Welcome to our little patch of the past! We are a historic dance display troupe and musicians and our dressmaker, Aylwen, guides us with our outfits and organises historical costume balls every month in Canberra, Australia. The dancers and musicians will be travelling to perform in full Elizabethan costumes at the Abbey Medieval Festival in Caboolture, Queensland, Australia in July 2007.
You may hire the dancers and musicians to give a talk or demonstration to your group, to advise you on your next historic clothing project, to custom fit a garment for you, to help you develop a historical program for school children, to research correct clothing for your historic event, teach period dances to historical program participants or children, or to design costumes or lead dances for plays or theatrical productions. Please feel free to contact us by email if you'd like to discuss how we can be of service to you or your organization!
Below you will find some brief notes on the Medieval, Renaissance, and Elizabethan periods of costuming, and at the bottom of the page we are starting to add more information - starting with trims suitable for this period. More information will be added as we find the time.
Medieval
476-1450
The Medieval Period opened with simple militaristically styled tunics, capes, trousers and covered shoes for men and loose tunics over sleeved fitted tunics for women. In the 10th century sleeves and hems started getting longer and clothes heavier, whilst fabrics became more ornate. Embroidery and beading started appearing on court and liturgical clothing. By the 12th century the sleeves and hems had become wider and more flared. Garments were now extravagantly produced with fine and expensive fabric, especially velvet, a new fabric from the East. The more wealthy survivors of the Black Plague gained more wealth during this period of increased trade with the East, and used it to experiment with some rather extreme fashions, in particular hooked footwear (poulaines) and cone-shaped hats with long veils.
Medieval Costumes in Art
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Renaissance The Renaissance period encompassed a wide range of clothing styles. A more natural dress design had evolved, with shorter hems and more flowing skirts. The robe appeared (a dress with an attached bodice and skirt) and the long and rigid corset began its life. Hair was uncovered, and now adorned with veils and jewels. Men's doublets were shorter than in earlier times and low-necked tunics and chemises were common. The upper classes started wearing hose and brocades and velvets for both men's and women's clothing. With the turn of the 15th century the simple styles influenced by art of the Italian Renaissance were replaced by horizontal and heavy Germanic styles. Men's clothes became more square-cut and elaborate, breeches lengthened and lace edges and frills appeared on the neck and sleeves of linen chemises. Women's gowns were heavily pleated and used wire or wicker hoops tied together with ribbons or tapes. Sleeves puffed out and high-standing collars were worn around the necks. Men's fashions were influenced by these changes in women's gowns, with puffed trunk hose, balloon sleeves, padded doublets and large ruff collars. "Slashing" also became popular for both sexes (the outer layer of cloth is cut to show an inner contrasting layer of fabric). Hairstyles became more elaborate, with the simple hood soon becoming peaked. Men wore broad hats sometimes decorated with jewels. We have more information on clothing and dancing in the Renaissance period on other pages. The Italian Renaissance (1420-1600)
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Renaissance Costumes in Art
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Elizabethan Women's
fashions were quite modest at the beginning of this period, with
nearly the whole body covered. A fitted bodice accentuated the
women's small waist, shoulders were square and a ruffled yoke was
worn by the upper classes. As this period progressed the waistlines
straightened from the V-shaped princess line and sleeves lost their
ruffle and became tight-fitting. Snoods and similar headdresses
became popular, either made of a fabric to match the dress or plain
black silk and gold netting. |
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Elizabethan Costumes in Art
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Using Commercial Trims for Renaissance Costuming
Make sure that you look closely at any portraits or extant garments of
the specific time and place and consider your desired level of authenticity,
as most commercial trims are not appropriate. However, the following guidelines
will help you achieve a very close imitation.
Composite trims made up of jewels, braids and embroidery were mostly used
in the Renaissance, along with embroidery and gold and silver braided trims.
Beadwork is period. From the late 16th century we see metallic, white and
tan lace being used, however most lace you see in stores today is not appropriate.
Brocade and damask trims are not period, but will look okay from a distance
if the authenticity factor doesn't disturb you.