Thursday, September 4, 2014

RENAISSANCE1450AD-1600AD

 The Renaissance spanned the 14th through the 17th century. The Renaissance was best known for its love for art and the contributions such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

They often dressed themselves in bright coloured robes, gowns and other garments. The upper class uses silk and in times, would forbid the lower class to own a silk. Gold and silver thread would be embroidered on fabric showing scenes from legends, nature or religions. They also fancied wearing jewellery, furs, and elaborate belts. Wigs crafted from peasant’s hair were also popular. The way a person from Renaissance dresses up shows their status in life. However, one of the popular fashion trends, "slashing" originally started from the commoners.

Their garments usually have rich heavy materials, with big volume, large sleeves, close body garments, large hip-clothing, wide-toed, heelless shoes and covered heads masculine and feminine. Colours of this era are loud, often dark colours. Black velvet was an essential fabric, especially in headdresses.


UNISEX
Slashing - Slits cut in a garment and have a fabric from the undergarment pulled through to form puffs.
Ruffs - Starched with different colours and wired collar pleated into ruffles, either made of lace or jewellery, and had matching cuffs.
Lace - Before the renaissance, lace was not used in clothing. Heavily used during this era. 

MEN
Camica - Men’s undershirt usually made of white linen.
Doublet - Worn over the camica, the doublet is a fitting jacket with or without sleeves. If it was longer it would be fitted with a skirt attached.
Jacket – Men’s outer garment. Often have full pleats and be belted at the waist. The sleeves would match at the wrists and the arm would not always sit in the sleeve, sometimes leaving the sleeve to hang with the arm coming out of a slash.
Cod Piece – A padded triangle of fabric worn laced to the front of the trunk hose over the groin.
Jerkin - A short velvet or leather jacket, usually sleeveless, alike to a vest/waistcoat.
Upper Hose—Upper hose or full trunks that prolonged from upper thighs to waist.
Nether Hose —Stockings that concealed the lower part of the leg. Usually rolled above the knee and secured by garters.
Flat cap - A flat hat with soft crown and has a broad brim.
Duckbill shoes - Very wide square-toed, slipper-like shoes, decorated with jewels, puffs or slashes. 

WOMEN
Chemise - The chemise is a woman’s under dress and would form the shape of the outer dress worn with corsets and farthingales.
Bodice - Worn as separates or part of a dress. Often had a square neckline and cut lower to reveal the chemise. The sleeves became wide at top with a close fit at the wrist.
Skirt - Either worn as separates or part of a dress.
Spanish Farthingale (mid renaissance) - cone like shape, narrow at the waist and wide at the feet with a straight line in between.

French Farthingale (late renaissance) - barrel like shape, wide at the waist (straight out from the body) and straight down to wide at the feet.
Outer dress - Worn over all other layers, sometimes be open down the front from the waist.
Headdress - Women's hair and head dresses were the most elaborate, most time consuming parts of       women's fashion. Women will take time plucking their hairline back because a high forehead was considered fashionable. The remaining hair will be covered back with the fashionable head dress.
Chopines – shoes that elevated the wearer, eventually developed into high heels. Usually worn to keep the feet from water and mud.   


French Farthingale


 Men's Renaissance Clothing

Women's Renaissance Clothing


  
Modern Outfit Inspired by Era

Virginia Dress featured in the movie Bride Wars


Close up of the dress 

For my modern outfit inspired by Renaissance period, I have chosen Vera Wang’s wedding dress. This dress was featured in the movie Bride Wars released in 2009. This dress was worn by Kate Hudson’s character, Liv, on her wedding day on the movie. This dress is called the Virginia Gown. The dress has some similar features of the women’s Renaissance dress. It is very similar to the French Farthingale, it has a barrel like shape and goes wide on the waist and goes down to the feet. The bodice is made up of lace, which seemed to have only started in the Renaissance period, and lace was heavily used during the era. The era was also known for having big volume garments, close body garments and large hip clothing. The Virginia Gown is made up of these specific characteristics, its tulle is around 10 layers, which made it really big and voluminous, and the upper part is very close fitting to the body, and it shows the illusion of large hip because of the French Farthingale. The Renaissance’s women skirts are usually long and the Virginia Gown is long, reaching the feet. 




References:

https://learning.wintec.ac.nz/mod/book/view.php?id=156485&chapterid=10658