Fashion Of 16th Century
Costume
of men and women in the 16th
century is said to have gone through three
different phases. The styles
differed quite noticeably from one phase to the
next. However, the general
dates that these phases took place are not the same
for men and women. For
men, the earliest phase was a transition from medieval
styles to the styles
of the Renaissance. Following this period, the German
influence was
prominently seen in men's fashion. Spanish influences were strong
in the
final phase. Between 1500 and 1515 men's basic costume consisted of
linen
shirts, doublets, (padded, close-fitting body garments with or without
sleeves
worn over the shirt) hose, codpieces, (bag or box of fabric worn to
conceal the
front opening of breeches) jackets, bases, gowns, cloaks, caps
and/or hats.
Shirts were made of white linen and cut full and gathered
into a round or square
neckline, often decorated with embroidery or cutwork.
They had long, raglan
sleeves. Doublets and hose were laced together, the
doublets being only waist
length. Hose were seamed into one garment with a
codpiece at the front. In one
version the doublet was cut with a deep V at
the front, which sometimes had a
filler 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. Jackets,
sometimes worn over doublets, were similar in
shaping and made with or without
sleeves. It is often difficult to discern
from period illustrations whether men
are wearing doublets or jackets as
their outermost garments, especially after
bases grew in popularity. Bases
were short skirts worn with a jacket or doublet
for civil dress; over armor
for military dress. Made from a series of lined and
stiffened gores
(wedge-shaped pieces of fabric), bases carried on in civilian
dress until
well into the mid-century, and over armor for even a longer period.
Gowns
were long, full garments with huge funnel-shaped of 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
(similar to lapels). Younger
and more fashionable men wore shorter gowns,
ending below the hips. Gowns were
worn over doublets or jackets. Circular
cloaks were worn over doublets and hose
outdoors for warmth. The cloaks were
open at the front with a slit up the back
to make it easier to ride
horseback. During this time, 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. A few
popular hat styles were French
bonnets, (a pill-box shape with a turned-up brim
that might have decorative
cut-out sections in the brim) skull caps or hair nets
holding the hair close
to the head topped by a hat with a basin-shaped crown and
wide brim turned up
at one point. Many hats were decorated with feathers. The
second phase, 1515
to 1550, emphasized fullness in the construction of the
costume with large,
bulky, puffed areas. Garments were ornamented with
decorative slashings,
(slits in a garment to show puffing of contrasting color
and material to form
a decoration) or panes, (slashings in material allowing
colored underling to
show- often embroidered) under which contrasting linings
were placed. Shirts,
doublets and jackets continued much as before, with the
addition of
slashings, as mentioned earlier. Instead of having separate bases,
some
doublets and jackets were cut with gored (flared) 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 (short
skirts) 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 the
elbow to the
wrist. Hose were held up by lacing them to the doublets. Some
were divided into
two sections, upper stocks (seat part of trunk hose also
known as ‘overstocks'
and ‘breeches') and nether stocks, which were sewn
together. Codpieces, the
pouches of fabric for the genitals sewn at the front
of the upper stocks, were
sometimes padded for emphasis. Although upper
stocks and nether stocks continued
to be attached, upper stocks 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 or more
rounded breeches ending at the
hip. Both of which may have been paned with
contrasting fabric placed beneath
the panes. Also during the second phase,
slight alterations in cut and
trimming of gowns were made for increased width.
The collars widened and
three new sleeve types developed. One new style was
sleeveless, but with
wide, extremely deep armholes lined in contrasting fabric
and turned back
upon themselves to show off the lining. Another was to have
short, very full,
puffed-and-slashed or paned sleeves. And last, long hanging
sleeves also
became popular. Beretlike styles with feather plumes and moderately
sized,
flat crowned hats with small brims and feather plumes were popular in
this
stage. Beards became fashionable and haircuts were short. By the beginning
of
the third phase, 1550 to 1600, 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 large,
padded breeches
(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 and gowns were largely
replaced by shorter and
longer capes. Short capes were cut very full, flaring
out sharply from the
shoulder. During the middle of the 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 continued into the first decades of the
17th century as well. Doublets had
high cut necks with varying shapes and
finishes. They were made with a row of
small, square flaps called pecadils
just below the waist. Sleeves were still
padded, but followed the shape of
the arm and narrowed as the century
progressed. By 1600 sleeves had become
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 puffed-out chest of a peacock. The jacket was
similar in
shaping and worn over the doublet. But it usually had short puffed
sleeves or
pecadils at the arm with no sleeve; the sleeve of the doublet beneath
became
the outermost sleeve. Trunk hose were made in several different
shapes.
There was the melon shape, usually paned, heavily padded, and
ending at the hip
or somewhat below (about the shape of a pumpkin).. Some
trunk hose sloped
gradually from a narrow waist to fullness around about
mid-thigh, where they
ended. This type was called gallygaskins or slops.
Others had 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. Trunk hose
and doublets were heavily padded with
bombast (a stuffing made of wool,
horsehair, and short linen fibers called
tow, or bran). Excessive use of bombast
led one observer to suggest that a
man was carrying the whole contents of his
bed and his table linen as
stuffing in his trunk hose. It was also said that the
English parliament
house had to be enlarged to accommodate the bulky trunks of
the members.
Breeches were separate garments worn together with separate
stockings. Some
were skintight, some were wide at the top, tapering to the knee
(called
Venetians) and others were wide and full all throughout (called
open
breeches). In this time period men allowed their hair to grow longer
once again
and beards and mustaches remained popular. 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 a capotain,
and this style remained popular until well
into the 17th century. Trimmings for
hats included feathers, braid and
jewels. For women, the first fashion phase,
1500 to 1530, was a
transition from the styles of the Medieval period as it was
for men. The
chemise (like a long nightgown) continued to be the women's
undergarment.
Gowns were fairly plain; drab colors predominated. Women wore
long, full
cloaks over their dresses when needed for warmth. On ceremonial
occasions
women wore gowns with the open mantle fastening with a chain or braid
at the
front. Women wore either a single dress or two layers consisting of an
outer
and an underdress. If two dresses were worn, the outer skirt might be
looped
up in front to display the contrasting skirt of the underdress. Trains
on
outer gowns often had decorative underlinings. 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; 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. Bodices (the
upper part of the
dress) were fitted, skirts were long and full, flaring
gently from the waistline
to the floor in the front and trailing into long
trains at the back. There were
several different sleeve styles which included
smooth-fitting narrow sleeves
with decorative cuffs, wide funnel shapes with
contrasting linings, and hanging
sleeves. Whenever two layers were worn, the
underdress usually had closely
fitted sleeves; the outermost sleeve was
large, full, funnel-shaped or hanging.
The second phase of costume for
women, 1530 to 1575, was marked by Spanish
influences whereas men's styles of
this period had been more directly influenced
by German styles. Spanish
influence was not evident in men's clothing until the
second half of the
century. One important aspect of the Spanish influence was a
tendency to
emphasize dark colors, especially black. The changes in women's
clothing
after 1530 represent a gradual change in style, not a radical
one.
Significant changes took place in the construction of dresses.
Instead of an
underdress and an outerdress, women wore a petticoat (an
underskirt) and on
overdress. The overall look was more like an hourglass.
Bodices narrowed to a
small waistline. Skirts became more rigid and gradually
expanded to an inverted
cone shape with an inverted V opening at the front.
Many dresses were untrained
and ended at the floor. Bodices and skirts of
dresses were sewn together. The
bodice narrowed and flattened, becoming quite
precise. 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. At first, necklines were
mostly square, but later were made in a
variety of more closed styles. Some
were high, closed necklines with standing,
wing collars. There were neck
fillers, part of the chemise, which were closed up
to the throat and ended in
a small ruffle. Others were ruffs of moderate size at
this phase of their
development, worn with high, fitted collars. The first of
many changes in
sleeve styles came early in the period when German- and
Italian-style
sleeves were adopted. Some of the following styles developed.
First there
was a sleeve narrow at the shoulder, 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. Another
sleeve style was
made with a puff at the shoulder and a close-fitting, long
extension of the
sleeve to the wrist. Though worn elsewhere, this style was
especially popular in
France. A sleeve full from shoulder to wrist where
it was caught into a cuff was
also popular. Lastly, sleeves that were wider
at the top and narrower at the
bottom became fashionable. Some remarkably
complex sleeve styles developed,
especially those worn at the Spanish court,
utilizing combinations of fitted,
full, and hanging sleeves. 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
the bodice and sleeve. These
were supposed to hide the laces fastening separate
sleeves to bodices.
Petticoats were worn to accent one's ensemble. They were
mostly invisible
except for a small V at the front of the skirt which showed
their presence.
Petticoats were cut from rich, decorative fabric such as velvet
or brocade.
Because the back of the petticoat was covered completely by the
skirt of the
dress, it was usually made with a less expensive, lighter weight
fabric. The
flared, cone-shaped fashion skirts required support to achieve its
desired
rigid shape. This means of support was provided by a Spanish device
known as
a Spanish farthingale. It was a construction of whalebone, cane, or
steel
hoops increasing in size from the waist to the floor and sewn into
a
petticoat or underskirt. Originally a Spanish style, the ropa was an outer
gown
or surcote (an over garment of rich material, often with fur-linging)
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 the
front, but most
were open to display the dress beneath. In the last quarter
of the century, 1575
to 1600, the first changes were seen in the shape of
skirt, which grew wider at
the top. Instead of the cone-shaped Spanish
farthingale, a padded roll was
placed around the waist. The English called
these pads bum rolls,
"bum" being English slang for buttocks. The farthingale
was modified
to obtain greater width and for better support of the dress than
was provided by
these rolls. In the new modified version, circles of
whalebone, cane, or steel
were the same diameter from top to bottom instead
of increasing in size from the
waist to the floor. Steel or can spokes
fastened the upper hoop to a waistband.
It was called the wheel, drum, of
French farthingale. This style was not used in
Italy or Spain at this
period where the older, hourglass shape of the Spanish
farthingale with a
slightly padded roll at the waist was preferred. Although it
was essentially
a northern European style, many women in northern Europe
continued to wear
Spanish farthingales, or dresses widened slightly at the waist
with bum rolls
or small, wheeled farthingales. 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 of sides over a matching
underskirt. A ruffle
the width of the flat shelflike section of the farthingale
was sometimes
attached to the skirt. To avoid having the body appear
disproportionately
short in contrast with the width of the skirt, 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. In the late 1500's
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. The following are a
few different
styles of ruffs. One consisted of gathering one edge of a band of
fabric to
the size of the neck to form a frill of deep folds. Some were round,
flat
lace pieces without depth of folds like a wide collar. Others had
several
layers of lace rounds placed over each other, covering the lower part
of the
neck. Then there were open ruffs, almost a cross between a collar and
a ruff,
which stood high behind the head and fastened in front into a wide,
square
neckline. A conch or a conque as known in French, 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 like a
cape over the
shoulders. At the back of the neck it was attached to a
winglike construction
that stood up like a high collar behind the head. Some
references consider the
conch to have had some significance as a widow's
costume, and this may be true
in France; however, in England it seems to have
been more widely worn for a
purely decorative element of dress by women, such
as Queen Elizabeth, who were
never widowed. The custom of having married and
adult women cover their hair
with a coif (under cap often embroidered and
curved over the ears) continued. 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. Hats popular
toward the end of the century were generally small, with
high crowns and
narrow brims and trimmed with feathers. Jeweled nets and caps
were also
worn.
Bibliography
Boucher, Francois. 20,000 Years Of Fashion. New
York: Harry N. Abrams,
Incorporated, 1987. Davies, Stephanie Curtis.
Costume Language A Dictionary Of
Dress Terms. Malvern: Cressrelles
Publishing Company Limited, 1994.
"Fashion." The World Book Encyclopedia,
1987, Micropaedia, vol. 7, p.
52. Tara, Maginnis. "15th century fashion."
Internet, www.costumes.org/pages/fashiondress/16thCent.htm,
April 4,
2000. Tedrow, Steven M., M.ed, Social Science Dept. Head, Curlew
High
School, personal interview. Tortora, Phyllis and Keith Eubank.
Survey of
Historic Costume Third Edition. New York: Fairchild
Publications, 1998.