A Peasant Woman's Costume The Basics Though the outfits worn by the peasantry varied from region to region, the following elements were common in most regions, easily made and readily available for purchase, as well as being standard "faire ware". Chemise - Lady peasants wear a chemise which can be of three differing lengths. A chemise is constructed basically like a full shirt. One type ends at the waist, the next is thigh length chemise, and lastly, the full-length chemise that looks very much like a nightgown. The bonus to purchasing a full length chemise is that it can be used as your underskirt which saves you the time the money of purchasing or making two skirts. Peasant chemises are humble garments constructed from the most commonly available fabrics in Elizabethan England, namely flax or linen. Broadcloth, cotton lawn, muslin or any lightweight, solid colored fabric of natural fiber can pass casual inspection. Some merchants sell chemises made of 'bubble' gauze, which is a wonderful fabric for use at Faire. It's light enough for comfort, dries quickly, never needs to be ironed, and hangs well. Bodice - A bodice is worn over the chemise like a vest, but it laces up. Bodices are made from heavy, sturdy material like canvas or heavy wool or fine whaled corduroy, cotton chamois cloth or any heavy, durable cloth of a solid color made of natural fibers. Brocade, tapestry and velvet is beyond the means of a peasant. The bodice is boned for support much like a corset, so that it holds your body into the Elizabethan shape. Boning in bodices is heavier than the type you find in women's lingerie. If you sew your own bodice, check with Elizabethan garb websites that sell heavy corset boning. Since the bodice is by far the most difficult item of peasant clothing to construct, you may want to purchase a pre-made one and save yourself the work. Skirts - Peasant women wear two skirts (or one, if your chemise reaches your ankles) The top skirt is pulled up slightly and tucked into the waistband to keep the hem of it from getting dirty. Skirts are made from a wide variety of materials, including linen, wool, or any solid color natural fiber fabric that approximates the "look", including cotton broadcloth, lawn, chamois cloth, flannel, or bubble gauze. These skirts are very simple to make. Gored skirts look much more flattering than skirts made with a simple drawstring. Cloaks - A cloak is great though it is not absolutely necessary. Choose a simple design in a heavier natural fabric with no ruffles or satin lining. Peasants cannot afford velvet, although a wool cloak is very common. Underpinnings - You might want a pair of tights to wear beneath your costume. Cotton tights are preferable. If you wanted to be truly accurate wear a pair of bloomers and this can be finished off with extremely period cotton stockings held up with simple garters at the knee. Hat - All Elizabethan women wear a hat when out in public, all the time. Muffin caps are simple circles gathered near the edges, a biggins and coifs are close-fitting caps that cover the top of the head, which can be worn alone, or underneath a wide-brimmed plain straw hat. Snoods are a simple answer to any hair question. Shoes - Shoes are without a doubt the most difficult item of clothing to procure for faire. Chinese slippers and "kung-fu" shoes are fairly serviceable and can be found in many shops and online. The soft variety of Irish dancing shoes also make an interesting option for peasant footwear and are something like a ballet slipper that laces a few times over the arch of your foot. Leather moccasins also suffice, but avoid any design that has fringe or silver accents. Only the poorest peasants wore sandals and any shoe with high heels is inappropriate. Accessories - A belt is a must-have accessory for Elizabethan peasant women. Belts are made of simple leather or strips of braided cloth. Furthermore, don't forget a pouch which to hang from the belt and will take the place of your purse and store your ID, money, car keys, sunscreen and so forth. Hang your drinking tankard from your belt along with wooden bowls, bells and all of the other items that will detail your persona through your costume. Peasants do not have costly jewelry, perfume oils or makeup, though a few items of string, ribbon, clay or carved wood would be acceptable, as would a few fresh flowers. If you wish to wear makeup, it should be kept as natural as possible. When purchasing fabric or pre-made garb, keep in mind what colors would have been available to Elizabethan peasants. Peasants would have worn clothing in shades of earth tones, such as browns, beiges, greens, russets, deep oranges, and saffron, as well as medium to dark blues. Pure, snowy white was not common, and neither were bright, vivid shades like scarlet, royal blue, or bright yellow, or black. Very pale pastel shades like petal pink or baby blue were also uncommon. Also, do not wear purple! Purple was reserved for royalty only. Middle Class Woman's Wardrobe - Because the "middle class" is made up of such a wide variety of people, the costume of the middle class was similarly varied. More humble women of the middle class wear an outfit much like her peasant counterpart, Chemise or Partlet - Women of the middle class wear a chemise, but the type of fabric is more varied. The middle class chemise is made of good quality linen or wool and is styled either full with a gathered neckline and cuffs like her peasant counterpart or with a more structured collar slashed open in front which was known as a "partlet". Some embroidery or ribbon is added to the edges of a middle class chemise to highlight the fact that she was a woman of some means. Broadcloth, cotton lawn, fine muslin or any lightweight, solid colored fabric of natural fiber can pass casual inspection. Bodice - Though middle class women's bodices all basically follow the same lines, there are many variations on the general theme: some laced up the front, like the peasant version, while more well to do women who could afford a servant might have a bodice that laced up the back. Small cap or puff sleeves at the shoulders could be worn, as could "tippets" (little tabs of fabric sewn into the waist cut in various shapes). Middle class women can afford a wider range of fabrics than a peasant. Fine wool, heavy linen, flannel, cotton chamois cloth and fine whaled corduroy are appropriate choices for a more modest middle class woman's bodice. A wealthy merchant's wife has clothing almost as fine as a noblewoman and could even use brocades, velvets and tapestries. The bodice is boned for support or wear a period-styled corset underneath it. The overall line of your clothing will be ruined if you are not wearing the appropriate corset. Sleeves - Sleeves are tied (or even possibly sewn) on to the shoulders of a bodice. There is probably more variation with sleeves than in any other area of Elizabethan costuming. A few popular styles of the era is the leg of mutton sleeve, which is a padded sleeve that is full on the upper arm and tapered at the wrist. Then there is the hanging sleeve which was really two sleeves; one of them left unbuttoned and open to hang over a narrower undersleeve. Browse the offerings of different merchants, patterns and portraits of the period for ideas. A woman's sleeves can be made out of the same fabric as her bodice, or her underskirt or a contrasting fabric already in her costume. Skirts - Lower middle class women wear the same gored or circle skirts as her peasant counterpart, only in better quality linen, wool or any solid color natural fiber fabric that approximates the look of cotton broadcloth, lawn, chamois cloth, or flannel. An upper middle class woman wears an overskirt (probably of the same material as her bodice and sleeves), like a noblewoman, usually split up the front to reveal the often elaborate forepart of her underskirt. Upper middle class women have gowns made of heavy silk, velvet, damask or brocade in addition to the more common wools and linens. Middle class women have something to add fullness to the skirts. Lower middle class women simply wear a petticoat, while social climbing upper middle class women wear the same farthingale (hoopskirt) that a noblewoman does. Cloaks - A cloak is great, though it is not absolutely necessary, made out of any of the previously mentioned fabrics, or a combination thereof. Avoid ruffles. Ruffled designs are from a later period, and tend to look odd next to an Elizabethan costume. Underpinnings - Besides the previously mentioned corset and farthingale or petticoat that some middle to upper middle class women will need, a bumroll is both very period and very common. A bumroll is a padded circlet that sits around a woman's hips, accentuating the swell of her hips and "bum". Nearly every Elizabethan woman above peasant class wears a bumroll, as they were much less expensive than a farthingale. Hats - All Elizabethan women wear a hat when out in public, all the time. There are different choices available based on costume and social standing. Muffin caps are simple circles gathered near the edges and are worn by peasants and lower middle class women, while flat caps are a fancier version. Middle class muffin caps are made of fine linen or similar fabric and trimmed embroidery or a bit of ribbon, while flat caps are done in a heavier fabric, like velvet or brocade and even accented with a broach, feather or both. French hoods are an even more formal choice and were very popular with the nobility, and thus upper middle class women. A French hood is a small, stiff headpiece covered with an opulent fabric and often trimmed ornately with beads, pearls and jewels, with a shoulder length veil hanging down the back to cover a woman's hair (often the veil was black). Coifs are close-fitting caps that cover the top of the head and are worn underneath under other headwear. Accessories - A pouch is a must-have item you can hang from the belt and will take the place of your purse to store your ID, money, car keys, sunscreen, and so forth. They are simple to make and easy to find. Middle class women don't wear tankards and bowls and such hanging from their belts, as a peasant woman would have done. One rather unique ornament for middle class women is a set of keys indicating that she is mistress of her own home. Find a few large, heavy iron keys, they'll make a perfect accent to your costume. Upper middle class women like noblewomen wear a fancy feather fan hanging from her belt or a pomander. Jewelry was indicative of how much money you had, so when playing a lower middle class woman you wear one or two humble items, but an upper middle class woman wears as much as the sumptuary laws would allow. If you wish to wear makeup it is kept as natural as possible. Perfumes can be worn by middle to upper middle class woman. Elizabethan middle class women have access to better quality dyes and thus wear brighter, truer colors than her peasant counterparts. In addition to the peasant-y earth tones, such as browns, beiges, greens, russets, deep oranges, saffron, and medium to dark blues, middle class women could wear bright, jewel toned colors such as scarlet, ruby, sapphire or peacock blue, emerald green and bright saffron. Purer, brighter whites are worn by middle class women, as well as black in small quantities. Very pale pastel shades like petal pink or baby blue were uncommon, and purple is never appropriate. Pomanders - For the high middle class and nobility, pomanders were lovely. You can make your own pomander with an orange or tangerine taking an awl and poking holes in the orange, and placing whole cloves in the holes. You can glue ribbon around the whole orange, and leave a length of ribbon to attach it to your belt. You can also skip the glue and poke holes through the ribbon into the fruit and secure it to the fruit with the cloves. Hang this in a cool and very dry place for about a week, and it will be ready. Made of gold or silver metal, this is basically a ball with holes on a length of ribbon or chain. Inside the ball, you can put a number of things. Cloth soaked with essential oils, cloves, potpourri and sachets are all perfect to put inside the pomander. Ladies carried these on their person because back in the 16th century, both city streets, and city people tended to smell pretty nasty. Fans - They're lovely and when it gets hot, they are a lifesaver. Peasant women have fans woven of wicker, leaves or straw. Middle class and noblewomen have a much broader spectrum to choose from. Fabric fans, feather fans, fans of carved wood...there are a multitude of lovely fans to choose from. Please avoid plastic fans or fans with decidedly modern prints. Eating Utensils - Peasants carried their feast gear with them, even bowls. Peasants rarely have flatware. You'd likely have a knife though. However only the upper classes have forks or spoons just for their own usage. Peasants have rough wooden soupspoons. Drinking Utensils - People carry their drinking utensils with them in a basket or attached to the belt with ribbon, rope or cord. Peasants have battered metal or wood tankards while the upper classes have more ornate tankards or pewter goblets. Scope out your local thrift and antique stores. The metal tankards with the see-through bottoms aren't period. Pouches - Easy to sew, and easy to buy, you'll want some pouches to carry your things. ID, Participant's Card, makeup, cigarettes, medication, anything you need on your person at all times. Make sure you attach these securely to your belt. Jewelry - Thrift stores, antique stores are great places to hunt for jewelry. It doesn't need to be 100% accurate. It just needs to look accurate enough. Avoid plastic beads and things constructed entirely of rhinestones. Look for things that look "vintage". A lot of jewelry that's technically "Victorian" in theme works great for fair. Stones set in metal are wonderful. Stones were cut to fit metal settings or glued into them. . Pierced earrings are not period but do not hestitate to wear them. Rings, necklaces and pins are all wonderful. You can even use necklaces to string across your bodice. Keep in mind that the only jewelry peasant women would have would be very humble. Made of ribbon, bone, leather or clay, peasant women nearly never had jewelry, but this is a Faire and likely they'd want to dress up to the best of their ability. Trade or Leisure Items - Women, feel free to carry wooden embroidery hoops and sit down to work under a tree if you wish. Carry your washing, mending, sewing, anything that looks homey and period. Items of your trade are great! Belaying pins, wooden thread spools, tools and anything else can make charming additions to your costume. Hair, Makeup and Perfume at Faire - We realize that women want to look as pretty as possible, while keeping themselves looking historically accurate. Below is a guide to being pretty, and period, while working at Faire. Makeup - Even peasant women can wear makeup. Just keep it looking natural. Everyone is going to need to wear sunscreen under their foundation, even if their foundation has an SPF. For some reason, Faire is a place of sunburns if you're not careful. On your lips, peasants and middle class can go with lip gloss, which is wonderful for your lips in the hot sun. Nobles can wear lipstick. Red was a common colour choice. As for eye makeup, all women should keep it pretty tame. Peasants and middle class can go for a natural colour theme. Browns, soft oranges, beiges, bones and yellows are good colours for a smidge of eye shadow. Noblewomen might want to outline their eyes with a thin black line, and use mascara. Nothing ruins Faire faster than a sunburn. Hair - Women are encouraged to wear a hat or headpiece. Women who don't wear something on their heads are thought to be of questionable virtue. Not wearing a hat was actually illegal in some places. Very young girls often went about without hats, it was fine if they were young and unmarried. If you choose to wear your hair down, or if any of it is visible, make sure it looks nice. You can do nearly anything. Put it up in a bun, curl it into ringlets, braid it, string it with pearls or beads, braid ribbons into it, anything that looks lovely and appropriate. Bangs aren't period. Snoods are wonderful for any hair problem. You can wear them alone, or under a kerchief or hat. Also feel free to use modern hair products to keep your style in place. |