Fashion Through Elizabethan Times

Research into the Elizabethan times

In Elizabethan times (1558 – 1603) most rich people formed part of the Queen’s court and it was one of the most extravagant so far. Nearly all the portraits of women at that time seem to have fair or red hair and I think that because the Queen was so powerful, people wanted to flatter her by copying her, so women wanted to have red or fair hair. It may have been that many wore wigs to achieve this look. Another reason that women may have preferred to wear wigs in those days was due to head lice. If they had short hair it would have easier to get rid of them than if they had long hair. Of course having wigs made in intricate styles was easier than having your own hair styled as they could be taken off when you went to bed and it meant that you didn’t have to sit for hours while people styled your hair. Also in those days it was very normal to go a long time without a bath so having short hair and taking a wig off every night was a lot more hygienic.

Elizabeth loved wearing extravagant clothes and jewels and the designs became more and more elaborate. At her death, she owned at least a thousand dresses and many wigs.

Until 1580, it appears that costumes stayed relatively the same to the previous period. The bodice and skirt were separate with the waist of the bodice being made into a point at the front and the skirt being supported by a Spanish farthingale. With the introduction of starch in the early 1560’s ruffs became bigger and bigger and more popular. In the 1580’s a new style of bodice and French “roll” farthingale was introduced and worn by the fashionable ladies of the court. The bodice was stiff and covered with jewels and appears to be wedged between artificially wide hips. Sleeves became wider and padded and the face and hair were framed by a ruff. The hair was also frizzed and curled in order to give the head height, and the most popular shape for the hairline was heart shaped. Their hairline was also very far back, they used to shave at least the first inch of hair because in those days they said it made a woman look far more intelligent.