Home >> Collecting >> Antiques

16th Century Womens Dress

In the 16th century, a woman's dress usually consisted of two separate parts, the bodice -- referred to at the time as the "body" or as "a pair of bodies" -- and the skirt, known as a "kirtle." In addition, a gown was often worn over the dress, and the outfit would be completed with some kind of ruff or collar. Materials employed would include wool, woven silk and velvet, often elaborately embroidered.

Bodice
- With stays of wood or whalebone -- called "busks" -- inserted into its lining, the bodice was rigid in the manner of a corset. The waist was pointed at the front, and the neckline would be either high or low and square. Bodices would usually fasten down the left-hand side with a series of hooks.
Skirt
- A large, flaring, heavily worked skirt was the dominating feature of 16th century women's dress. It would either be supported on petticoats or be draped over a "farthingale," an underskirt constructed using a series of hoops of rushes, wire or whalebone. Funnel, dome and bell profiles were all created in this way.
Gowns
- A gown was worn over the dress on formal occasions or to fend off inclement weather. Gowns came in two forms. The loose-bodied variety hugged the shoulders tightly, then dropped away to either side, leaving the front section of the skirt visible. The close-bodied gown fitted snugly to the waist, then flared over the skirt. Both kinds of gown usually had a standing collar.
Ruffs and Collars
- Some women would wear a high-necked chemise -- a kind of blouse -- topped off with a frill. Others might wear a large, separate ruff in the same manner as the men of the period. This could be combined with a low-cut neckline through the addition of a "partlet," a fill-in section of lace. Also popular was the "rebato," the wired collar rising up from the neckline; these were sometimes trimmed with lace and pearls.

Antiques