HISTORICALLY INSPIRED

HISTORICALLY INSPIRED

By Samantha Roehl

Want some Renaissance influence but don’t require historical accuracy Here is a curated list of some of my favorite historically-inspired stuff:

1. Jewelry

The Renaissance, for the rich, was a time of excess. A gold chain or string of pearls around a throat, jewel-encrusted pendants, golden bands on every finger. (Renaissance ladies would have loved today’s ring stacking!) If you had money, you weren’t exactly subtle about flaunting it. It reminds me of the current maximalism trend, even if today we’re more often wearing costume jewelry.

2. Bardcore

Bardcore is a musical microgenre in which artists cover popular songs in the style of medieval music. Think trading out guitars and pianos for lutes and harps. Popular bardcore artists on YouTube include Hildegard von Blingin’(910k subscribers), Beedle the Bardcore (425k subscribers), and Stantough (372k subscribers). I find the concept alone hilarious — though it doesn’t hurt that the covers are pretty good.

3. Corsets

So… I know I said we’re not going for historical accuracy, but I do have to cut in here and mention that corsets did not exist during the Renaissance. Instead, people would have worn stays or “pairs of bodies,” which were more cone-shaped compared to the hourglass shape of corsets. With that said, I love the corset trend and, ahistorical or not, they add a lovely touch to any outfit.