Queen Elizabeth was one of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor and was a successful ruler of her time. She had ruled over England and Ireland for almost 43 years and was also known as The Virgin Queen. She was a moderate and tolerant leader who has her reign named after her as the Elizabethan era.
There were changes made to the existing laws after her being crowned as the Queen of England in 1558. The dressing of the people during that era had a distinct fashion and was applied to all irrespective of the gender. A clear set of rules were dictated on what, when and how to wear for men and women both.
Meaning of the clothing in the Elizabethan Era
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It was not that out of the blue dressing codes were asked to be followed by the men and women of the country; they had proper reasoning for it. The main objective of the selective dress code was to differentiate the people as per their ranks and positions as per the English Law.
The clothing for men was meant to be followed as per the law and not just as the orders from the authorities. These laws were exclusively called the Sumptuary Laws for clothing during the Elizabethan era.
Selection of the material for clothing
Not just the colour of the clothes even the clothing material was dictated by these Sumptuary Laws. In the Elizabethan era, the shirts for the lower class were white or naturally coloured linen. For the middle classes, the shirts have to be worn of fine white linen along with a starched ruff. They were also not allowed coloured shirts but only some work of black embroidery.
The poor people used cotton or woollen clothes. They also dressed in breeches and doublets, undergarments and hats. What did peasants wear in the Elizabethan era? Click here to know.
The status symbol born by clothing
Clothing in the Elizabethan era was not limited to shirts and trousers of certain shades but there were additional pieces of apparel that had to be carried on every day and by everyone. These additional outfits’ pieces included stockings, codpieces, doublets, ruffs, hats and coats as well. Along with distinctive colours, decorations on the clothes were used to define the status of the people. Laces, furs, velvet, satin and few others were could be afforded and worn by upper-class men and women.
Adding more to the legal orders, rules were specified for clothing as per the ranks of the gentlemen. For example, velvet doubles and hoses were allowed to the eldest son of a knight and not others. Stockings and even undergarments were to be worn as per ranks and that too of specific shades and material.
For instance, the proclamation said that anyone below the rank of a knight would not wear these if made of silk. Even the precious metal gold was reserved for ranks higher than barons and the family of the King and Queen.
Who could wear what in the Elizabethan era?
What did nobles wear in the Elizabethan era?
The king himself and his family were the only ones who had the freedom to wear any piece of an outfit, however, the shade of purple and material of silk was mandatory for them. The Dukes, Earls and Marquises were allowed fabric made out of silk and sable fur in the shade of purple in doublets, jerkins, gowns, hose and lining of cloaks.
The knights were allowed to wear silk in the purple shade for mantles. The persons with degrees of Viscounts and barons and higher ones were permitted to silk, tinselled satin and embroidery work mixed with gold and that of silver too.
The people belonging to the Privy Council were allowed to wear shades of crimson or scarlet of velvet cloth along with Dukes, Earls and Marquises and their children. The Lord Chancellor, President of The Privy Council, Treasurer and bearers of the Privy seal were allowed to velvet, satin, silk and fur for shades other than purple.
The Justices, Master of the Rolls, sergeants at law, Barons of the Exchequer, Masters of the Chancery, physicians of the King, apprentices of law, mayors and other head officers of any towns corporate had the permission to cotton and taffeta but not silk, velvet or satin. They were allowed to wear all shades of colour except a few which included crimson, purple, violet and deep blue.
What did Merchants wear in the Elizabethan era?
There were no specific fashion trends for merchants or businesses. They usually dressed according to their social and financial status. Middle class merchants wore breeches and doublets and hats.
Clothes were more than pieces of an outfit in the Elizabethan era
Clothes for men were meant to convey everything about them in the era of Queen Elizabeth. The occupation, the personality, the rank in the court or as per the laws, family background and class, everything aspect was covered by the quality of the cloth they wore on their bodies and the colour as well.
Adding more to the interesting facts, there were several layers of clothing for undergarments and over clothes such as coats and jackets which were compulsory for the men to wear. Remarkably the fashion was different from what can be seen today in terms of colours and material and class of the people.
