Elizabethan Clothing

Clothing in Elizabethan England showed the social status of the owner. The wealthiest people owned the nicest clothes, many times made out of velvet, corduroy, satins, and other fine weaves. The lower class people would be found wearing less sophisticated clothes, with far fewer embellishments.

Lower Class

Women

An undergarment of a poorer woman was a smock. It comes made of linen, can be knee or calf length, and has long sleeves. The smock was almost completely cut in rectangles with very straight lines. A rectangular shape prevents wasting precious fabric. These smocks were most often found in off-white, and had little or no embroidery.

The skirts that peasant women wore were to their ankles or longer. They were very full around the waist, and not fitted. They were also very plain. The skirts were usually made of wool or linen.

Another item worn by peasant women is a bodice. A bodice is a vest-like garment, used for support, which takes the place of a modern corset or bra. The bodice was usually laced up, but could be fastened other ways.

Men

The undergarment of a man during the Elizabethan period was a shirt. Like the smock, it was made of linen, and cut into rectangular pieces. The shirts could be found with or without collars, which either tied or buttoned. The sleeves of the shirt were long and full. Unbleached white was the most common color.

The trousers of the peasants were called breeches, or nether hose. Many times the trousers were knee-length, and gathered at the waist. These pants sometimes had a fly front, but many fastened with buttons or ties.

Similar to the bodice of the women, the men wore a loose, unstructured vest called a jerkin. The jerkin was often made of leather, and was usually thigh length. Jerkins laced, tied, or buttoned up.

Men's sleeves were worn separately when the weather was cool.

Cloaks were made of wool, and mid calf or knee length.

Middle and High Class

Women

Middle and upper class women wore many undergarments to get proper lines. A court level gown requires at leas a pair of bodies, bum roll, farthingale, smack, drawers, and petticoats.

The smock is also the basic undergarment for wealthier women. The shape is usually the same, but is usually worn with a partlet. The sleeves of the smock can be straight, or gathered at the top.

A partlet was a fill-in, and was worn over a smock. The fabric could have been made from coarse linen, to fine silk. They were many times matching with a pair of sleeves, and decorated.

Petticoats were skirts that were many times used to cover hoop lines. The petticoat is usually made of plain cotton.

Corsets were used to smooth the lines of the torso. They were also used to flatten the breasts, and slightly compress the waist. Contrary to popular belief, the corset was not used to squeeze the waist down, and the maximum amount of compression is two inches.

Farthingales are also known as hoopskirts. It is a straight angle from the waist to the end. The hoops were used to create a large dome effect at the waistline, and were very popular at the end of the century.

The underskirt of the wealthy was called a kirtle. It is a plain skirt that went over the undergarments.

After the underskirt, the overskirt was put on. The skirts were rectangular panels, and were almost always split up the front.

The bodice was similar to the peasant style. It always matched the fabric and color of the overskirt. It was most often fastened with hooks and eyes up the center. The bodice had shoulder wings, and usually skirtings. The bodices were trimmed around the neck, and many times around the back seams and the front opening.

Women also wore a type of loose, coat like garment used for extra warmth and decoration. These were called surcoats, gowns, and ropas. The surcoat was flared from the shoulders and was flat in the front. In the back the surcoat was pleated for fullness. Surcoats sometimes had trains, and buttoned all the way down the front.

Like the peasants, sleeves were worn as separate garments. The sleeves could have a variety of embellishments, and were basically used as an accessory.

Men

Like the lower classes, the basic undergarment of more wealthy men was a shirt. It was cut the same, but usually a little more fitted. It was almost always made from white linen.