Fashion In The 16Th Century Essay Research

Fashion In The 16Th Century Essay, Research Paper

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 m