The Queen’s immaculate attire, a crimson robe with an embroidered kirtle and sleeves in cloth of gold, depicted the significance of clothing in Elizabethan England. Though quite surprising, but the English Parliament even passed laws related to Elizabethan clothing. Specifically, these sumptuary laws stated the colors and type of clothing individuals were allowed to own and wear. These laws were enforced by Queen Elizabeth in Greenwich, on 15 th June 1574, and were termed as the “Statutes of Apparel”. The key intent was to keep a tight rein on the expenditure of people on clothes, and to maintain the social structure of Elizabethan England.
Elizabethan clothing formed a part of the social order. Elizabethan clothing was also indicative of a person’s status, reflecting not only wealth but also a person’s social reputation. For instance, it was absurd for a peasant to imitate more affluent individuals by means of glossy Elizabethan clothing, which were usually worn by the upper classes.
The upper class sported elegant and sumptuous Elizabethan clothing that were made of pricey velvet, satin, and exotic silk. Only members of the Royal family possessed robes trimmed with ermine. Lesser nobles donned Elizabethan clothing trimmed with fox and otter. On the contrary, the peasantry wore Elizabethan clothing made of basic material, such as the English wool, cotton, and leather. Woolen clothing was prevalent among the working and domestic classes, since wool was quite cheap owing to the flourishing wool trade during that period.
Luxurious Elizabethan clothing for the nobles and the upper classes were crafted from expensive material and fabric, including velvet, silk, taffeta etc. These were often imported, since they were not originally available in Elizabethan England. For instance, the medieval knights returned with huge amount of silk in booty, from their crusades in the Middle East, and velvets were imported from Italy.
Even the dyes used for coloring the lavish Elizabethan clothing were costly. In the earliest surviving portrait of Elizabeth, she is seen flaunting a crimson robe. That deep crimson or bright scarlet color was obtained from an insect, which was native to the Mediterranean. The brightest colors were pricey and hence were an element of the upper classes. A dye’s color and its brightness were the two major factors governing its price. The peasantry or the working class wore apparel bearing colors of russet, yellow, orange, pale blue, green and pink.
Elizabethan clothing for the women consisted of underclothing, gowns, hats, corsets, collars, ruffs and shoes. For the men, it was doublets, breeches, underclothing, collars, ruffs, hats and shoes. Elizabethan clothing, worn by upper class women, were generally bedecked with classy jewellery. For both the genders, the ruffs were almost indispensable for a truly elegant look. Elizabethan clothing donned by nobles, and even the Queen herself, had such fancy collars. The concept of ruffs originated in France and was then brought to England. Ruffs were made of silk, organza, or linen, and were encrusted with beads and jewels.
