The Renaissance

The Renaissance period followed after the Middle Ages from the 14th century to the 17th century, it began Italy and later spread to the rest of Europe. The Renaissance is known as a period of re-birth, exploration and knowledge in all aspects of life.

British School (16th century). The Field of the Cloth of Gold, ca. 1545. Oil on canvas; 168.9 x 347.3 cm. Hampton Court Palace, RCIN 405794

In the early Renaissance (15's) fashions consists on women's gowns with low cut bodices which created broad shoulder lines, with bulbous sleeves. Often the chest was left bare but some would wear an embroidered chemise underneath. The more more elaborate gowns - for wealthy women - were made for luxurious silk, satin and velvet, decorated with embellishments of all kinds. Women would also often use gloves as part of the wardrobe.

A common article of clothing was the corset. This was used to shape or flatten the waist and support the chest. A corset was worn as an undergarment or as outer decoration. Women in the Renaissance often fastened the corset to a petticoat in order to maintain a flat waist shape.

18th-century apparel Woman wearing corset and hoop skirt, Meissen porcelain figurine, German, 1741; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Men began to wear shorter tunics and cloaks as an outer garment. Stockings also became popular during Renaissance. These stockings were originally called hose, a one piece of clothing that was worn to cover and were fastened at the waist and knees to keep them in place. The material of the garment differed based on class; luxury silk , satin and velvet was for upper-class/nobles and wool and linen was for the lower-class/peasants.

Hans Holbein the Younger (German, 1497-1543). Portrait of Henry VIII, ca. 1537-47. Oil on canvas; 239 x 134.5 cm (94.09 x 52.95 in).

In 2019 - 2020 many designers such as; Dion Lee, Sacai, and Simone Rocha, showed their own modernized replications of the corset. In modern fashion the corset as a form of empowerment to the person wearing it; whereas the corset as seen as a restriction in the Renaissance. Corsets used to be an essential in women's wardrobes but as decades passed it it has become less of an essential and more of a luxury.