Renaissance

enaissance Clothing:

The Italians had a huge influence over the designs from the Renaissance period. Clothing during the Renaissance period was more about displaying one's social status. The rich would wear clothes in expensive fabrics. Materials such as silk and brocade were used for clothing during the Renaissance period. Women's fashion saw an evolution during this era. Style was the prime factor. The initial costumes worn during the Renaissance period did restrict freedom to move around. Women wore around 5 layers of clothing. This included the skirt, bodice, vest, underskirt and the collar. Wedding dresses during this period were particularly beautiful in their appearance and were made of brocades. Exquisite jewels were sewn onto the patterns. Many layers of clothing thus formed an important factor of Renaissance clothing for women. This was probably considered as a way to keep the body warm during the cold weather.

Women's clothing also consisted of a kirtle, which was worn with a gown. The term kirtle means a frock. This frock consists of a tightly fitted bodice and a flowing skirt. Sleeves were often wide and the rich loved to line their sleeves with fur. Gowns often had long trains of cloth behind. This was on the similar lines as the clothing seen in the Medieval era. Women also used to take a long time to get ready due to the number of layers involved in the clothing. During the Renaissance period, it was particularly noted that Queens wore gowns made of purple color.

Fashion accessories also had a major part to play during this period. Renaissance clothing was considered to be incomplete without hoods or headgear. During the early period, women adorned pointed hats over their hair. This was also the time when berets arrived on the scenario. Berets were designed for people of all ages. These stylish caps were embellished with jewels and often had a string attached to the back.

Renaissance clothing for men began with the rich and opulent look. This was evident during the European Renaissance. From the rich and extravagant, this trend moved on to creating a wider look for men. Men wore coats and outfits that gave the silhouette a square look. This was created with the help of shoulder pads, which were used to widen the shoulders for men.

In Spain, fashion for women was a bit on the tedious side. Materials such as wires were used to create clothing. The Spanish farthingale was actually a stiffened skirt. This was made from whalebone and rope. The French farthingale was crescent in shape. This was also stiffened by whalebone. In many such skirts, hoops were displayed on the outer side. The skirts were broad over the hips and the cloth fell loosely below. This was also probably one of the reasons, why women took a long time to get ready during the Renaissance period.

Thus we see how Renaissance clothing was defined as per social status as well as the different regions. Fashion has definitely come a long way from the olden days till date.

Well.... during the early part of the Renaissance, art was all based on religion because of the iron grip the Papacy had on Europe, especially Italy. This can be illustrated through da Vinci's The Last Supper. Also, many popes and the clergy had started to become patrons of the arts during this time period. Later on though, when secularism, humanism and invidualism started to gain momentum in European society, Christendom was broken into a mostly secular state. Here artists like Pieter Bruegel had freedom to choose their subjects. Many artists chose to paint about technological and idealogical innovation, such as the first combine harvester1 (JK). If you are taking a European History class, your textbook should cover the difference between the Northern and Italian Renaissances. The Northern Renaissance was far more secular in nature than the Renaissance because of its distance from the Vatican. Artists from here chose to paint landscapes and portraits, or daily life (usually of the upper class, who usually commissioned painters).

Example: Children's Games by Pieter Bruegel.

In Italy, the painters' messages were still more religious. Paintings by esteemed artists such as Michelangelo were slightly removed from Papal2 control, but not entirely.

Example: David by Michelangelo, Pieta by Michealangelo, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

So to sum it up: Renaissance thinkers and artists, most of whom could be considered humanists, were highly influenced by the society in which they lived. While the Church was in complete control, artists' works were completely dedicated to religion. When the Papacy lost control, artists' works became individualistic and secular. I hope this helps.

1 I was just kidding about the combine harvester thing hahaha. The combine harvester is a recent invention with its introduction being in 1836.

2 Your book probably spells Papal or Papacy with a lowercase "P."

About Me:

I'm currently a student at Stanford U and I am a chemistry major, but I have a strong passion for history. Just recently I completed a course on Medieval history. In high school I also took AP European History sophomore year.