High-value broadcloth was a backbone of the English economy and was exported throughout Europe. Wool fabrics were available in a wide range of qualities, from rough undyed cloth to fine, dense broadcloth with a velvety nap. Wool was the most popular fabric for all classes by far, followed by linen and hemp. Fine linen was important for headdresses and for the shirts and chemises revealed by new lower necklines and slashing. Fabrics and fur Bold pomegranate- or artichoke-patterned silks are characteristic of the 15th century, as are richly coloured velvets and woolens. Especially in Florence, where sumptuary laws prevented the citizens from wearing the most luxurious cloths on which the city's fortunes were built, the materials of men's clothing in particular often appear plain in paintings, but contemporaries who understood the difference in grades of cloth very well would have appreciated the beauty and great expense of a very fine grade. Purchases of fabrics through Italian merchants like the two cousins both named Giovanni Arnolfini amounted to a noticeable proportion of all government expenditure. Having added Holland and Flanders to their dominion, the Dukes of Burgundy had access to the latest fabrics of Italy and the East and to English wool exports through the great trading cities of Bruges and Antwerp. With England and France mired in the Hundred Years War and its aftermath and then the English Wars of the Roses through most of the 15th century, European fashion north of the Alps was dominated by the glittering court of the Duchy of Burgundy, especially under the fashion-conscious power-broker Philip the Good (ruled 1419–1469). Historians conjecture that the raw materials used to make clothing changed along with the styles, from wool to linens, as well as the colors of the textiles, and the types of weave, from homespun grey woolens to imported red and darkly colored textiles.ĭominance of the Burgundian court They catch the herring at no cost to themselves, by the abundant grace of God, while the merchants offer the best they have in order to secure a good bargain - and sometimes even lose their lives in shipwrecks. The reason for this is that they have all become very rich due to the fishing that takes place every year around Scania. Previously, they dressed like seamen because they lived by the coast and were always preoccupied with ships, but now they clothe themselves not only in scarlet, parti-coloured and grey furs, but also in purple and fine linens. The Danes, who imitate the habits of the Germans.are now adopting the dress and weapons of other nations. The Lübeckian chronicler Arnold mocked changes in Danish attire he attributes to the increasing economic power of the Danes: General trends New trends emerge among the Danes National variations in clothing seem on the whole to have increased over the 15th century. People could now be dated by their clothes, and being in "out of date" clothing became a new social concern. It is in this time period that fashion took on a temporal aspect. 1470 Īs Europe continued to grow more prosperous, the urban middle classes, skilled workers, began to wear more complex clothes that followed, at a distance, the fashions set by the elites. Young Italian men wear brimless caps, The Betrothal, c. Hats, hoods, and other headdresses assumed increasing importance, and were draped, jeweled, and feathered. Detail from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.įashion in 15th-century Europe was characterized by a series of extremes and extravagances, from the voluminous robes called houppelandes with their sweeping floor-length sleeves to the revealing doublets and hose of Renaissance Italy. Costume in the years 1400-1500 Full-bodied houppelandes with voluminous sleeves worn with elaborate headdresses are characteristic of the earlier 15th century.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |