Elizabethan times

Context

Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne when England was in a state of religious turmoil. Her predecessor, Mary, had spent excessively, rendering the country's currency so worthless that coins would be shaved because the materials they were made of were more valuable than the coins themselves. Mary, who was married to Philip II, heir to the Holy Roman Emperor and later king of Spain, had also added to years of instability, dividing the country with her strict Catholic directives and involvement with foreign wars.

A decade into the reign of Elizabeth I, England become more settled at home and abroad. England was emerging as Europe's economic powerhouse. As a consequence of the new-found prosperity and peace, London was becoming increasingly enriched culturally. A strong merchant class emerged, bringing with them continental fashion and style. Education and standards of living improved. Elizabeth encouraged foreign exploration and expanded England's navy. Her crowning achievement was the English Navy's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

London was the city where the relative peace, unity, economic prosperity and cultural enrichment of England converged. Within the context of high fashion and interest in the arts, Shakespeare and his contemporaries emerged to become some of the most famous writers in the English language. The influence of these writers mirrors the influence of Queen Elizabeth I.

You will find many aspects of this era of prosperity in Shakespeare's works. Most notably, many of his plays are set in Italy, which was considered the height of fashion at the time. Plays such as The Merchant of Venice and Othello appealed to the audiences of an increasingly cosmopolitan London. You will also come across references to Elizabethan fashion, punishment and medicine. These are discussed in this chapter.

Fashion

Fashions in Elizabethan times were vastly different from today's. Such importance was placed on fashion that Sumptuary Laws were enforced. The word 'sumptuary' comes from the Latin word sumptuarius which comes from sumptus, meaning expense. This is where, in modern times, the word 'consumption' or 'to consume' comes from. Consumption means, literally, with expense. You may also have heard of clothing and food described as 'sumptuous'. The root of the word from Latin implies extravagance, that there has been no expense spared.

Sumptuary Laws were laws that related to expenses, limiting the amount that an individual could spend. In Elizabethan times, the Sumptuary Laws incorporated fashion because it was a simple way for classes to be distinguished. These restrictions included guidelines for acceptable colour, fabrics and styles that could be worn by each gender and specific classes. Consider modern fashions. What can you tell by the way that a person dresses? Perhaps you can determine that the person listens to hip hop music or country music. In Elizabethan England, the apparel of an individual signified their class. It was a major crime to dress out of your class. You can imagine that Queen Elizabeth would have been the most extravagantly dressed. To dress more extravagantly than her would be to detract from her authority.

The exact fashions of Elizabethan London were wide and varied and as William Harrison (1534-1593) recorded at the time, in 'A Description of Elizabethan England', in Chapter 7, 'Of Our Apparel and Attire', '...nothing is more constant in England than inconstancy of attire'. He claims one constant, however, in that 'except it were a dog in a doublet, you shall not see any so disguised as are my countrymen of England.' Fashions were indeed extravagant and ever-changing. The table below demonstrates a general example of Elizabethan fashion.

Men	Comment	Women	Comment
Ruffs	Ruffs were popular in Elizabethan times. You may have seen ruffs in portraits and period dramas. They are the 'frilly bits' that act as collars. Highly impractical and almost unwearable, they were constructed using often extraordinarily long pieces of cloth (up to 5.5 metres long) delicately pleated. Ruffs were usually attached separately to an outfit.	Ruffs	Ruffs were popular in Elizabethan times. You may have seen ruffs in portraits and period dramas. They are the 'frilly bits' that act as collars. Highly impractical and almost unwearable, they were constructed using often extraordinarily long pieces of cloth (up to 5.5 metres long) delicately pleated. Ruffs were usually attached separately to an outfit.
Doublets	Doublets were close-fitting, jacket-like garments that buttoned up in the front. They were padded and lined for comfort and, depending on class and expense afforded, made of the finest materials and patterns possible. Patterns were achieved through embroidery, braiding and through cuts in the fabric called 'pinks' through which the undergarments were pulled for effect. Elizabethan doublets were close fitting with tight sleeves, but accentuated with skirts and peasecods, which were padding that accentuated a man's belly.	Bodice	A bodice was worn by most women. Sort of like a female version of the doublet, a bodice was flat-fronted and had either a square or arching neckline. An arching neckline was covered by a partlet. The shoulders of a bodice were accentuated with shoulder rolls in order to make the shoulders broader and more elaborate. The bodice ended at a point below the waist that was stiffened with a wood or bone board. Women of higher status wore longer bodices. As with doublets, embroidery, braiding and pinking was used to make the bodice more refined. The sleeves of the bodice were detachable. In fact Queen Elizabeth, although seemingly having an endless wardrobe, would create the illusion of having new outfits by changing the sleeves of her bodice.
Jerkin	A jerkin was a coat that was placed over the doublet. It would cover the doublet and part of a man's legs. The material that these were made out of would depend on class and wealth. Most sought after was silk or fine leather.	Bodice
Gowns and Cloaks	Gowns were often knee-length and lined with fur and embroidered. Older men would wear them down to their knees. Cloaks were considered very high fashion and were often lined and embroidered. They were usually tied with chords around the neck. This, again, was very inconvenient and required constant adjusting.	Skirts	The shape of skirts was determined by the structure that lay underneath them, known as farthingales. These were usually made from reeds or willow twigs, while some upper class women were able to use wire or whalebone. Generally, the more extravagantly shaped the skirt was the wealthier and more important the woman. These skirts were decorated as elaborately as possible. The quality of material used was a matter of wealth and class.
Breeches	For poorer and less fashionable men, these consisted of billowing material attached to a girdle. For men of fashion and status, they were often panelled and extremely elaborate.	Skirts
Boots	Some men would wear thigh-length boots. These boots could be elaborately decorated. It was the fashion for a time to have the toes of the boot curling upwards. This often made it very difficult to walk but was nevertheless essential to maintain a high sense of fashion.	Haircuts and headwear	Haircuts were in part determined by the fashion of the ruffs. Long flowing hair would be impractical so hair was kept up. Women went to much trouble to curl and frizz the hair to keep up with fashion. Hair was often dyed yellow, red (because Queen Elizabeth's hair was red) or at the very least a fairer colour, as this was considered pretty during the Elizabethan era. Headwear was also very popular and came in the styles of hoods and cauls, made with stiffly starched materials or finer lace and netting. In all cases every attempt was made to decorate and embellish these head pieces with jewels, embroidery and embroidered lace.
Haircuts and beards.	Men were obsessed with the latest in fashion for haircuts and beard shape. Hair cuts became increasingly longer throughout the period. As the length increased so did the care taken in it. Long hair was curled with hot irons and fixed in place with wax or gum Fashion in beards changed constantly. Different beards were worn by men according to where they lived, what their occupations were and what their class was. Beards were shaped into angles, oblongs, rounds and squares and cut according to the styles of French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian.	Haircuts and headwear

While some of these fashions sound outlandish it is important to remember that an Elizabethan would probably think that our sense of fashion was ridiculous. It also may seem strange that Elizabethan men spent as much, if not more, time on fashion and accessories. Do not forget that they were also highly trained in fencing, carried swords with them at most times and were quick to avenge any slight on their honour.

Refer to the animation Elizabethan fashion for more insight into Elizabethan fashion.