Era of Tudors - Golden Era with Both Negative and Positive Sides

The era of Tudors – there is no doubt that it is accepted as one of the golden ages of England. The Tudor dynasty ruled the nation for the long duration of 118 years.

When we pay heed towards the era of Tudors, we find the mixed traits, which were both positive and negative. The most positive thing during that era was the beginning of the renaissance age in England. It was the era when a great flourish in the cultural activities was witnessed not only in England, but in the entire Europe. Science and arts flourished, which paved the way for the modern era. The prominent thing that put the influence on the modern times is the renaissance clothing. This was the new age clothing, in which a lot of flamboyance was added.

In addition, some new style dances and music styles also came in the limelight as a result of the artistic development. Volta and galliard were two famous renaissance dances. Samples of the Volta dances have been given in the two such films – “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.

In addition, paintings and architectures were also flourished up to some extent, and the role of Tudor monarchs can also not be denied in this regard. King Henry VIII’s interest in architecture is well-known. His daughter, Queen Elizabeth I had her own collection of paintings.

But, there is no doubt that the era of Tudors had some negative sides also. The most negative side was witnessed at the time of Queen Mary I. Queen Mary was a devout catholic and was desperate about reestablishing the catholic faith in England. She not only showed the strictness, but also burnt the innocent Protestants in stakes. It made the queen highly unpopular and gave a bad name to the Tudor dynasty. Mary was dubbed as “Bloody Mary” for this act.

With the end of the era of Queen Mary, the dark era of Tudor dynasty ended and Queen Elizabeth gave the equal respect to both the faiths during her reign. Moreover, she encouraged the art and culture and was also a great fond of fashion. The flamboyant renaissance costumes worn by her were widely popular. Her dresses were beaded by the ornaments. The dresses of the Queen Elizabeth are popular today also and are worn by the brides as the wedding gowns. These costumes are also put on by a lot of people in the themed events.

The era of Tudors will definitely be popular up to the coming scenario.

Medieval History of Men and Women’s Costumes

The time period characterized by fall of Roman Empire and the beginning of renaissance is popularly known as medieval period or middle age. This period saw revival around fifth century and lasted till fifteenth century. It was the period when men’s fashion change rapidly in comparison women’s. Clothing styles of men and women very different from each others. In social setup too their medieval costume differed widely. Lower class people were living in miserable condition; they were forced to wear clothing of last century until disrepair state where they had to buy a new set. New Introduced sumptuary laws divided the society largely on the base color and material of fabric.

Women’s medieval costume

The evidence of women’s clothing, what they actually wore comes from mid-fourteenth century. Female dresses were experiencing a great degree of change. Dresses became tighter with lower necklines and designed to outline the feminine posture. Tight lacing to provide fitting shape, for long waist appearance griddles were used and corset became the one of the significant part of their clothing. Open bodice with attached floor length skirt more popularly called surcoat was the elegant part of their dressing. In actual, in the beginning of fifteenth century gowns replaced all the female wears except surcoat.

Hose, kirtle, smock, gown, surcoat, girdle, bonnet and hood were basic clothing of women. However material and color used in making of these garments were distinct for women of each social status. Upper class women wore garments of expensive fabrics like silk, velvet, damask and taffeta in rich and vibrant colors while lower class women wore apparels of linen, shipskin, wool and cotton. Infact in later period poor people were restricted from using cotton because it was heavily taxed while imported (from India) and kept royals only. Skirt was one of the significant features of medieval dresses of women and petticoat made the way for these fashionable garments which were available in myriad designs and patters.

Men’s Medieval Costumes

Regardless of social standing in society medieval men’s garment were consist of tunic, trousers, cloak and leggings. Single brooch was used to fasten the cloak. Tying, lacing and clasping technique were applied as another method of fastening. ‘Have nots’ wore cloak made from wool. Tunics had length between hip and knee and were tied by belt or girdle. Trousers were worn under short tunic or cloak. With narrow trousers Garters or leggings worn as complementary pairs, two pairs of leggings were worn for protection of legs. Lower class people made use of old clothes to make them while wealthier people’s leggings were custom made.

Social status was supreme during medieval period and this notion made clearer by clothing. Generally scarlet colors like red and purple were meant for nobles especially for kings and princes. Among wealthier people nobles were the trend setter. Their clothing made of expensive fabrics was embellished with elaborate embroideries, laces, ruffles and embedded gems.

Negligence by rulers, miserable living condition and unemployment forced some English people towards the path of piracy. Popularly known as sea robbers, their pirate clothing were basically the looted costumes from hijacked ships of merchants and rulers.

Although clothing were one of the major way of dividing people in social hierarchy but so much of severance resulted in invention of new techniques and clothing designing methods which is still making modern human beings gaga for medieval costumes.

Article Published By: Tudordressing.com

new baby gift come to our site, fabulous gifts for the new arrival or an inspired maternity gift

Interesting Facts about Medieval Renaissance Costumes and Weapons

Renaissance costumes are now are the part of fun and play. Once considered as the costumes of masses and elite now find their place in themed events and parties. Renaissance fairs and events like pirate themed parties are the occasions where people have opportunity to wear these stinking clothes. Want to attend such events, you must have renaissance clothing and associated accessories.

Low quality fabric and poor construction of renaissance costume can spoil the fun of event. Therefore it is advised to seek for only authentic looking medieval clothes online or offline. For searching, type the keywords like medieval clothes, medieval clothing, medieval costumes, renaissance clothing etc on Google or Yahoo or any other web browsers. While shopping, thoroughly read the description, view the picture carefully and go through the customer’s reviews on product and service of seller in order to elude hiccups in future. However remember if you get a quality product from a seller than in future consider placing order with the same firm because firstly you are on satisfied customer of the firm. Second, firm will also leave no stone upturn for providing the quality service for its pleased customer.

By now we are finished on topic - how to shop for medieval renaissance outfits but what about weapons, they are equally important as other dresses, infact during medieval times weapons of medieval knights and warriors were the sign of dignity and supremacy. Therefore let us cast some light on medieval weapons.

* Swords – Most of the people don’t know the difference between swords and daggers, they find these two things in the same level however swords are more harmful than dagger or knives and bigger in size as well. A dagger or knives will leave only bruises on human body while a sword can cut them into pieces. We can see the extensive varieties in medieval swords for instance some had double blades on edge, some were curved, and some were straight. Scimitar, long-swords and spatha were popular swords of those times.

* Warships- During medieval era it was more of sea fighting than on land so warships were vital part of their weapons such as long-ship, junk and gallery.

* Ranged Weapons- Ranged weapons were used to arrack on enemy from distance. These weapons cause maximum damage to enemy without a sign of any minor injury on attacker. Battle axes, maces, Pole arms and spearheads, staffs and canes and war hammers were the part of this category of weapons.

* Blunt weapons – The name itself suggest that the main reason of developing such weapons were to give enemy severe injury. The sole purpose of using of blunt weapons over enemies were to torture, not killing them and make their life worst than hell. Horseman’s pick, the morning star, de Corbin and mace were famous blunt weapons of medieval era.

What we know till now is each medieval weapon has some specific purpose that is why when you dress like a character from middle age, take the weapon accordingly. Do not forget eye patch and rope for extra effect if you are playing a pirate.

What we know till now is each medieval weapon has some specific purpose that is why when you dress like a character from middle age, take the weapon accordingly. Do not forget eye patch and rope for extra effect if you are playing a pirate. For more information about renaissance costumes, medieval clothing and renaissance clothes you can visit our site tudordressing.com.

Various Ways to Wear Renaissance Clothing

Renaissance fair is the time when you get enough opportunity to express yourself. It’s time to strengthened the bonding among friends and families and enjoy medieval way of leaving. This festival provides you a chance to show your capability of enacting like the characters of medieval period. Started in early 1950’s, people in this festival get a chance to dress in renaissance costumes. They enjoy food, music and theatrical performance based on the life of legends of the bygone eras.
Many people attend these fests on regular basis but for some persons it is once in lifetime opportunity. If you are one of those lucky person who is about to attend such fair then apart from renaissance dresses there are other things provided below to consider.
First thing you need to do is - keep your sunglasses or eyeglasses at home while taking part. Obviously nobody in earlier period support sunglasses. They will look awkward and ruin the appearance of renaissance clothing. If it is important to use lens then use contact lenses.
After sunglasses, here comes the accessory second in list. They are the most vital part in shaping the whole appearance and give finishing touch to look. Accessory provides the room of improvement for medieval dress and its range varies from embellishing medieval clothing to headgears to armor and many others. No matter from where and what you purchase, accessories have tendency to personalize the ‘brought costumes’. To get an accurate look apart from medieval outfit, a little make up and require accessory will do a great job.
Third one is hair, during middle age whether men or women most importantly noble women had their unique sense of styling hair. No women in those periods used to cut hair. All had long similar looking hair unlike today’s women who have freedom in to choose the length and style. Mostly the hair of married women was confined in a bun in the back of head. So when you have a few days on your hand before the feast, try to find out the perfect hairstyle.
The last here is shoes. No outfit is complete without them. Either you have wrong pair of shoes or you don’t have and in both the cases you end up ruining your look. If you don’t have time or budget to buy an appropriate pair of shoes then go for black shoes or crystal shoes. For instance, to look like a pirate not only pirate costumes even pirate shoes, bandana, sash, hat and sword are equally required. For adding more effect an eye-patch and rope are considered.
Above mentioned points will help you in achieving the desired look you want. Now-a-days designers know how to make period clothing environment friendly, versatile and in budget of consumers. They use various materials to make alluring and exquisite dresses of velvet, cotton, brocade and satin fabrics. These clothing along with accessories will adorn you with glamorous and elegant look.
For a right renaissance costume do research. Take ideas from magazine, newspaper, books and internet. While medieval themed costumes available offline too but buying online is far better idea as it can provide the same quality of outfit at a reasonable cost.

Understand Renaissance Costumes and Renaissance Dresses

Renaissance clothing flourished in the middle of the medieval age. In theta period, people who were affluent and rich wore this kind of clothing. Costumes were woven from hands and were quite exquisite. The fabrics used for medieval costumes were expensive and luxurious. During that period clothing determined the social stature of the person. Renaissance costumes were worn by people who were financially sound. Since the fabric used in such kind of clothing was costly and classy therefore they were resold at a very high value. Materials used in the medieval clothing were silk, wool, cotton, brocade; velvet etc. fabrics were specially imported from other countries. The costumes were rich in designs and were highly polished. Costumes of medieval age had embellishments of sparking jewels, pearls, ribbons, gems that made them elaborate and stunning. Affluent people used to make sure that their clothing reflects their stature. Medieval clothing has rich and elegant embroidery of gold and silver which made them even more costly.

Women costumes in medieval period were simple as well as intricate. Simple clothing comprised of bodices, underskirts and robes while the intricate one were skirts, collars , over bodices etc. costumes were stitched in a way to give woman’ body an hourglass figure which enhanced their look. Royal or affluent ladies used to wear bright colors like reds, orange and purple etc while the wench in that period was seen in brown shades. Women used to accessorize their dresses with broach and lace. To make the renaissance look complete, hat was an essential item to wear. Hats were made of the same expensive material like that of their costumes. Shoes were made of leather and had wooden soles.

In men clothing, the costumes were designed in a way to give them curved and barrel appearance in order to enhance their shape of body. Fabrics used in men clothes were similar to that of women. Shirts were loose fitted and had beautiful patterns with cushioned shoulders. The trousers that were known as breeches at that time were till the knee. Shoes were similar to that of women and hats were strikingly beautiful with stunning and fancy embroidery.

Pirate clothes are a rage these days since they are designed in a unique and distinct style. Pirate clothes are preferred by people of all age groups. If you desire to wear costumes of pirates then select accessories of renaissance period as well. Pirate clothing comprises of knitted cap, breeches or trousers known as breeches, shirts, boots, and swords. Pirate eye patch is on the top of the desired items of pirate dressing.

Popularity of renaissance costume and renaissance dresses has not faded even today. People find opportunities to wear such kind of Halloween or medieval clothing when renaissance festivals or fairs are arranged.

Online Shopping for Renaissance Costumes

It is very impressive to find the wide array of renaissance clothing to choose from but the situation was not same during renaissance period. People had limited number of options to wear during that era. A single costume was worn number of times and was dirty all because of lack of laundry facilities and poor hygiene. But thankfully this is 22th century and renaissance costumes lovers can choose from the costumes of royal levels to peasants. To create the magic of past one can opt for desired costume from past.

To make a selection from the diverse option seems to be quite a challenging task. Even during festive seasons, it becomes very hectic for every retailer to meet the requirement. After all it is not possible for them to make available their range of costumes at every mall. The problem of locating vendors could be solved if you haunt for the medieval costumes online.

There should be no worry about the look as choices are diverse when it comes to renaissance costumes. If you think, after searching mall to mall you are not getting the product that really maintain balance between quality and cost then leave the old fashion way of offline shopping. Online retail shop would make your shopping experience hazel free. Online retails shops offer very authentic and beautiful rage of medieval clothing with awesome quality of fabric. The quality of products of these retailers is on par with the offline retailers and also available at reasonable amount but they don’t charge less at the expense of quality. Online shopping can prove to be a great money saver as you could save money on purchase and also you don’t need to spend on transport.

So why people have such a craze for renaissance dresses, the reason behind this is many festivities based on medieval theme for instance medieval theme wedding, pirate theme events, Halloween party and renaissance fairs even you can throw a party on middle age theme. All you have to do is to invite your guest in renaissance clothing, decorate the place with medieval theme accessories and order foods that belong to magical era. To increase the level of enjoyment you can organize a play, music and other activity of renaissance period. All above mentioned occasions are a way to show love and respect to medieval era and its al medieval things. Whatever the character you want to portray online shop will fulfill.

Shopping on internet can deliver the exact costume what actually is in your mind from its diverse category. Visit 3 to 4 websites for a single product, this will help you to compare the cost or atleast you will get the idea of product’s price. This action of yours will assist you in acquiring a quality product at an affordable rate. But don’t search on any website blindly, haunt for products only on well know websites like PirateDropship.Com, Renaissance-Outfits.Com and TheMiddleAges.Co.Uk because not many websites could offer you the costumes in terms of options, quality, availability and customer service.

For more information on renaissance costumes and dresses, medieval accessories pirate swords, medieval swords and other replicas we recommend you to visit our website tudordressing.com

Article Source