Renaissance Fashion Research Paper

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The Renaissance time period started in the late 14th century and it lasted all through the 16th century. It all started in the late Middle ages throughout Italy (http://fashionhistory.net) taking at least one-hundred years before it reached the Northern Alps. This was also the period where the word “European” was put in use and understood by other places, and the word “Renascrere” originated from the Italian word “Renascrere” and it meant to be re-born. The word Renascrere fitted perfectly to this age due to the fact that many had intellectual pursuits and creative energy was re-born (www.richeast.org). The Renaissance would be best known for its artistic aspect and famous polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo given the term “Renaissance …show more content…

From then on it was not until the 1450's where fashion sense began. Ideas such as increasing trades and extending clothing materials allowed the fashion trend to grow and change. The ones to keep up or set the fashion trending during the Renaissance period were the wealthy or ruling class. Fashion had its own stated rules and laws for each class, those laws were named sumptuary laws and it made people had to keep up with the fashion since it changed every year, and the clothes they wore defined their social level. The rich literally wore their wealth, shown by the amount of jewels put into their clothes or the quality of the material. Each style of clothing represented who and what people were and couldn't dress above your class. The fashion of the rulers can easily be seen throughout the age as one can see through artwork. Much of the fashions of the period were originated from the Spanish, including the black on white …show more content…

Peasant women wore the cote of the earlier period and handkerchiefs or collars around their neck, to what we call the dress of the Puritans. Renaissance dress makers considered the human form in two parts-- hips and shoulders. The clothing was made to fit the wearer, yet on the outside it was padded to show the body in a completely different form than the natural one. Being the first, lace was woven into dresses. Women wore the low-crowned hat in the same fashion sense as men. Women either wore their hair with elaborate structures in their hair like the Germans or with just a kerchief. They had the hair covered with some kind of headdress where typically hair would not be seen. Although menswear became more pleated, the women’s neckline got lower throughout the century. Women wore headdresses to cover the hair on their hair. Royal women often wore stockings that covered the lower edges of their legs, they were called nether hoses. Headdresses that looked like veils covered the ears and the front part of the head, and no hair was visible. A form of their sleeves were having them start big and tighten as they move closer to the cuff, they formed a

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