In the 11th century, women in Europe wore loose garments that were similar in shape to the tunics worn by men. These dresses featured sleeves that varied in fit and length, with hemlines falling below the knees and most often reaching the ankle or ground. Women wore these outer layers over ankle-length chemise garments during this period. As the century progressed, dressmakers began making slits to the waist and in the sleeves that were laced closed to fit the figure more tightly. Laces were gradually replaced by buttons as tailoring techniques improved. By the end of the 11th century, sleeves widened with cuffs sometimes reaching several feet in circumference. This style remained popular into the 13th century, although the sleeves once again became more fitted. In the 13th and 14th centuries, a similar dress known as a cote-hardie came into fashion. This garment was closed down the front of the bodice with buttons that extended to the hip. The result was a dress that was more fitted through the hip rather than just to the waist. These dresses also often featured decorative elements such as long strips of cloth around the elbow known as tippets. In the 15th century, houppelandes and gowns became popular. Houppelandes were full-cut, floor-length dresses with high collars and full sleeves. Gowns were also long dresses, but they had open necklines and closer-fitted bodices. Both houppelandes and gowns were often belted just below the bust.
Renaissance Structuring And Sumptuary Laws
European dresses at the start of the 16th century resembled those of the previous century: full-cut, belted gowns with large sleeve openings worn over a kirtle or petticoat and chemise. Decorative treatments such as pinking, slashing, and blackwork embroidery became increasingly common during this era. Necklines were initially low and broad, but wearers began to fill in the open space with high collared chemises or partlets. From the 1540s, the bodices of dresses were stiffened, flattening the wearer's chest. Skirts were shaped with a Spanish farthingale from that same decade. The resulting silhouette resembled two triangles stacked upon one another. From the 1550s, middle- and upper-class European women could choose between the still popular rigid farthingale style or a looser-style gown known as a ropa. The ropa style of dress was known by different names throughout Europe, including sumarra in Italy, marlotte in France, and vlieger in Holland. Fashionable sleeves were often more fitted with puffs at the shoulder. From the 1570s, dress became even more highly decorated, exaggerated, and rigid. The previously popular conical skirt shape achieved with a Spanish farthingale was replaced by the wider, more conical wheel farthingale. Under Queen Elizabeth, sumptuary laws dictated what people of different social rank were allowed to wear.