Women’s
Fashion Essay
By:
Ebony B
Women’s fashion
in the 17th century was extremely different from fashions today. The
fashions that developed and changed from the early 1600’s to the late 1600’s
are the varieties of sleeves. Another thing that gradually grew bigger was the
way the women styled their hair. Most women wore dresses and skirts with a tight
bodice. Another part of women’s fashion for the less wealthy women adapted to their
clothing and its worth. Unlike our fashions today women’s fashion in the 1600’s
was big and strange.
Sleeves were a
big part of women’s fashion. Usually the silhouettes were tight and sleeves
grew bigger throughout the decades. In the early 1600’s, women started wearing
lace cuffs and bows on their sleeves. Originally, sleeves in the early 1600’s
were nicely fitted. With the lace cuffs the edges were pulled back with
buttons.
Along with the
sleeves, hair was another part of the 17th century that grew and
became more developed overtime. Throughout the years 1625-1650 women began to
keep their hair in loose waves with fringed bangs. Also in the time period
1625-1650 women of those times wore their hair in the styling of a braided bun.
Bows and ribbons were used as hair accessories in this era. In the early and
late 1600’s women learned to feather their hair and make their hair stand high.
Almost no woman
wore pants so it was mostly dresses and skirts with a well-fitting bodice. Bodices
had extremely high or extremely low rounded necklines with wings cut at the
shoulders. Skirt and dress waistlines rose through the time period 1600-1650.
Women wore long broad skirts throughout the time period of the 17th century.
Skirts were stiff and boned and dresses were full gathered in the skirt area.
Country women
used simple fabrics to mimic the expensive fabrics the lady or queen had. Some
expensive fabrics like those were pomegranate, artichoke and floral patterns. Men
and women both had silk jackets with ribbon ties and split sleeves. “Throughout
the middle ages, women borrowed men’s clothes styles, gradually adapting their
shapes to suit female form,” said Bronwyn Cosgrave author of Costume and
fashion From Ancient Egypt to the present day. Fashion in the 17th
century is different from today.
Bibiogrpahy:
Books:
Title- Costume and Fashion
Authour: Jack Cassin-Scott
Publisher: Studia Vista 1994 UK
Title- 2,000 Years of Fashion
Author: Francios Boucher
Publisher: New York Harry N Abrams inc.
Title-Costume and Fashion from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day
Author: Bronwyn Cosgrave
Publisher: Great Britan 2000 Checkmark books
