by Drea Leed
No site or book on Elizabethan costume can be complete without a mentionof the woman who gave the era (and the era's costume) its name: QueenElizabeth.
Both Bess and her father were renowned for their ostentation in dress.Who hasn't seen the portrait of King Henry where he stands, wide enough tobridge a small stream, ostentatiously draped in a king's ransom of silks,satins and jewels? if possible, Elizabeth outshone even her own father inthe magnificence of her apparal--In some of her portraits, you can barelysee the gown for all of the jewels, embroidery and decoration applied.
From Rags to Riches
There's a popular belief that Elizabeth's astounding wardrobe had itsroots in her childhood--that she had an insatiable appetite for newand beautiful gowns, each richer than the next, because as a child shewasdenied all but the most basic accoutrements and clothing. At one pointher nurse wrote a letter to the king, pleading that the smallgirl be give enough clothes that she need not run about in rags andbeseeching you to be [a] good lord to my lady...that shemay have some raiment for she hath neither gown, not kirtle nor sleeves,nor railes, nor body stitchets, nor handkerchiefs, nor mufflers norbiggins. All this her grace must have. I have driven off as long as Ican, that be my troth I can drive it no longer. Beseeching you my lordthat ye will see that her grace may have that [which] is needful for her.
Though there can be no doubt that the circ*mstances of Elizabeth's youthand her mother's death had a great influence upon her future political and personal decisions, theQueen's ostentation in dress was not due simply to vanity and a cravingfor rich dresses to make up for the impoverished wardrobe of her youth.Her wardrobe was used for political ends as well.
Bess-Dressed to Impress
One of Elizabeth's remarkable traits was her ability to use any situationto her political advantage. Rich gowns impress people; this is an obviousfact. So Elizabeth's wardrobe was designed, first and formost, toimpress--and to be suitable to her station as ruling monarch. The richfabrics and jewels conveyed incredible wealth, power andprestige. Elizabeth's grandfather Henry the VIIth had been subject tomutterings about penury and miserliness as a result of his austerewardrobe; his granddaughter's gowns suggessed generosity and thewillingness (and resources) to spend vast sums on personal adornment.People referred to Queen Bess as a goddess, as queen of heaven, and shecertainly dressed the part.Behind this facade of staggeringly expensive splendor, however, was thereality of limited funds, carefully budgeted expenditures, and a canny useof resources and materials. Elizabeth's wardrobe accounts were detailedand exacting, listing exactly how much material was bought, who from, howmuch it cost, and what it was used for. In fact, these accounts are oneof the main sources of information about costume of the time.
Although her wardrobe far outshone any other in the land, Elizabeth'sclothing expenses were actually quite modest, compared to those of otherroyals--only a fifth of that spent by her successor King James, forexample.
Once a gown or item of clothing was made, it was often altered toaccomodate changing fashions and tastes. Sleeves were replaced with othersleeves, panels were added and removed from skirts, worn garments werepicked apart and their fabric used for other wardrobe items, and trimand embroidery recycled from one gown to the next.In addition, the queen often paid ladies in waiting, valets, and othersin her servicewith gowns, foreparts, and other pieces of clothing from the RoyalWardrobe.
Fortunately, Elizabeth didn't have to bear the staggering expense of herwardrobe completely on her own.As her reign continued, more and more people began bringing the Queenclothing as a New Year's present in an attempt to gain favor with her.There were dozens of stomachers, foreparts and sleeves given every year,often lavishly embroidered and breathtakingly decorated. In fact,Elizabeth's first pair of knitted silk stockings came to her as a gift onNew Year's Day. She was so delighted with them that she immediatelycommissioned more to be made for her, and soon many courtiers of her courtwerebeggaring themselves to afford the terribly fashionable, and terriblyexpensive, silk hose that the Queen was so fond of.
Queen of International Fashion
Wealth and power weren't the only statements that Elizabeth made throughher wardrobe. She was exceedingly interested in the fashions of otherlands as well. Royalty has long been considered a driving force in theexchange of fashions between countries (Katherine of Aragon's importation of the Spanish Farthingale into England, for example.) Though many otherfactors exist in the ebb andflow of changing national styles, Elizabeth's fondness for foreign dresshad a significant impact on English fashion of the time as well as her ownwardrobe. As one visiting emmisary related:- "The Quene said she had Clothes of every sort, which every day thereafter,so long as I was there, she changed. One day she had the English Weed,another the French, and another the Italian and so forth. She asked mewhich of them became her best? I answered, in my judgement the Italiandress, which answer I found pleased her well, for she delighted to shewher golden coloured hair..."
Her wardrobe accounts mention dresses from all over europe:"A Gowne of crymsen satten of the italian fation","A Venecian gown ofcrimsen velvet","a Gowne of blak vellat of the polony (polish) fation","One French gowne of Russet satten", "One Dutch cloake", "a Flandersgowne of Black velvet cutt all over"...the list goes on and on.
She had patterns and sample bodices sent abroad so that the French,Italians, and even Germans might make gowns to her size. She evenimported tailors from abroad. Italian, French and most especially Spanish styles filtered into England at an increasing rate during Elizabeth'sreign, to be absorbed into English style.
Elizabeth even managed to use foreign fashions for her own political ends. When her marriagenegotiations were at their height with the Anjous, she commissioned aportrait of herself to be sent to Catherine de' Medici. (see picture tothe right) In the portrait,Elizabeth is dressed in the height of French court fashion at the time.Apparantly, it met with a favourable response:
- "The ladies did highly commend the queen my sovereign's rare gifts andprincely comliness with exceeding praises and admiration...the greatprincesses did note and were very much satisfied to see her majestyappareled and attired all over a la francoise".
Naturally, what the Queen wore greatly influenced those close to her. Herladies in waiting wore her old dresses; other women strove to imitate thestyle of the Queen and her ladies. New fashions filtered gradually downfrom court to society in general, rather like ripples in a pond, wherethey often assumed a simpler and more practical aspect than the gowns wornby the Queen and her companions. It was rather similar to the process bywhich a gown modeled on a Parisian runway eventually shows up a fewmonths later, more practically designed and less outrageously priced, atthe local department store.
This process could take some time; Lacking modern methods of communicationsuch as fashion magazines and photographs, fashions in rural areas ofEngland were often years or even decades behind London's. And the poorerthe person, the less likely they were to keep their wardrobe up to date.For example, below are a funeral brass and a portrait created in the sameyear, 1589. The left was a representation of a lady of lesser nobility,the right one of cutting-edge fashion.
Elizabeth's influence on fashion extended beyond women's clothing. Theopulence of her wardrobe began to have an effect on male garments as well.Courtiers vied with eachother to be seen in the most flashy, dashing,expensive and fashionable outfits.
When Elizabeth began her reign, male fashions remained, for the most part,similar to those worn when her father and brother were king. The malesillhouette was broad shouldered and formidable, using masses of richfabrics, bands of contrasting color and elaborate embroidery motifs todisplay the wealth and magnificence of the wearer.
However, both male and female fashion became far busier and more elaborateAs Elizabeth's reign continued.Ruffs became higher and larger, and skirts and sleeves became wider andwider. Bodices became more busily decorated, covered completely in braid,trim, jewels, metal and silk embroidery, or other forms of decoration.
Male fashions also followed this trend and became stiffer, more busilydecorated with puffs, pinkingand slashes, and generally more contrived in appearance. The Peascodbelly evolved duringElizabeth's reign. Men would sometimes wear girdles, the equivalent ofthe female corset, to obtain the wasp-waisted look in fashion at court.Indeed, the difference between the fashionable courtier and a countrymanwas as great as that between women's dress of London and that of therural areas.
By the time of Elizabeth's death, the look of English fashion had changedentirely from the graceful, simple Tudor styles which had existed at thebeginning of her reign. Below are two pictures: one of fashionable dress during Elizabeth's youth, the other of a court gown worn at the end of the Queen's reign. Thecontrast speaks for itself.
Far more portraits werepainted or her than of her father or her successor, King James, ofwhich copies of were made and distributed freely to the populace. Theincreasing popularity of printing and engraving opened another avenuewhereby her image could displayed to a wide audience.
In this way, fashions at court--which were spearheaded by the Queen'sfashions, both through hand-me-downs to her ladies in waiting and throughimitation by those wishing to gain notice and approval in the Queen'seyes--greatly influenced English Costume.
Related Links:
