William Shakespeare Wore Elizabethan Clothing And Wore It Well

When you are imagining the Elizabethan Era you would remember the elegant and beautiful garments that William Shakespeare wore.  Think about those insanely high collars that practically surrounded one’s head.  This was an era when fashion was taken to the extreme.  Remember the padding in various areas that made the body look contorted? That was often the case in both men and women’s clothing.

If you really want to dress up for that costume party or special event, this era will provide the perfect attire.  Remember those old paintings of Queen Elizabeth with her appearance so starched and perfect? That is the norm for this type of clothing.  Think about shoes that required button hooks to fasten, sporting very high heels and that’s for both sexes.

Women wore huge, heavy dresses that remind you of those heavy brocade curtains in the old horror movies.  Heavy red velvet, lots of lace and ribbon and those crazy collars.  The men of the time had it much easier and were often seen in a form of shorts that gave the appearance of really short pantaloons, very puffy and starched.  Under them they wore tights, sometimes very colorful tights at that.  A cape was often around the shoulders and the whole look topped off with a velvet hat with a very large, white ostrich plume attached.

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of Elizabethan clothing were the incredibly tight corsets worn by women of the day.  The idea was to squeeze the woman’s mid-section between fabric laced tightly up the back.  Often great force in pulling the laces and a huge deep breath from the unfortunate wearer were required to achieve the ultimate thin appearance.

You may want to forgo tightening the corset and the avoid the high heels but if you are looking for the perfect William Shakespeare costume or maybe King Henry the 8th or even the ultimate poise of Queen Elizabeth, we can help you find the perfect look for you!