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The Tudor era (1485-1603) includes the reigns of two of England's most famous monarchs, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
We're thinking: Nostradamus (1503 - 1566), English Renaissance (c1520-c1620), Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the Protestant Reformation (1517), Sir Walter Raleigh (born c1552), madrigals and the music of Tallis, and Shakespeare (1564-1616),
From the Medieval 'long and lean' look, the Tudor sillouette grew ever more broad and square, emphasised by puffed sleeves for men and padding or frames under the skirts for women. Sleeves were a main point of fashion for both and often featured decorative slashing with full undersleeves pulled through the gaps.
Henry VIII is seen here wearing a soft hat with embroidered brim, a red gown with large sleeves and fur revers, a beige jerkin open above the waist and with pleated skirts and matching codpiece, a doublet with sleeves showing the shirt sleeves through the slashes, tight white hose and gartered netherhose.
After around 1540 the fashionable shape became narrower again, with deep V-waists for both men and women and high ruffs to frame the face.

Men still wore the linen braies, loose underpants, of earlier times, but the chemise gained a looser cut, a gathered neck and full sleeves which could be pulled through the fashionable slashes in outer garments.
Since the shirt was now occasionally seen, trim and embroidery were used for the first time in these body linens. During Elizabeth's reign white-on-white embroidery was popular as were the geomentric designs of blackwork (which could also be in red).
Over the shirt came the doublet; a short, quilted jacket cut to fit closely. The sleeves might be separate and laced on at the shoulders. Status was displayed by elaborate decoration and fine fabrics. Silk brocades and velvets were popular, in rich colurs and intricate floral designs. Garments could be trimmed with bands of fur, velvet or passementerie (hand-made trim), including the new form, bobbin lace.
Below the doublet the fashionable man showed a lot of leg encased in tight-fitting bias hose. These were brightly coloured and now had the legs joined for modesty's sake. The legs could be of different colours and were laced either to the belt of the braies or to the doublet itself.

By the middle of Henry VIII's reign the hose became shorter, this time from the bottom up, with the calves covered in netherhose held up with garters. In the second part of the 1500s the hose became shorter still, but wider. Trunk Hose were padded to give the 'pumpkin' look so associated with Sir Walter Raleigh, seen here wearing short, close-fitting upper hose (or breeches) and trunk hose made of strips of fabric over a lining, with netherhose (or stockings) gartered at the knee. His son wears loose slops which reach to below the knee. Codpieces were no longer worn. (Phew!)
The medieval houppelande, with its enormous pointed sleeves, had also fallen out of fashion, being replaced early in Henry's reign by a loose gown featuring wide revers, initially ankle-length, but knee-length from around 1530. Similarly, the chaperon finally fell from grace early in this period in favour of soft hats with flat or turned-up brims such as the Tudor flat hat, pleated earlier in the period, gathered later. The medieval coif however, continued its existance. It changed its shape and was usually worn indoors or under another hat, and in black by men, but continued in various forms right through to the modern era.
The gown, a new fashion itself with Henry VIII, passed from fashion into tradional garb with Elizabeth in the late 1500s, remaining to the present as academic and clerical robes. For outerwear instead, men usually wore a cloak, hip-length for fashion (and for apocryphally spreading over puddles), or longer in poor weather.
Another passing fashion was during the early years of Elizabeth's reign when the beer-belly was considered attractive. Men's doublets were padded to give a full-bellied line, called the peascod. Interestingly, the opposite was the fashion for women.

In the early Tudor period, women's clothing still resembled medieval, comprising the smock, kirtle and over-gown, except that the waist was worn much higher, under the bust, with fashionable fullness over the tummy. The over-gown could have a deep V-neck with decorated revers, revealing a triangle of the square-necked kirtle underneath and possibly the top of the chemise. The low neck could be filled with a partlet of fine linen. By the reign of Henry VIII the waist descended again and gained a V-point at the front, which became greatly exaggerated during Elizabeth's reign.
The farthingale, a conical frame to support the skirt, was introduced from Spain around 1530, as was the pair of stiffened bodies, what we now call a corset. The French Farthingale, which produced a cylindrical shape was worn from around 1590.
The houppelande transformed into a gown with bag-sleeves, which might be slit down the front edge to make a loose hanging sleeve. The inside of such sleeves was a place for the display of rich fabrics and ornamentation. The gown could be open down the front revealing a richly-ornamented underskirt called a forepart.
Alternative sleeves were trumpet shaped and were often worn turned back to show off the rich linings and undersleeves, which could be part-sleeves attached above the elbows. Similar to doublets, bodices did not always have attached sleeves. The tight fittings that fashion demanded were often eased by tying sleeves to the body through eyelets with laces (points) at the shoulder.

From the mid-1500s, ruffs became popular for both sexes among the upper classes, both at neck and wrists. Initiallly these were of plain linen, but as they grew larger they gained lace edges and finally were composed of nothing but lace. Chemises, the edges of which were often visible, were also trimmed with embroidery and lace.
Women wore their hair covered, either with a veil supported by wire frame, a padded roll or a gable (English) or crescent (French) hood; or with a caul (decorated hair net), a coif, a soft flat hat or the famous steeple-like hennin. In England this was short, more resembling a fez worn on the back of the head. Tall, dark conical hats were popular with Puritans, both men and women, from around 1590.
Underpinnings through the period included the aforementioned farthingales of various sizes, tightly-laced bodices (although the 18" waist often associated with this period is almost certainly a myth) and the item with the most gloriously prosaic name, the bumroll.

The latter part of the 16th century showed a sharp disticntion in to two styles: the dark, Spanish-influenced styles favoured by the Protestants, particlarly in the Puritan movement in the later part of Elizabeth's reign; and the lighter, more revealing fashions from the Italian court which were more ususally associated with Catholics and later, the Cavaliers.
Of course, all this reflects the trends of the nobility and upper classes. Further from the cities fashions were later to arrive, often by many decades, and lower down the social scale, people dressed more for practicality than style. Working-class men retained the medieval cotte, a knee-length tunic with long, tight sleeves and flared skirts well into the Tudor period while women continued to wear the kirtle and cotehardie.
Children did not have separate fashions of their own, but wore simplified versions of their parents' clothes, even to the extent of putting girls in tightly-laced bodices. Young boys and girls were dressed identically up to the age of around 6 when boys switched to minature men's clothing.

Sources

Perfect Linens, Plain and Fancy, Sarah Thursfield, MMVI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Renaissance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1400-1500_in_fashion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1500-1550_in_fashion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_hood

Janet Arnold: Patterns of Fashion: the cut and construction of clothes for men and women 1560-1620, Macmillan 1985. Revised edition 1986. (ISBN 0-89676-083-9)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublet_%28clothing%29

http://www.periodclothing.co.uk/page/Tudor_Fashion.html

Additions and corrections are welcome, accompanied by referenced sources, to seamstress(at)deadchickenhat(dot)com.

All mistakes are entirely of my own invention, and I claim world-wide copyright on them.

Tudor Children at http://www.trowbridgehistory.co.uk/tudor/index.php?&template=1§ion=2 Victorian http://www.trowbridgehistory.co.uk/victorian/index.php?&template=1§ion=3 Great stuff all periods http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/history.html http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/Tudors.html http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/victorians.html corset ansd smock pattern genrator http://www.elizabethancostume.net/ The clothing worn in the Tudor period was different for the social classes. The clothing of the wealthy was of different materials and a different fashion. This was due in part to the Sumptuary laws enacted by King Henry V111, which were designed to show a distinction between the classes. These laws specified the type of clothes one had to wear and violation of them resulted in severe punishment and even death for the lower classes. Tudor Fashions for the Wealthy Women wore dresses of various colors and materials. They consisted of an overskirt worn over a kirtle. There was s split in the middle of the dress shaped like a V from the waist down that showed the kirtle. This overskirt was attached to the bodice, but the dresses could have two different types of bodices. One style was a low, square neck, while evening gowns usually had a high neck. The kirtle consisted of a bodice and skirt sewn together, but the bottom portion of the skirt fell in folds and often had a train attached at the back that fell beneath the outer dress. Women also wore a farthingdale beneath the dress, which was a hoop that extended the back of the dress. Wearing a roll also helped in supporting the hoop. Men clothing consisted of an undershirt, stockings, a corset, hose and codpiece. The codpiece was a piece of triangular cloth that covered the man’s groin area. It was sewn into the tight fitting stockings (hose) and could be opened and closed by means of strings or buttons. It was also padded and boned. Some of these were made large enough to conceal small weapons. The outer clothing for men consisted of: A doublet, which was a tight fitting buttoned jacket Separate sleeves with large ruffles A belt A ruff, which was a frilled collar A cloak Shoes – usually long and pointed Hat. Tudor Fashions for the Poor The clothing for the rank and file of people living in Tudor times depended on their social status. There were different rules for nobles, the members of the upper class and members of the working class. Poor men had to wear clothing made of wool and linen because these were the cheapest materials. Everyone over the age of six had to wear a woolen cap on Sundays and holidays. There were even regulations regarding the color of clothing one could wear. Lower Class Men were allowed to wear wool, linen or sheepskin clothing, but only in the following colors: brown, beige, yellow, russet green, orange, grey and blue. They were allowed to have silk or velvet trimmings and buttons were allowed on the outside of coats. Women had to wear dresses of the same material and colors and could have silk or velvets trimmings and buttons Tudor dress was highly dependent upon the wearer's social class. The upper classes wore fantastically elaborate fashions of rich colours and sumptuous fabrics which were bejewelled and highly decorated. Male dress was frequently more extravagant than female dress. Frilled collars and cuffs were a sign of wealth and sophistication. the fashions were designed around living in a cold climate in which it was difficult to keep warm - even when inside their houses. It was not uncommon for Tudor men to wear five layers of clothing in an attempt to keep warm. The lower classes wore very basic woollen clothes with very basic colours.

Dead Chicken Hats Biblical Greek Roman Medieval Tudor Stuart Character Glossary Gallery Free Patterns Free Leaflets Videos and Tutorials - NEW! Why The Fish? Fun Stuff Real Chicken Hut About Us About our Costumes Garment Care Fabric & Construction Refunds and Returns Hiring We Don't Sell That, But... Shipping Privacy Policies & Terms Contact Us See-Saw Maths Just What Is A Dead Chicken Hat, Anyway? .	The Tudor era (1485-1603) includes the reigns of two of England's most famous monarchs, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. We're thinking: Nostradamus (1503 - 1566), English Renaissance (c1520-c1620), Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the Protestant Reformation (1517), Sir Walter Raleigh (born c1552), madrigals and the music of Tallis, and Shakespeare (1564-1616), From the Medieval 'long and lean' look, the Tudor sillouette grew ever more broad and square, emphasised by puffed sleeves for men and padding or frames under the skirts for women. Sleeves were a main point of fashion for both and often featured decorative slashing with full undersleeves pulled through the gaps. Henry VIII is seen here wearing a soft hat with embroidered brim, a red gown with large sleeves and fur revers, a beige jerkin open above the waist and with pleated skirts and matching codpiece, a doublet with sleeves showing the shirt sleeves through the slashes, tight white hose and gartered netherhose. After around 1540 the fashionable shape became narrower again, with deep V-waists for both men and women and high ruffs to frame the face.
		Men still wore the linen braies, loose underpants, of earlier times, but the chemise gained a looser cut, a gathered neck and full sleeves which could be pulled through the fashionable slashes in outer garments. Since the shirt was now occasionally seen, trim and embroidery were used for the first time in these body linens. During Elizabeth's reign white-on-white embroidery was popular as were the geomentric designs of blackwork (which could also be in red). Over the shirt came the doublet; a short, quilted jacket cut to fit closely. The sleeves might be separate and laced on at the shoulders. Status was displayed by elaborate decoration and fine fabrics. Silk brocades and velvets were popular, in rich colurs and intricate floral designs. Garments could be trimmed with bands of fur, velvet or passementerie (hand-made trim), including the new form, bobbin lace. Below the doublet the fashionable man showed a lot of leg encased in tight-fitting bias hose. These were brightly coloured and now had the legs joined for modesty's sake. The legs could be of different colours and were laced either to the belt of the braies or to the doublet itself.
	By the middle of Henry VIII's reign the hose became shorter, this time from the bottom up, with the calves covered in netherhose held up with garters. In the second part of the 1500s the hose became shorter still, but wider. Trunk Hose were padded to give the 'pumpkin' look so associated with Sir Walter Raleigh, seen here wearing short, close-fitting upper hose (or breeches) and trunk hose made of strips of fabric over a lining, with netherhose (or stockings) gartered at the knee. His son wears loose slops which reach to below the knee. Codpieces were no longer worn. (Phew!) The medieval houppelande, with its enormous pointed sleeves, had also fallen out of fashion, being replaced early in Henry's reign by a loose gown featuring wide revers, initially ankle-length, but knee-length from around 1530. Similarly, the chaperon finally fell from grace early in this period in favour of soft hats with flat or turned-up brims such as the Tudor flat hat, pleated earlier in the period, gathered later. The medieval coif however, continued its existance. It changed its shape and was usually worn indoors or under another hat, and in black by men, but continued in various forms right through to the modern era. The gown, a new fashion itself with Henry VIII, passed from fashion into tradional garb with Elizabeth in the late 1500s, remaining to the present as academic and clerical robes. For outerwear instead, men usually wore a cloak, hip-length for fashion (and for apocryphally spreading over puddles), or longer in poor weather. Another passing fashion was during the early years of Elizabeth's reign when the beer-belly was considered attractive. Men's doublets were padded to give a full-bellied line, called the peascod. Interestingly, the opposite was the fashion for women.
		In the early Tudor period, women's clothing still resembled medieval, comprising the smock, kirtle and over-gown, except that the waist was worn much higher, under the bust, with fashionable fullness over the tummy. The over-gown could have a deep V-neck with decorated revers, revealing a triangle of the square-necked kirtle underneath and possibly the top of the chemise. The low neck could be filled with a partlet of fine linen. By the reign of Henry VIII the waist descended again and gained a V-point at the front, which became greatly exaggerated during Elizabeth's reign. The farthingale, a conical frame to support the skirt, was introduced from Spain around 1530, as was the pair of stiffened bodies, what we now call a corset. The French Farthingale, which produced a cylindrical shape was worn from around 1590. The houppelande transformed into a gown with bag-sleeves, which might be slit down the front edge to make a loose hanging sleeve. The inside of such sleeves was a place for the display of rich fabrics and ornamentation. The gown could be open down the front revealing a richly-ornamented underskirt called a forepart. Alternative sleeves were trumpet shaped and were often worn turned back to show off the rich linings and undersleeves, which could be part-sleeves attached above the elbows. Similar to doublets, bodices did not always have attached sleeves. The tight fittings that fashion demanded were often eased by tying sleeves to the body through eyelets with laces (points) at the shoulder.
	From the mid-1500s, ruffs became popular for both sexes among the upper classes, both at neck and wrists. Initiallly these were of plain linen, but as they grew larger they gained lace edges and finally were composed of nothing but lace. Chemises, the edges of which were often visible, were also trimmed with embroidery and lace. Women wore their hair covered, either with a veil supported by wire frame, a padded roll or a gable (English) or crescent (French) hood; or with a caul (decorated hair net), a coif, a soft flat hat or the famous steeple-like hennin. In England this was short, more resembling a fez worn on the back of the head. Tall, dark conical hats were popular with Puritans, both men and women, from around 1590. Underpinnings through the period included the aforementioned farthingales of various sizes, tightly-laced bodices (although the 18" waist often associated with this period is almost certainly a myth) and the item with the most gloriously prosaic name, the bumroll.
		The latter part of the 16th century showed a sharp disticntion in to two styles: the dark, Spanish-influenced styles favoured by the Protestants, particlarly in the Puritan movement in the later part of Elizabeth's reign; and the lighter, more revealing fashions from the Italian court which were more ususally associated with Catholics and later, the Cavaliers. Of course, all this reflects the trends of the nobility and upper classes. Further from the cities fashions were later to arrive, often by many decades, and lower down the social scale, people dressed more for practicality than style. Working-class men retained the medieval cotte, a knee-length tunic with long, tight sleeves and flared skirts well into the Tudor period while women continued to wear the kirtle and cotehardie. Children did not have separate fashions of their own, but wore simplified versions of their parents' clothes, even to the extent of putting girls in tightly-laced bodices. Young boys and girls were dressed identically up to the age of around 6 when boys switched to minature men's clothing.