Clothes

Tudor courtiers were great show-offs, above all in their dress. Men and women liked fine materials and bright colours. They were fond of gold and silver thread stitched into fancy patterns. Both sexes wore garments edged with lace or fur. Everyone had lots of rings and bracelets.

Ladies' gowns had full skirts, slashed open at the front to reveal farthingales (hooped petticoats in fine lace). The men wore doublets (long tunics) and hose. Both men and women wore starched lace ruffs round their necks.

After 1600, all men began wearing breeches instead of doublet and hose. At the time of the Civil War, how they dressed depended on which side they took. Roundheads wore plain, dark clothes. Cavaliers dressed brightly, with lots of lace and ribbon. Under the Commonwealth, England's rulers all dressed in Roundhead style. When Charles II was restored, the bright colours and ribbons made a come-back.

By the 1690s, ladies' gowns had full skirts, tight bodices, and low necklines. Ladies wore lots of make-up - paint, rouge, and beauty patches. Wigs, with long, curly ringlets (called 'periwigs') were the fashion for men. They were so heavy and hot that most men shaved their heads.

Walter Robson: Crown, Parliament and People; Oxford University Press, 1992/2002, page 74