What Fabrics Were Used in the Elizabethan Age?
- The rich people during the Elizabethan era were easily recognized by their clothes in both style and fabric. Silk that was of heavy texture was the mainstay fabric for rich men and women, and was imported from the Middle East. Velvet imported from Italy made up dresses, coats and pants for men. Clothes of the rich were trimmed with fur, satin and lace. Women wore gowns of taffeta, brocades, damask and satin. The men and women of nobility were privy to a variety of expensive fabric dyes, and bright scarlet was a favorite of the day.
- Wool was the basic fabric of the working class and poor people during the Elizabethan period. Wool varied in texture from fine to heavy coarse weaves. All items of clothing were constructed in wool, cotton or sheepskin--including shirts, coats, caps, tunics and pants. Even stockings were made of wool, keeping the working class warm during cold spells. Colors were also sorted by class, allowing the poor to wear such colors as brown, black, yellow and green. Wool was also blended with other fabrics to create a variety in texture and weight. The lower-class people were allowed to trim their clothes with silk, taffeta and velvet, should they be able to afford them.
- Silk and satin dresses of the wealthy class during the Elizabethan period were lined and interlined in fine handkerchief-weight linen, while the working-class people used a coarser and heavier weave of the fabric. A sturdy grade of satin and taffeta was also popular for lining, puffing sleeves and giving body to women's skirts. Colorful velvets made up collars, cuffs and buttons. Gloves and shoes were constructed of fine soft leather, often lined in satin and velvet. Women wore shoes and boots trimmed in velvet, silk, fur and lace--with added jewels and embroidery.
- Most undergarments, including shifts and chemises, were made of linen--varying in quality between the rich and poor. The rich folks wore a fine, smooth linen while the poor people dressed in a coarser and heavier version of the fabric. Poorer folks also used cotton for undergarments. Upper- and middle-class women wore simple cotton stockings reaching to the knee and held up with cotton garter belts. A cotton and linen blend fabric was used to pad shoulders and bustles of dresses.