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change transforming and defining the indivdual through Italian Renaissance fashion
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Fashion during the Italian Renaissance was not a simple matter of fabric, color, and a few tweaks in styles. It marked a turning point in how people perceived themselves in relation to their family and friends, social circles, local and global communities, and future generations. A number of factors came together near the beginning of the 13th century to allow these changes to take place.
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The Individual:
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People began to realize the importance of fashion and appearance in preserving their image for future generations as they wanted to be remembered. With greater access to materials, colors, and styles, the individual could shape for themselves the image that they wanted preserved in portraits to be remembered by.
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Renaissance fashion sculpted the new mentality of the Italian people. Individuality, motivation, and pride in oneself were encouraged through this growing awareness of appearance. New identities could be explored and the possibility of blurring the lines of the social hierarchy began to seem a little less impossible.
Tailors
T
he tailors of Florence worked within and around the guild system in which rich merchants and bankers topped a socioeconomic hierarchy. The vast majority of people in the clothing and accessories crafts and trades had come under the control of the guild system by the early 14th century. Guilds were wedged in between shops in a town center or narrow side streets. Each
The Tailor, Giovanni Battista Moroni, 1565
guild was responsible for their own specialty. The manufacturing and marketing of the luxury items that were produced in Florence were organized, regulated, and policed by the guilds of Florence. A tailor combined product with intimacy, thus occupying a unique and somewhat problematic position in the Renaissance world of work. From the 20th century on, Florence has been a cloth town. Real fortunes were made by
selling locally finished and foreign cloth on the international market. Every successful cloth merchant in Florence had an inventory of cloth available to them. Some had cloth of exceptional quality. Because Florence was a textile town, tailors had a difficulty. Strict regulations were imposed on cloth cutters and garment stitchers. Male tailors dominated the lucrative portion of the
garment-making business, while female tailors were relegated to more humble, but still essential aspects of this art. Market places consisted of shoemakers, hosiers, belt and purse makers, velveteers and embroiderers. There were also wool and silk makers, jewelers, gold and silver shops, and draperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s establishments. The Santa Maria Novella was home to the highest amount of embroiderers and menders.
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Come Visit Nino! He works with all types of fabric, from cotton to velvet!
Located across from the Santa Croce Square
a guide to men’s fashion
hose
Show off those legs fellas with a pair of custom fitted hosiery. If you really want her to notice you, don’t forget to get creative! Instead of sticking to plain colors, be bold to accentuate your outfit. Patterned hoses can be a great way to get the right kind of attention, but clever color matching can work to your advantage too. Accessorize with lower stocks and a garter to keep them smooth and sexy.
doublet
Pull together any outfit with a fitted doublet. These linen jackets with high collars and double layers of fabric will keep you warm and fashion-
saio
able in any weather. This fashion must have comes with a convenient attachment for your tights or breeches. Fashionable and functional!
A great alternative to the doublet is the saio. It is very similar to the doublet but with the addition of detachable sleeves and a skirt that emphasizes your torso. But don’t worry, a slit in the skirt ensures that your cod piece won’t be covered so the ladies can defintely take notice.
shirt
Hats are definitely in right now. They are the perfect addition to any ensemble. Fashion meets function with this great accessory that comes in many varietys! Dress it up with trimmings and jewelry or dress it down and wear it as is. You can’t go wrong with a good cap.
The staple of any good outfit is a great linen shirt. Don’t be afraid to dress it up with some detailed embroidery to add some extra class to any outfit. Don;t think that what you’re wearing underneath your doublet doesn’t matter. With so many outerwear fashions that involve your sleeves poofing out of them, you have to make sure what’s being seen is worth being seen!
breeches Do you want to do more with your outfit than just wearing hosiery? Breeches are the way to go. They can comfortably
hats
attach to your doublet and come with a fashionable cod piece to cover your area, or draw attention to it. Whatever you like.
a guide to women’s fashion
veste
The best way to start off any outfit is with a good white linen camicia. Even if it is going on underneath the rest of your outfit, don’t forget to dress it up with some embroidery, pleatings, or gatherings that can really pull it together when it poufs out from your overclothes. The great thing about a camicia is how versatile it is! Depending on the occassion it can be worn as a domestic day dress or even a nightgown. Nothing does day to night fashion like a good camicia
Accentuate your body with the veste, a close-fitting overdress. It is a little bit tighter than the sottana dress alternative so you might only be able to wear a skirt and sleeves under it. But with all the attention you’ll be getting from it, it will definitely be worth it. The veste is the en vogue fashion for the youth. But no matter what your age, there is no way the veste won’t make you look young and feel young!
camicia Every good outfit needs a good underskirt. This ensemble addition can really add some flair to any of your overdresses. Contrasting the color
of your underskirt and your dress makes for a great attention grabber and fashion statement when it peeps from underneath your skirt.
underskirt
partlet
This light piece of fabric will add a touch of modesty to any outfit you put on. You can tie it under your arms to secure it and wear one with
a collar to really step up your fashion statement. Feel free to decorate this silky beauty with ribbons, pearls, pleats, or whatever you like!
mantello
zimarra If you ever want to change it up with your zimarra, the mantello is a great alternative. Although the popularity of this piece may be going down thanks to the zimarra, this cloak does a great job of keeping your warm and keeping you fashionable. The convenience of the mantello comes from its versatility. It can be draped and fastened in so many ways there is no way you can ever get bored of it. The mantello is perfect for you ladies who like poufy sleeves and sottanas.
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ever feeling a little chilly in your fabulous outfit, a zimarra can simultaneously solve that problem and make you even more fabulous! With this Ottoman inspired garb, you can be bold and contrast it with your overdress and play match them perfectly together. You can line your zimarra for the winter months or find a fine silk one for the summer. The fashion of the zimarra can last all year long. Why would you want to take it off?
Materials Fur, silk, velvet and more
R
eniassance Florentines combined velvet with silks, and lined brocades with satins, and furs of many kinds. The most expensive silk brocades and velvets were those colored with crimson and violet dyestuffs. There was also a variety of wools available and inexpensive stretchable jersey used for hose.
Washable cotton and linen were used for personal linens, under cloths, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garments, and the clothing of servants and slaves. Most household members advised that everyone in the home be appropriately dressed, including the servents. They wore cloth that represented their family role as well. There were many opportunities for
decoration in patterning, furs, and jewelry. The basic fabric is only one element in many fashion options. Fur was considered essential for both warmth and luxury. The ruling and professional classes wore a wide range of these. The most commonly used fur was from squirrels, rabbits, and dormouses (a large European rodent), and over twenty
more types were available in Florence by the mid 1500â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. This also included, fox, wildcat, wolf, and hare. Furs were regulated after mid century in Italy to just lining and accent trims. Cloth was used much more dominantly. Eventually, tailors began to use figured silks in place of exotic furs that were hard to obtain.
Colors Color in clothes differentiated men and women in the Renaissance. The most intensely colored cloth used in the most expensive dyes were crimson, scarlet, red violets, blue violets, and purples. These colors carried with them the association of power and luxury. Dyers also used less dye in some cases to produce a wide range of other hues. Different colors were produced from diffferent materials. Indigo produced dark blue and fumes of sulfurous acid created pearly white silk. The Florentines than paired these rich hues with strikingly contrasting colors. For example, they wore gold with turqouise, black and gold with white, green with crimson, yellow with violet, and scarlet with gray. This helped achieve a combination of gowns and linings with a bold look. Sleeves often contrasted
the gowns. For example, a purple gown could be worn with red and green striped sleeves. Color was used in a symbolic way in uniform, either political ecclesiastical, or social. Family colors were often worn to special events such as weddings and communal feast days. In addition, members of religious confraternities wore matching apparel with symbolic color. Specific emblems were worn on their shoulds, sleeves, or caps to identify different Florentine confraternities. Black today is considered the height of elegance and dignity, but it did not read this way in 15th century Florence. Very few garments that could be seen on the outside were made of black cloth. Black was not considered a color, bur rather an absense of one.
The bride wears green to symbolize her fertility.
Sumptuary Laws It was important to recognize classes and this was achieved by how they dressed. The upper class felt uneasy about the Florentine populace and the power of clothing, so they created Sumptuary Laws. These laws refer to the excess of clothing and magistrates and men were put in charge of making sure the people followed these rules. The laws regulated clothing and prohibited certain classes from wearing specified cloths, garments, or ornamentation. In 1559 a rule stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;None shall wear in his apparel any cloth of gold, silver, or tinsel, silk or cloth mixed with gold or silver, not any sables; except earls and all of superior degrees.â&#x20AC;? Rich clothing became a mark of virtue, respectability and honor denies to Jews, prostitutes and people of the lower classes
Who Wore What? Red- associated with high social status and royalty Orange- middle class dyed clothing to look red Yellow- a law stated that prostitutes had to wear this color Green- young people wore this to symbolize youth, chastity, love and joy Blue- servants wore this as well as women who were available for marriage Purple- royalty Brown- represented modesty, religious clothing, lower class Black- nobility and wealthy as a symbol of refinement and distinction also worn for mourning White- purity in women and chastity in men, used in universities
Class Distinction Lower Class
Upper Class
t Cotton chemise worn under everything t Skirts that could be tucked up to keep out of the dirt t Tight-fitting bodice or vest with removable sleeves t Apron to keep clothing clean while working t Hair covered with a muffin cap or braided and bundled up to keep out of the way t Opted for practicality, light fabrics
Middle Class
t Fine-lined cotton or silk blouse under everything t Corset and a farthingale (hoop skirt) t Decorated underskirt with tightfitted bodice and laced on sleeves t Overskirt to match t Low heel and headpieces t Embroidery and beading if could afford them
t Blouse in the finest fabrics (silks, satins, velvet) t Farthingale with petticoat t Tightly laced corset, elaborate underskirt, bodice and sleeves t Heel in velvet with embellishment or jewels t Hat, ruffles on necks and wrists t Abundently jeweled t Rarest of furs reserved for royal families and nobles t paddes sleeves and
Accessories How men and women added value and beauty to their outfits
R
enaissance accessories can consist of belts, bags and hosiery, and hats and head wear. Silk purses were very common. Hosiery itself was made of Perpignan cloth, a washable and stretchy woolen jersey fabric. The ruling differentiated themselves by wearing a wide range of headgear for which Florentines were famous for. They also wore personal jewelry, usually
wide range of headgear
brooches, and other caps and hats. These may have served either functional or stylistic purposes. As acquisition of wealth came into vogue in European society, the consumption of luxury goods became the norm. During the mid 1300â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, diamonds were being added to the list of transported jewels. Benvenuto Cellini was a Florentine goldsmith who mastered the craft of jewelry making. He created works girdle
for Pope Clement VII and Pope Paul II, and many other figures. He purchased gems such as emeralds, rubies, and sapphires from peasant farmers. These jewels were very common in accessories during this time period. The girdle was another popular accessory. It is made of leather, textile, or flat metal chain that formed a belt-like strap worn diagonally along the waistline. This was
then used as an accessory with a purse, keys, lockets, and perfume. All of these items could be fastened to the girdle and add for a decorative aesthetic. Rings were also a popular jewelry accessory. It was not uncommon for both men and women to wear a ring on each finger. There were rings that had religious functions and ones that expressed friendship.
How does Renaissance fashion give us a better ununderstanding of its people and their values? How can this be applied in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion as well?