost sleeve.

BREECHES Breeches were separate garments worn together with separate stockings. They included: Skintight versions. Wide at the top and tapering to the knee (called Venetians). Wide and full throughout (called open breeches)

Close-up photograph of slashed satin breeches of about 1600 shows the way in which this garment was constructed.

Engraving of 1581 shows men who all wear peascod belly-shaped doublets and neck ruffs. The man at left wears very full Venetian breeches, the men second from left and at the far right wear short trunks attached to full-length hose, and the man third from the left wears short trunks with canions

TRUNK HOSE Trunk hose were made in several shapes: Melon shaped; usually paned, heavily padded, and ending at the hip or somewhat below; approximately the shape of a pumpkin gallygaskins :Sloping gradually from a narrow waist to fullness concentrated about mid-thigh where they ended also called Slops. A short section, not much more than a pad around the hips, worn with very tight-fitting hose. This form had limited use outside of very fashionable court circles. Boucher calls them culots Melon shaped

culots

CANIONS An extension from the end of the trunk hose to the knee or slightly below, canions were made either in the same color or in a contrasting color to trunk hose. Canions fastened to separate stockings at the bottom

Canions

HOSE AND STOCKINGS With trunk hose and canions, stockings were used more than the long, joined hose. Stockings and hose were either cut and sewn or knitted. References to knitting begin to appear around 1530 and in 1589; an English inventor made a machine for knitting stockings. OUTDOOR GARMENTS Gowns were largely replaced by shorter and longer capes after the middle of the century. Short capes were cut very full, flaring out sharply from the shoulder.

Travel cape , 1571

COSTUME FOR WOMEN: 16th CENTURY

There is evidence of a linen under-bodice made from two layers of fabric stiffened with glue. By the 17th century, this garment had taken on the name stays in English.

Earlier it had been known as a pair of bodys, as it was cut into two sections and fastened at the front and back with laces or tapes.
The stiffening was provided by a busk, a new device made from a flat, long piece of wood or whalebone that was sewn into one or more casings provided in the stays. The shaping and support of the outer garment is yet another function of undergarments. Beginning with the verdugale, continuing with the bum roll, and culminating in the huge wheel farthingale, undergarments henceforth are important elements in the shape of Western costume.

Spanish farthingale or verdugale

The lady wears a wheel farthingale. The skirt of the farthingale opens at the front, but the petticoat beneath it is not visible. Around the waist is placed a ruffle the width of the farthingale. She wears a standing lace ruff at the neck. Her hair is dressed high with jeweled decorations.

Costume Components for Women: 15001530 This first phase was a transition from the styles of the Medieval period. CHEMISE The chemise continued to be the undermost garment. DRESSES Gowns were fairly plain, somber colors predominated. Bodices were fitted, skirts long and full, flaring gently from the waistline to the floor in the front and trailing into long trains at the back. Women wore either a single dress or two layers consisting of an outer and an under-dress. If two dresses were worn, the outer skirt might be looped up in front to display the contrasting skirt of the under-dress.
The lady wears a wide-sleeved gown with a typically square-cut neckline. Her headdress is a coif with lappets hanging down on either side of the face.

Trains on outer gowns often had decorative under-linings. The train was buttoned or pinned to the waist at the back in order to show the lining fabric. Most often dress necklines were square, with the edge of the chemise visible, or they might be cut with smaller or larger V-shaped openings at the front or at both front and back. Lacings held the V-shaped opening together. Sleeve styles included: Smooth-fitting narrow sleeves with decorative cuffs. Wide funnel shapes with contrasting linings. Hanging sleeves.

When two layers were worn, the under-dress usually had closely fitted sleeves and the outermost large, full, funnel-shaped sleeves or hanging sleeves.

OUTDOOR GARMENTS Except for ceremonial occasions when the open mantle fastening with a chain or braid at the front was still worn, women wore long, full cloaks.

Costume Components for Women :1530-1575 Germany

Dresses Softly gathered skirts were joined to closely fitted bodices with low and square or rounded necklines. Sleeves were close fitting, with horizontal bands alternating with somewhat enlarged, puffed areas. The cuff extended into a point over the wrist.

Hair and head-dress Hair was often held in a net, over which was placed a wide brimmed hat trimmed with plumes.
Jewelry Gold chains, frequently worn along with a wide jeweled dog collar were important status symbols

The lady wears typical German dress with sleeves made in alternately wider and narrower sections having Vshaped cuffs that cover the backs of her hands. She has several gold chains around her neck. Her headdress is also a fanciful exaggeration of the current style of hats for women.

Costume Components for Women in other Northern European Countries

The second phase of costume for women outside of Germany was marked by Spanish influences whereas men's styles of this period had been more directly influenced by German styles One important aspect of the Spanish influence was a tendency to emphasize dark colors, especially black.

DRESSES

Significant changes took place in the construction of dresses. Instead of an underdress and an outer-dress, women wore a petticoat (an underskirt) and an overdress. The overall silhouette was rather like an hourglass. Bodices narrowed to a small waistline. Skirts gradually expanded to an inverted cone shape with an inverted V opening at the front.
Bodices and skirts of dresses were sewn together. The waist dipped to an elongated V at the front. A rich, jeweled belt outlined the waistline, and from the dip in front its long end fell down the center front of the gown almost to the floor.
The ruffled cuff of the chemise is visible at the end of the sleeve. Large, detachable undersleeves match the fabric of the petticoat. The flared skirt was supported underneath by a hoop called a verdugale or Spanish farthingale

Necklines were at first mostly square, but later were made in a variety of more closed styles which included: High, closed necklines with standing, wing collars. Neck fillers, part of the chemise, which were closed up to the throat and ended in a small ruffle. Ruffs, of moderate size at this phase of their development, worn with high, fitted collars

This lady wear Spanish styled sleeveless ropa. Small ruffles, probably on her chemise, extend above the high collar and below the ends of the sleeves. Her coif dips slightly at the front.

The following sleeve styles developed: Narrow at the shoulder and expanding to a huge, wide square cuff that turned back upon itself. This cuff was often made of fur or of heavy brocade to match the petticoat A detachable, false sleeve decorated with panes and slashes through which the linen of the chemise was visible might be sewn to the underside of the cuff or, if the chemise were richly decorated, the sleeve of the chemise might be seen below the cuff. Made with a puff at the shoulder and a closefitting, long extension of the sleeve to the wrist. Though worn elsewhere as well, this style was especially popular in France. Full from shoulder to wrist where it was caught into a cuff. Wider at the top, narrower at the bottom

Sleeve decorations included Cutting and paning with decorative fabrics, and fastening the panes with aiguillettes (small, jeweled metal points). Padded rolls of fabric were sometimes located at the joining of bodice and sleeve, and these served to hide the laces fastening separate sleeves to bodices.

PETTICOATS Although the petticoat was separate from the dress, its visibility through the inverted V at the front of the skirt made it an integral part of the ensemble. Petticoats were usually cut from rich, decorative fabric (often brocade or cut velvet). The back of the petticoat was covered by the skirt of the dress. Therefore often only the front of the petticoat was made in expensive fabric, while the invisible back was made of lighter weight, less expensive fabric.

SUPPORTING GARMENTS The flared, cone-shaped skirt required support to achieve the desired rigidity of line. Support was provided by a Spanish device called the verdugale (in Spanish, verdugado) or Spanish farthingale.

The verdugale was a construction of whalebone, cane, or steel hoops graduated in size from the waist to the floor and sewn into a petticoat or underskirt.

ROPA Originally a Spanish style, the ropa was an outer gown or surcote made either sleeveless, with a short puffed sleeve, or with a long sleeve, puffed at the top and fitted for the rest of the arm's length. It fell from the shoulders, unbelted in an A-line to the floor. Some versions closed in front, but most were open to display the dress beneath.

Costume Components for Women: 15751600 The first changes in the last quarter of the century came in the shape of the skirt, which grew wider at the top. Instead of the cone-shaped Spanish farthingale, a padded roll was placed around the waist in order to give skirts greater width below the waist. The English called these pads bum rolls, "bum" being English slang for buttocks. Later instead of using graduated circles of whalebone, cane, or steel sewn into a canvas skirt, the circles were the same diameter top to bottom. Steel or cane spokes fastened the top-most hoop to a waistband. It was called the wheel, drum, or French farthingale.

The farthingale was later worn with a roll of stiffened material called a Bum Roll. The bum roll could be used to add more width to the body, whilst spreading skirt fullness evenly. The Bum Roll had tapes which enabled it to be tied to the waist, settling over the farthingale.

During the 16th century, the farthingale was popular. This was a petticoat stiffened with reed or willow rods so that it stood out from a woman's body, like a cone extending from the waist.

DRESSES Dresses worn over wheel farthingales had enormous skirts that were either cut and sewn into one continuous piece all around, or open at the front or sides over a matching underskirt.

Sleeves were made fuller and with very high sleeve caps.
The front of the bodice was elongated, ending in a deep V at the waist. Additional height came from high standing collars and dressing the hair high on the head.

RUFFS Ruffs grew to enormous widths. Made of sheer linen or of lace they had to be supported by a frame called the supportasse or by starching.
Constructions included: Gathering one edge of a band of fabric to the size of the neck to form a frill of deep folds. Round, flat lace pieces without depth or folds like a wide collar. Several layers of lace rounds placed one over the other.

Open ruffs, almost a cross between a collar and a ruff, stood high behind the head and fastened in front into a wide, square neckline

A ruff under propped with a supportasse," a frame which holds the ruff in place.

supportasse

CONCH Known in French as a conque, this was a sheer, gauzelike veil so fine that in some portraits it can just barely be seen.

It was cut the full length of the body from shoulder to floor and worn capelike over the shoulders.
At the back of the neck it was attached to a wing-like construction that stood up like a high collar behind the head.

ACCESSORY ITEMS FOR MEN AND WOMEN: 16 th CENTURY

HAIR AND HEADDRESS FOR MEN: At the beginning of the century . HAIR Men cut their hair straight across the back in a length anywhere from below the ears to the shoulder and combined this with a fringe of bangs across the forehead. HATS Prominent hat styles included: A pill-box like shape with turned-up brim that might have decorative cut-out sections in the brimsometimes referred to as a French bonnet A skull cap or hair net holding the hair close to the head topped by a hat with a basin-shaped crown and wide brim, the brim turned up at one point. Many hats were decorated with feathers.

HAIR AND HEADDRESS FOR MEN: AFTER 1530 hair Beards became fashionable, and the hair was cut short hats Hat styles included:

A moderately sized, flat crowned hat with a small brim and a feather plume. Beret like styles with feather plumes

HAIR AND HEADDRESS FOR MEN: AFTER MID-CENTURY

hair Men allowed their hair to grow longer; beards and moustaches remained popular
hats Hat styles included those with increasingly high crowns, some with soft shapes, others with stiffer outlines. Brims tended to be narrow. The high-crowned, narrow-brimmed hat was called a capotain Trimmings for hats included feathers, braid, and jewels.

HAIR AND HEADDRESS FOR WOMEN . HEADDRESS The custom of having married and adult women cover the hair, continued. These head coverings were the most important: coif: A cap of white linen or more decorative fabric, usually with long lappets or short square or pointed extensions below the ears that covered the side of the face. Coif shapes ranged from round to heart shaped or gabled, an English style shaped like a pointed arch. As the century progressed, the coif was set further back on the head, allowing more hair to show. Decorative over-caps might be placed on top of the coif, some trimmed with jewels or metallic netting. The small coif is decorated with jewels.

Her coif dips slightly at the front.

Renaissance Women's Headdress

hair In the last two-thirds of the century, more hair was visible. The hair was combed back from the forehead, puffed up slightly around the face, then pulled into a coil at the back of the head. To balance the width of the wheeled farthingale, extra height was gained by dressing the hair high and decorating it with jeweled ornaments.

FOOTWEAR With a few exceptions, trends in styles of footwear were similar for men and for women. Often because they were more visible, men's styles tended to greater exaggeration.

Shoes Square-toed shapes became more exaggerated as the period progressed, especially for men's shoes. Decoration included slashing with puffs of fabric pulled through the openings. Costume historians of the 19th century called these shoes duckbills because their shape resembled the bill of a duck.

During the second half of the century, toes remained square, but width decreased and shoes conformed more closely to the shape of the foot.
Among the shoe styles worn by men and women were: Mulesbackless shoes. Shoes with a tongue, tying with laces (latchets) that crossed the tongue from either side. High-heeled shoes for men and women first appeared sometime during the 1570s, the heels about one-and-a-half inches high. Sometimes ribbon rosettes might be placed at the front of the shoe or decorative stones set into them.

Styles worn only by women included: Low-cut slippers with a strap across the ankle. Chopineshigh, platform-soled shoes that originated in Italy, and spread to other parts of Europe. boots Boots were worn out-of-doors when riding horseback.

mules

CHOPINE

16th century shoe

JEWELRY Although lavishly used by royalty and wealthy men and women during the first half of the century, jewelry use by men decreased during the second half of the century.

Men did not give up wearing jewelry but rather wore smaller quantities and more restrained pieces.
Women continued to wear large quantities of extravagant jewels.

The types of jewelry worn by both men and women included: Neck ornaments: Men wore wide jeweled collars that were not a part of the garment but a separate circular piece made of ornamental plates joined together. Both men and women wore neck chains of gold or other precious metals that were wrapped several times around the neck. Women wore pendant necklaces. Men and women pinned brooches to hats, hoods, and various parts of the clothing. Aiguillettes (ay-gwe-laze), consisting of small jeweled points mounted on laces which served to hold panes or slashes together, were placed on hats. Earrings were popular in countries and periods when the hair or headdress did not cover the ears. Rings were worn everywhere.

The following items of jewelry were worn exclusively by women: Ferronieres were worn in France, but were not especially popular in England. Jeweled belts with long cords hanging down the front became popular for women after the second decade. On the cord were mounted such things as a jeweled tassel, a perfume holder (pomander), a purse, or a mirror.

Ferroniere

Pomander

ACCESSORIES hand-carried accessories Those most often used included:

purses: Often suspended from belts, purses were carried by both men and women. fans: The earliest form was a square of embroidered fabric mounted on a stick; later forms included ostrich or peacock feathers mounted on ornamental sticks and circular folding fans.

handkerchiefs: Both men and women carried handkerchiefs.

gloves Fashionable gloves often had decorated cuffs.

masks Women wore masks out-of-doors when riding to protect the complexion against the sun.

COSMETICS Many cosmetics were made from potentially dangerous chemicals such as mercuric salts, which were used to whiten the complexion. Red coloring was applied to lips and cheeks. Perfumes were used.

Breeches

Spanish farthingale

ruff