Indoor clothes

Chemise: The chemise was an undergarment usually made of linen. It was an essential part of the women's outfit.

Petticoat: A petticoat was worn over the farthingale. It was usually pleated to add more volume to the gown.

Partlet: A partlet was a kind of shirt, very often made of silk to cover the chest and shoulder.

Ruff: Ruffs were an important part of the ensemble. They are basically frilled collars that were worn by both men and women. They were made of fine linen and stiffened with starch.

A roll or rowle: A rowle was a kind of padded belt, worn under the kirtle.

Outwear

Cloak – A garment cut from ¾ of a circle or more, flaring out from the shoulders. Often highly decorated, it was worn to the ankle, waist or fork.  

 Mentle - A square blanket, rug or cloth put over a woman’s knees for warmth or worn draped around the body and attached at one shoulder.

Accessories

Zibellini or Flea furs  - is the most expensive zibellini had faces and paws of goldsmith's work with jewelled eyes.

Gloves of perfumed leather featured embroidered cuffs.

Belts were a surprising necessity: used either for fashion or more practical purposes

Boots - Boots were made of smooth or wrinkled leather, fittings were loose or tight, used for riding and walking

 Buskins - Buskins were calf length shoes / boots

Hairstyles and Headgear

Elizabethan Hair Styles for women were designed to compliment the upper class fashions of the day. Ruffs, or ruffles, were in high fashion and during the Elizabethan era these became more elaborate and were constructed on gauze wings which were raised at the back of the head. The ruffs, or collars, framed the face and dictated the hairstyles of the age which were generally short for men and swept up look was required for women.

The hairstyle was usually designed to compliment the style of the hat. Frizzed hair was favored by the Queen and therefore followed by ladies of the court although straight hair was favored with a center parting which especially complimented the French hood.

Make up

FACE

A pale complexion was considered to be a sign of good health and prestige at the time (only rich women could afford to have fair skin because poor ones would work for hours outside and that resulted in a tan). One of the most common ways to whiten skin was to use Ceruse, a foundation made with white lead (which was poisonous!) and vinegar. Others instead preferred to apply sulphur, alum or tin ash. White eggs were also used both to fake a paler complexion and hide wrinkles.

EYES & EYEBROWS

Women used black kohl to rim their eyes and make them look darker. Belladonna, which enlarges pupils so that eyes look larger and sparkly, was also used. Also, at the time, fashion required eyebrows to be thin and arched, which would create a high forehead (it was considered to be a sign of aristocracy) . For this reason, women would pluck their eyebrows a lot to achieve the desired effect.

CHEEKS & LIPS

Rrouge cheeks and lips were very popular. To achieve them, women would use plant (like madder, an Asian plant with red roots) and animal dyes (such as cochineal, a beetle) on the cheeks. Cheeks were also reddened using a mixture of egg white and ochres. Madder and cochineal were also used on the lips, which could also be reddened by using vermilion, a red pigment obtained from mercury sulphide.