German armies played an important role,
also served to spread Italian fashion and
material to northern Europe.
Throughout Europe, taste in clothing
ran to heavy fabrics, elaborate drapery,
close-fitting garments that emphasized the
shape of the body, and head coverings. The
fanciest clothes were lined with fur, er-
mine, or mink, and decorated with silver
buttons, jewelry, fine lace, and gold thread.
Men wore elaborate costumes that repre-
sented their authority and masculinity. The
long robes and surcoats (overcoats) of the
medieval era went out of style and was re-
placed by the doublet that was fitted and
belted at the waist, and which accentuated
the shoulders. Lower legs were covered
with hose. The ruff was a lace ornament
worn around the neck; the codpiece drew
attention to the genitals. Men commonly
wore swords at their side or carried small
pistols or daggers for self-defense.
Women’s fashions changed even more
drastically than that of men. Hemlines
dropped to the ground, and the full figure
was magnified by several layers of cloth-
ing. Accessories grew in importance;
women wore a variety of adornments, jew-
elry, and headgear. Men and women
sported earrings, gloves, and rings. Women
wore veils and wigs, which also became
more popular for men at the close of the
Renaissance.
Northern Europeans had a taste for
padded sleeves and doublets, which made
the figure more plump and rounded,
which was the ideal of Renaissance beauty.
German clothing was known for its puffs
at the shoulders and knees, feathered hats,
and slashing: two layers of cloth were
placed one over the other, with the outer
layer slashed to reveal the contrasting col-
ors and material of the inner one. Accord-
ing to one tradition, the victory of the
Swiss over the armies of Charles the Bold
in 1476 brought about the rage for slashed
clothing. The Swiss soldiers had taken
clothing from the defeated on the battle-
field, slashing the garments with their
swords in order to improve the fit. For
many, slashing was a way to defy sumptu-
ary laws decreeing that commoners should
wear clothing of only one color.
For artisans and the lower classes,
clothing was simpler, and more utilitarian.
Men wore linen breeches and woolen jack-
ets; women wore skirts that reached to the
ground and bodices overlaid with cloaks
in cold or rainy weather. There were no
ornaments and most clothing was black,
gray, or brown in color.
Toward the end of the Renaissance
Spanish clothing fashion took hold
throughout Europe. Dark colors and espe-
cially black were favored, and the cut of
clothes grew more straight and linear (the
modern suit jacket evolved from late Re-
naissance clothing in the Spanish style).
Women’s upper bodies became more
tightly constricted, while the Spanish also
gave the world the farthingale, a hoop-
skirt that completely concealed the shape
of the legs. The farthingale was combined
with puffy sleeves and lace ruffs that com-
pletely covered the neck, giving women
the appearance of a richly clothed fortress.
In England, tight sleeves and narrow
bodices were fashionable. In the late six-
teenth century, Queen Elizabeth I became
the leading fashion arbiter among the En-
glish. The queen was ever conscious of the
effect of appearance and ornament on
those she dealt with, and set the standard
of English Renaissance costume for
women, with simple bodices, narrow
waists, full-length skirts, and elaborate lace
embroidery.
The Protestant movement greatly sim-clothing