Elizabethan Era Clothing Essay

1139 Words5 Pages

Throughout the history of humanity, various products made by man have evolved through the changing technological ways of society. However, not many people think of textiles as a product that has undergone many stages of advancements, not only in production of the product, but the designs of it as well. Even during the Elizabethan Era, textiles were seen as a vital product in the marketplace for not only economic reasons, but for cultural purposes. Every new era of a culture brings new ideas and historical events that affect all artistic products, especially textiles. Since the Elizabethan Era, textiles have been shaped by history, culture, and new fashion trends which cease to rapidly change in even today’s present day society. Textiles have …show more content…

Queen Elizabeth’s influence of her fashion taste contributed to the textile industries booming business. Queen Elizabeth as a child always had an eye for beautifully crafted gowns. She did not like basic patterns or plain solid colors; her interest was in magnificent fabrics and jewels to make her wardrobe iconic and unique which set her apart from other previous queens. The Queen’s style influenced other Elizabethans to copy her fashion and design choices. The Queen enjoyed altering her dresses for her new style ideas. She also not only used her royal dresses to increase her self-esteem, but to increase her political hold. She had a firm belief that rich gowns would aid in impressing people, which would therefore give her an upper hand during political situations where she needed to dominate her opponent. Queen Elizabeth sought to intimidate others with her gowns luxurious fabrics and jewels. Just as Queen Elizabeth believed in dressing for power, so did the rest of her population. Elizabethan began to “power dress”, or dress in styles that would distinguish themselves and their social statuses. Due to Queen Elizabeth being a significant influence in English fashion during the Elizabethan Era, any designed textile fabric she was seen in would gain instant popularity by the public (Leed, “Queen Elizabeth’s Influence on Elizabethan Fashion”,