fashion-msg - 9/16/02
Why certain clothes were in fashion.
NOTE: See also the files: clothing-msg, dyeing-msg, textiles-msg, ruffs-msg, seamstresses-msg, Houppelande-art, patterns-msg, sewing-msg, sewng-machnes-msg.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: crouchet at eden.com (james crouchet)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Heels not period? Pft!
Date: 29 Dec 1994 21:55:43 GMT
Organization: Adhesive Media, Inc.
Alison Ingrid Grande (AIGRAN00 at ukcc.uky.EDU) wrote:
: This is just a question, I seem to remember reading once (even thought it was
: a medieval historical romance :|) that people started wearing heals to keep
: their hems from dragging in the mud and filth that could be found on streets
: or on floors.
: Anyone know the validity of this statement?
Actually, wooden "flats" and overshoes developed to keep the mud off the
shoes and, later, boots. The purpose for heals was apparently to fit
better in the stirrup, but they quickly became a fashion item because
fashionable people rode horses. I have not found a definitative source on
this, but it seems to be the case, at least in Europe around 1600 to 1630.
:And I do remember hearing once that the more impractical an article of clothing
:was, the more popular it was with the high muckety-mucks. They could wear
:impractical clothing because they did not need to do physical labor.
Close. Not just that they didn't have to do physical labor, but that they
_could not_ do so easily in such clothes. This demonstrated that they
must be wealthy/powerful enough to have servants to do that for them.
That, along with clothing made from many yards of rich cloth was a
display of great wealth. This becomes more the case as the period gets
later.
What's more, the clothes were often designed so that they were difficult
or impossible for a person to put on without the help of servants. Think
about that next time you are struggling to put on your Tudor or
Elizabethian court dress!
: Alison of Windy Fields, Shire of Dragonsmark
Savian
From: David Corliss <corlisd at aa.wl.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Period costume patterns?
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 10:43:36 -0400
Organization: Retro Team, Parke-Davis Ann Arbor
Laura McKinstry wrote:
> It's important that you define "period" as there are many. For the
> Elizabethan period, I don't think you can beat "Elizabethan Costuming
> for the years 1550-1580" by Janet Winter and Carolyn Savoy. ISBN
> 0-9630220-0-8. $15 This will put you in England or Ireland during the
> reign of Elizabeth Tudor. Possibly other coutnries, but as an
> Irishwoman, I didn't research that far.
As my gentle Lady would point out (as with most things, I know nothing of such matters myself), British fashion was strongly influenced by Spanish at this time, Thus, apart from minor stylistic changes, Elizabethan costuming works very well for Spain. The hair included certain aspects not commonly found in England (the coffia de tranzada, for example) and the Spanish ever showed a preference for a more understated opulence, black on black being much more popular in Spain
than in England. Never hard and fast rules, these are trends and influences more commonly found in one area than another. Generally, it reflects Spain's older aristocracy (versus the English Mercantile influences and virual re-invention of the nobility after ther War of the Roses), more cash, and a better sense of taste: Overall, the British at the time were rather _Nouveau Riche_.
Apart from these subtle differences, one could easily mistake Spanish portraiture for English, the portrait of Elanor of Castile with her young son being an excellent example.
Beorthwine of Grafham Wood
From: moondrgn at bga.com (Chris and Elisabeth Zakes)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Time & Place
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 1997 23:01:12 GMT
Rebekah Sandell <sandell.rebekah at ssd.loral.com> wrote:
>As for fashion, remember it took approximately 75 years to get fashion
>from Italy to England. Remember the three most important word to a
>period costumer are Location(place), Location(time), Location(social
>strata)!!!
>Rebekah
I'd have to disagree with that, at least for the 16th century. I'm
currently reading William Harrison's "The Description of England",
written in 1587. In it he complains about people travelling to Italy
and returning with foreign ideas:
". . .the sending of noblemen's and mean gentlemen's sons into Italy,
from whence they bring home nothing but mere atheism, infidelity,
vicious conversation, and ambitious and proud behavior. . .:
If they are bringing all that baggage home, I'm sure they would be
bringing home some nice clothes, too.
-Tivar Moondragon
C and E Zakes
Tivar Moondragon (Patience and Persistence)
and Aethelyan of Moondragon (Decadence is its own reward)
moondrgn at bga.com
From: "richard west" <westfamily at macoma96.fsnet.co.uk>
To: <stefan at florilegium.org>
Cc: <westfamily at macoma96.fsnet.co.uk>
Subject: why some clothes were in fashion
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 17:14:03 +0100
Top hat-in imitation of the chimneys springing up in industrial Britain.
16th century split sleeves-after the battle of Grandson in 1476, the Swiss soldiers paraded round in sliced up, elaborate Burgundian garments.
Wigs-began with an obsession with hygiene after the introduction of syphillis from America. Became fashionable when Louis the 14th went bald and wore one.
Black victorian clothes-worn in the city so that all the soot wouldn't be noticed on their clothes.
Kilts-a cheaper alternative to trousers (Highland chiefs wore trews).
From: Charlene Charette [charlene at flash.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 8:03 PM
To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Re: walking authentically
> Actually it is believed that the way one would walk within the SCA period to modern day has changed. If one considers that there weren't many heels of any kind on shoes and the surfaces we walk on are different, you can begin to percieve the way the differences could occur. If one is wearing skirts that are near or on the ground then it really is a good thing to slow down as well. All of this changes the way we walk, how our feet turn and so on.
> Alex
Written for women rather than men, but see Ruth Green's "The Wearing of
Costume: The Changing Techniques of Wearing Clothes and How to Move in
Them."
She describes how the style of each period affects the way you walk,
hold your body, use your arms, etc. Skirt shapes affect your gait,
sleeves affect whether the elbows are held near or away from the body.
--Perronnelle
<the end>