European clothing history

What was clothing like in medieval Europe? What is the context of the medieval European period? What clothing did Spain wear in the 15th century? The history of Medieval European clothing and textiles has inspired a good deal of scholarly interest in the 21st century.

Even though the fashion industry was ruined temporarily in France during the Revolution, it flourished in other European countries, especially England.

During this perio a new silhouette for women was developing. Panniers, or wide hoops worn under the skirt that extended sideways, became a staple. The cut, shape, style, and decoration of clothing changed at a much faster pace than in the Early Middle Ages (sometimes known as the Dark Ages) when styles varied little over time.

The period from 4to 9C. As the name implies, the picture of cultural developments over this period is somewhat obscure. Western Europe is known as the Dark Ages. Clear images of dress are few.

Apparently dress in Europe combined Roman forms with those of the barbarians. Men wore long or short tunics with a sort of trousers that were gaitered (wrapped close to the leg) with strips of cloth or leather. Married women covered their hair with a veil. Among royalty and the upper classes, Byzantine influences were most evident in the use of silk fabrics, manufactured in Byzantium and importe and in ornamental bands that trimmed sleeves, necklines, hemlines, and other areas of tunics.

The basics of dress remained fairly constant in the eleventh and twelfth centuries of the Middle Ages for both men and women. Next to his body a man typically wore braies, an undergarment similar to underpants, and a shirt. See full list on fashion- history. By the twelfth century, artistic and literary evidence indicates that significant changes in political, economic, technological, and social life had begun to affect clothing.

After the Roman government of Europe broke down, local rulers administered smaller or larger areas. This empire did not long survive Charlemagne. These lords or kings built castles where large numbers of people lived and worked. Such centers provided a stage for the display of status, which was often expressed through dress.

As the European economy prospered and courts expande the Christian church served as a unifying force with its central authority, the pope, i. Though the precise origins of fashion change in dress are still debated by costume historians, it is generally agreed that the phenomenon of a large number of people accepting a style for a relatively short period of time began during the Middle Ages. The aforementioned social and economic changes established the necessary conditions for fashion.

Textile manufacturing advances provided the raw materials needed for increased production and consumption of clothing. The courts provided a stage for display of fashions. Social stratification was becoming less rigi making it possible for one social class to imitate another. Increased trade and travel spread information about styles from one area to another.

Evidence of the international spread of information about style change can be found in developments in the arts. Both used carvings as. With the increased variety of dressing styles, terminology for items of clothing in these early periods grows more complicated and confusing.

Names for garments often come directly from French. Frequently English-speaking costume historians adopt these French terms. This is especially evident when costume historians write about medieval styles of the thirteenth century and after.

The layering remained the same as in earlier centuries and undergarments did not change radically, but the cut and fit of outer garments has started to alter with greater frequency. Also, a number of new outdoor garments appeared. Historians examining this period assigned the name Renaissance (French for rebirth) to this time when a new focus on humanism contrasted with the medieval emphasis on spirituality. These ideas spread from Italy to Northern Europe, influencing scholars and creative artists. The artists created realistic portraits and scenes of daily life and showed clear views of dress even to the point of showing where the seams were located.

They faithfully depicted the lush velvets, satins, and brocades worn by their sitters. Royalty wore the most lavish garments, but the well-to-do merchant classes could easily imitate court styles. Intermarriage among the rulers of European countries provided one means of spreading fashions from one country to another as royal brides and grooms dressed themselves and their retinues in the latest styles from their home count. Elements characteristic of baroque styles include extensive ornamentation, curved forms, and freely flowing lines, all in relatively large scale. The dress of the period clearly reflected these tendencies.

Those who could afford to wear fashionable dress did so. Clothing also played a political role in England. The Puritans wanted to reform the Church of England and stress a simpler, more moralistic, and less lavish lifestyle. Costume is said to reflect the zeitgeist, or spirit of the age, and fashions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are frequently cited to illustrate this point.

The resulting civil war led t. Political developments in France were to a considerable extent inspired by the examples of the ancient Greek and Roman republics. As previously note classical influences were already evident in architecture, and the fine and decorative arts. Because the marble statues of antiquity had been bleached white over time, it was believed that the Greeks and Romans had worn white garments. The high-waisted styles of Hellenic Greek Doric chitons served as the model for slender, white muslin dresses with high waistlines.

Men cut their hair in Titus style (named after a Roman emperor). Although specific details changed year-by-year, the high-. Women dressed their hair à la Greque.

Many cultural forces contributed to the stylistic changes of the nineteenth century. The industrial revolution produced not only technological but also social and economic changes that affected dress. The ability to produce textiles rapidly and less expensively facilitated participation in fashion. As industrialization brought more women into the workforce, giving them less time to make clothing for their families, by the end of the century, some garments were being mass-produced. Rural workers who migrated to urban areas needed different kinds of clothes.

Technological innovations and refinements made in the United States such as the patenting and di. London: Thames and Hudson, Inc. Dress in North America. Survey of Historic Costume.

Fashion for Men: An Illustrated History. These traditional european clothing give us the value of tradition and help us realize the enormous pass each of us carries within. Traditional clothing shows us how unique and different we all are. They survived centuries, and we should nurture these pieces left for us by our ancestors.

Following the end of the Thirty Years' War and the Restoration of England's Charles II, military influences in men's clothing were replaced by a brief period of decorative exuberance which then sobered into the coat, waistcoat and breeches costume that. The style of this era is known as Baroque. The Early Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages or medieval times, refers to that period in European history after the fall of the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire fell in 4CE (or AD), the once-unified continent fell into disarray.

However, with the development of the feudal system and manorialism, class distinction became very important. At first, the length of clothing was the major stylistic difference between ranks, with nobles wearing floor-length gowns and tunics and peasants wearing shorter garments. Her work has been generously supported by grants and fellowships from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty, Kress and Mellon Foundations. Explore the history of fashion in the mid- to late-19th century, decade by decade, through garments and photographs in the VA collections.

In most cultures, men and women wear slightly different types of garments. In ancient times, the length of a robe depended on gender.