1. Men͛s Fashion
Hats: Hats were mandatory in public, so unless someone wanted to get a punitive fine, he wore
one. Head coverings for men were either simple and plain or quite elaborate. A flat cap was an
uncomplicated hat made of wool, felt or leather for the poorer classes, although middle class
men usually sported a feather in their caps. Tall hats were exactly that when compared to flat
caps - a higher hat that was typically worn by men in the nobility.
Shirts: The sleeves were typically wide and billowy with an open neck. Rich men wore materials
such as cotton, satin and velvet, while the poorer classes made do with flannel or other cheap
fabrics. Sometimes, ruffles were incorporated into fancier versions.
Doublet: This piece of clothing is similar to a vest, but with cap sleeves or wings. Laced in the
front and perhaps the back as well, it could fit a variety of body sizes. Doublets were worn over
the billowy shirts and were worn with belts. The richer a man was, the fancier his doublet was,
so that noblemen wore them in rich brocade patterns, quilted or with embellishments.
Jerkin: This was similar to a doublet but worn over it, with no sleeves at all.
Pants: Peasant men wore loose-fitting pants, or trews, which tied at the waist and laced around
the lower leg. They were made of cheap materials. Noblemen, on the other hand, sported
breeches, also known as Venetian breeches, that were roomy and loose. Men also wore
͞trunkhose͟ or ͞slops,͟ which are the puffy garment common in depictions of this era. The
onion shaped trunkhose had panels or slashes that sometimes revealed a contrasting colored
fabric underneath and fit a man from his waist to his knees. No one had zippers. All pants
fastened with button closures.
Shoes and boots: Like men͛s shoes today, these were rather basic and available in a limited
range of colors. Boots were either a shorter ankle length or tall ones that came to the knee.
Hose: Noblemen and noblewomen wore hose. Wool was the most common hose (or hosen)
fabric, but the very rich might have silken hose.
Women͛s Fashion
Corselets became popular, which was a closefitting undergarment of a one piece girdle and
brassiere tightened with laces worn the squeeze the woman's waist to give her a more curvy
figure.

2. Chemise/ Camicia/ Undredress: Worn in either a one or two piece garment. The one piece was
a cut from shoulder to hem, with the top cut similarly to men's jacket styles and were smooth
fitting with yoke-like construction over the shoulder, full pleats or gathers over the bustline and
were usually belted. Bucknell and Hill (1967) reported that two piece styles consisted of a bodice
and fully gathered skirt with a similar construction to one piece styles and were closed by lacing
up the front or the side.The role of the chemise was to form the shape of the dress and in the
later years was shown at the neckline and sleeves of the dress, and therefore had to be
decorated and fashionable. The chemise was worn under the dress and over the corset or
corselet and petticoat.
Head dresses and Hair: Baines (1981) noted that women spent hours plucking hair from their
foreheads and side of their face to achieve a high forehead, which was considered fashionable
during the Renaissance. They pulled the remaining hair into a tight bun or braid and then
covered their heads with some kind of head dress, depending on what was fashionable, which
went from to turbans to veils and was always elaborately decorated with jewels, embroidery
and rich fabrics.
Footwear: Shoes were limited to six inches in width and even in some northern countries
(France, England and Germany) the shoes were cut with a square shape in the toe. Shoes were
made out of wood in the platform and leather in the slipper. The shoes were very extravagant as
was the rest of the outfit. The platform could add height to the wearer and came in a height of
up to 13 inches and jeweled ornaments adorned the leather. Some slippers had slashes over the
toe which were filled with taffeta. Chopines were high wooden platforms, almost like small
stilts, which were originally designed to protect feet from sand and mud and were very popular.
Coif: A close fitting cap that covers the top, back, and sides of the head, worn by all classes in
England and Scotland from the Middle Ages to the early seventeenth century.
Bodice: an upper garment that has removable sleeves or no sleeves, often low-cut, worn in
Europe from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, either over a corset or in lieu of
one. To achieve a fashionable shape and support the bust, the bodice was frequently stiffened
with bents (a type of reed), or whalebone. The bodice was also different from the corset of the
time because of the way it laced.
Underdress: The underdress was one piece with the bodice and skirt fully joined with a close fit
to the body. The underdress was often visible at parts of the outer dress, whether it be the
neckline, sleeves and/or under the arm.
Outerdress: The outer dress was sleeveless with seams at the shoulders and an open arm to
display the underdress. Baines (1981) noted that the sleeves that were shown were two piece,
puffed out at the top or with a close fit and were cut to reveal the camicia, while some dresses
had hanging sleeves for decoration. Bucknell and Hill (1967) noted throughout the 16th century
the outer dress remained similar to the dresses of the 15th century with a few variations. The
outer dress was made wider and with more fullness. The necklines had more of a wider and

3. more square shape and cut lower to reveal more of the camicia. The sleeves became wider, with
more fullness.
Children͛s Clothing
Girls:
An average outfit of a girl from the lower-class consisted of a long-sleeved kirtle worn with
ample skirts and a rectangular apron and a headdress.
An upper-class girl might wear a gown with a deep "V" that extends down to the base of her
abdomen.
Boys:
The boys usually tried to dress to resemble their father.
They would wear shirts and a fitted jacked called a "doublet".
They wore close fitting hoses (similar to tights), which were tied by lace, and breeches over all of
their other layers.
Colors of Renaissance clothing were given meanings as shown by the following:
‡ Green= love
‡ Gray= sorrow
‡ Yellow= hostility
‡ Blue= fidelity (except in the Low Countries where it represented adulterous wives)
‡ Red= nobility
‡ Black and gray= lower status people
Materials
While cotton is a common and relatively inexpensive fabric today, during the Renaissance, it was
quite a bit more costly. Some common materials in men͛s fashion during the Renaissance were wool,
linen and fustian (cotton and linen combined). Leather, silk, satin, velvet and taffeta were exclusive to
the upper classes.