Peasant's Attire

Men
A typical man’s outfit of the period would include boots, breeches (pants), a shirt, jerkin (vest), and a hat. Shirts were long sleeved and full bodied with drawstring, high collar, drop collar, or no collar.

Women
A typical woman's outfit would be over and under skirts of different colors, a full, billowing shirt, a bodice and inside skim. Chemises were long sleeved and full bodied. Drawstring, high collared, drop collared and no collar shims were all prevelant. Skirts were full and below the ankle.

Colors that are earth tones such as shades of browns, golds, and rust were common among the commoners. There were no fluorescent and other bright colors or pastel shades.

Fabrics were rough amd natural such as wool, woven cotton, raw silk, flax, leather and linen.

Children
Until the age of three all children wore long shifts and a muslin cloth cap (biggins). Older children dress as smaller versions of the adults.

Hats
Nearly everyone wore a hat such as muffin caps, biggins or straw hats.

Nobility

Clothing of the Renaissance period always reflected social status and was a powerful statement about the wealth or occupation of the wearer. At a quick glance anyone could tell a middle class merchant from a peasant or a noble. Nobility made their presence known through extensive use of expensive black fabrics. (Black dye was difficult to get and phenomenally expensive.) Processed fabrics such as Velvet, satin tapestry, brocades, corduroy, etc. were costly and therefor reserved for upper class and nobility. During the Renaissance period red, created by crushing thousands of a certain type ant, was very expensive. Purple, extracted by crushing thousands of tiny sea snails, was reserved only for the Queen.

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