Italian fashion, art, music, and philosophy flourished during the Renaissance in Italy. The cities of
Venice,
Milan,
Florence,
Palermo,
Naples, and
Rome produced textiles such as velvet, silk, and wool. Italian fashion grew in popularity and influence across Europe, and was preferred by one of the most powerful families in Italy, the
Medicis of Florence. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Italian fashion was influenced by the art of
Michelangelo,
Leonardo da Vinci, and
Raphael. Italian fashion was extravagant and expensive, crafted from velvet, brocade, ribbons, and jewels.
Women's styles during the Renaissance In the 1400s, women's fashion shifted from high-necked gowns and braided hair wrapped around the head to layered V-shaped necklines and longer braids. Gathered and pleated skirts were popular. Women's fashion at the time could be defined by one word: fullness. While men worked to accentuate the top portion of their bodies, women did the opposite. The top and bust area was always fitted and the waist was to be accentuated as the tiniest part of the body. Then the bottom half of the body would be made to look as full as possible, with extravagant and over the top skirts. Wide and puffed sleeves were the popular styles and wealthy women often had fur lined sleeves. Clothing was not about comfort or convenience, as women would typically wear about 5 layers on an everyday basis. Women's dresses consisted of fitted garments worn underneath a belted dress, also called
giornea. Unlike the men's, the women's
giornea covered their feet, and originally evolved from the
houppelande (a long, full-skirted gown with a high collar). The skirts were fitted around the waist and often pleated. Earlier dresses had a slit in the front that revealed the garment underneath, and later dresses had a slit on the side. Underneath the
giornea, women wore a
gamurra, a long dress that had a high waistline. Some had detachable sleeves. The undergarment was a plain linen dress, called a
camicia. Women wore high heels called Pianelle. Heels were worn less for fashion at the time and more for functionality. Women wore heeled shoes to keep their dresses from dragging on the damp and dirty streets. , ca. 1510
Women's hairstyles and headdresses Hairstyles at the time were dependent on a woman's marital status. If a woman was single, she would wear her hair down, usually in loose curls. Once women were wed, they would begin wearing their hair up, in tight braids. Popular accessories for the hair: •
Lenza- a leather cord known as a worn around the head to keep hair flat •
Trinzale- a sheer hairnet worn at the back of the head and sometimes beaded •
Coazzoni -women parted their hair in the middle and smoothed to the head with a long braid at the back, where ribbons or netting could be added. • Wigs and False Braids • Other hairstyles used long strips of ribbon to secure the hair and tie it into a bun.
Men's styles during the Renaissance - Bearded Man in Black, 1576. Renaissance men wore hose or tights to emphasize their lower body. During the
Italian Renaissance, men wore large, fitted waistcoats underneath pleated overcoats called
giornea, which had wide, puffy mutton sleeves and were often made from
brocade. Men wore hats like
caps and
berets. Men typically wore an overcoat called a
cioppa, which had lining of a different color than the main fabric, a defining feature of fashion during the Italian Renaissance. Men typically wore
hose or tights that emphasized their lower bodies. Men and women wore outer clothes with detachable and often
slashed sleeves of varied designs. Wealthy people owned many different pairs of sleeves to match their overcoats and dresses. The Renaissance changed societal attitudes toward clothing and appearance. Men in particular wanted to wear more fitted clothes to emphasize their body shape. Merchants expanded the market for apparel, and created complementary accessories such as hats, hairnets, bags, and gloves. The widespread use of mirrors, popular in Renaissance interior design and architecture, increased interest in self-image and fashion.
Men's hairstyles and headdresses The
bonnet was worn by Venetians. The bonnet is a small, round or squared, brimless cap that was usually red or black and made of
felt or velvet. It is unadorned and sometimes pinched in at the four corners. Slight variations in the bonnet's style were visible among the different
social classes and professions. For church officials and university professors, the cap had four corners or the sign of the cross. For a doctor of divinity, the cap had three corners. The cornered cap evolved into today's square trencher or
mortarboard university hat. • Flat cap or beret (Popular during the first half of the 16th century). It was often worn over a velvet coif or gold cord net and sometimes attached to a wig. Caps for daily use were made out of cloth, while fancier bonnets were made out of luxurious materials like felt, velvet,
satin,
taffeta, scarceness (a thin silk) and straw in the summer. The decorations used for the beret were usually white, in untrimmed ostrich, peacock, marabou and wool imitation, and plumes. Feathers held with jeweled sockets with spangles and jewels would often be sewn onto the spine. Brooches with sacred motifs were also used for decoration. Small gold ornaments in bowknots, rings, and buttons were sewn to the underside of the brim. It was common for men in the 16th century to have a clean-shaven face along with a straight or crimped bob. Long bangs of natural hair or silk wigs were fashionable, as well.
Francois I started the trend of short hair and beards in the Italians and the Swiss, after accidentally cutting his hair. In the 1560s, starch was invented and men started to starch their beards. From the 1570s to 1590s, men brushed the front of their hair up off their foreheads. For elegant events or occasions, men wore wigs to conceal their baldness. They would wear tilted berets attached to a wig instead of a
coif. Wigs were made out of real hair.
Clerical dress Prior to 1500, there were no rules about the color of the clerical dress. However, due to a decision in 1565 in Milan, black became the accepted color in Italy. While white remained as the pope's
biretta color, scarlet was accepted by the Cardinals, purple by the bishops, and black by the clerics. == Decline ==