Style over substance: Paris as the capital of fashion from the Renaissance to the present - Essay Example

Style over substance: Paris as the capital of fashion from the Renaissance to the present The evolution of the world has been accompanied by various changes. These changes have not only been felt in the world of science and technology, but also fashion. The development fashion in the French society is well documented. A sharp transition is discernable starting with the renaissance period until the current era. Undoubtedly, this proves that fashion trend is particularly dynamic, more so because of the trending globalization. During the renaissance period, Aston (34) observes that French men wore four pieces of clothing that were considered essential. The first piece of clothing was the shirt or Camicia. This was won as an undergarment. The men belonging to the upper social class would wear camicia made of soft linens or silk while those in the lower class wore camicia made up of heavy and coarse linen. A gusset would be inserted under the camicia to make the garment stronger and comfortable. In the initial stages, the camicia did not have any embroidery on them. The embroidery only came in the later fashion developments. The camicia would be worn with cuffs and the embroidery consisted of the black and white strips. More often than not, the camicia would not be worn alone and if it did, it meant one was at work. The camicia would be covered with the doublet. The doublet was a close fitting jacket. Some of the doublets had sleeves while other lacked the sleeves. Doublets with long sizes would be complemented by small skirts. Another common piece of clothing was the hose. The hose would be won as an attachment to the doublet, which was the seamed with the crotch. In the initial stages, the hose was only worn by the laborers. The hose was woven to be worn tightly in order to attain a sense of smoothness, but this would only hamper physical activities. The jacket was the most common outer cloth that was worn by the common men. Later, in the 15 century, jackets would be worn over chests and shoulders, and then allowed to fall in pleats for belting at the waist. The huke-like jackets were an alternative fashion style. Moreover, as Hale (67) observes, nearly jacket sleeves were made up of puffs that then tapered at the wrists, but the sleeves would be worn so tightly that they tended to obstruct the circulation of those who wore the jackets, in the 16th century. Yet the sleeves were worn for the purpose of decoration. Some jackets were also designed with non-functional hanging sleeves. In some occasions, such as during the cold weather conditions, it was common for people to wear fur jackets over the jacket, in the same way that robes were worn during ceremonies. Considering the tight and stiff fashion that was worn by the men during the early phases of the renaissance periods, their movement was particularly mechanical and restrictive. In the later stage phases of renaissance, in the mid 16th century, various adjustments were made, including the removal of the padding from the jackets to make the movement relatively natural. The renaissance fashion did also not exclude the footwear and this was particularly crucial for men. In the early phases of the renaissance period, men would wear shoes that were long and sharply pointed. Even so, these would be worn for the indoor use alone. Leather clogs, made with wooden soles, would be worn in the outdoor weather conditions. As the fashion progressed, changes were made on the shoes, making them round. Most of them were made in calf length size and would be lanced on the sides. In the subsequent century, the shoes were made broader and billed with ribbons that would be tied across the foot top. Additionally, in the later periods of fashion development, the trend also changed to include slipper-like shoes. The shoe makers also went ahead to make shoe with pricking and slashing appearance to improve it’s fitting (Bucknell 34). The last piece of fashion was the hair style and the related accessories. In the early phases of renaissance, young men would wear long hair that rolls over ears to the shoulders. On the other hand, men wore hair that was relatively short and even shaven. Besides the hair styles, men also wore hats with coif beneath. Accessories were also a crucial part of the renaissance fashion. Men also wore narrow belts, and carried daggers and purses with them. Finger rings were worn on the first two fingers only. Later, in the middle of renaissance periods, the fashion changed so that men started to wear mustaches and beards. This had never been experienced in the renaissance period. Beret-like crowns replaced the Turban crowns. The crowns were made of velvet, felt, beaver or thick cloth. The walking stick was considered as the accessory for men in the middle phases of the renaissance period. Short hair styles dominated. The styles that embraced hairstyles below the chin were replaced while the hats that were worn during the period were particularly elaborate. In some cases, ostrich feathers, jewels and brooches were incorporated into the black caps. Huge rings would also be worn over the gauntlet gloves (Lesle 96). The women fashion did not register any change until mid of 15th century. In the beginning phases, dresses that would be worn over the camicia or the chemise would be won as two piece or single piece garment. One piece had a cut from the hem to the shoulders. The top cut had a resemblance with that of the males’ jackets. These were smooth fitting and possessed a yoke-like construction at the neck area. The two piece styles comprised of a skirt and bodice, which had a construction that resembled the single piece style. These would be closed through lacing of the front side. The outer dresses consisted of an array of styles. In the early renaissance, they necklines had varied weights, as well as cuts. The V-lower cuts were introduced in the middle stages of the renaissance. These would be bound by the lacing, creating the allowance for the chemise upper parts to be seen. Another fashion trend that characterized the renaissance periods was the layered dresses, which were also referred to as the under-dress dress fashion. This fashion comprised of a single piece bodice and the skirt joined at the waist to fit the body. The under-dress was visible at outer dress parts, regardless of whether it was at the underarm, neckline or sleeves. Some of the cloths had hanging sleeves for the purpose of decoration, while others cut so that the camicia could be seen. Venetia dress was an alternative fashion. This was relatively light, yet comprised a rigid fabric. For the rest of the renaissance period, the trending fashion of the outer dresses remained the same, only incorporating a few variations (Eubank 89). For instance, the outer dress waistlines were give a V-shape cut in the frontal parts. Later, this would acquire a u shaped cut. The clothes that the queen wore had a significant impact on the women fashion trends. The women undergarments were also crucial to the fashion trend. Chemise was the most common undergarment. It was also referred to as the under-robe or the camicia. The camicia would be designed such that it formed cloth shape. In this regard, one of the requirements was that it was to be made fashionable, as well. The chemise would be worn under the dress, as well as over the corselet. In most part of the renaissance period, it was rare to see the chemise in public. The corselets had been popular in the 1845. This was closely fitting to give women a curvy figure (Baines 45). Women in the renaissance period wore the stockings. Most of the stocking came in different colors, garters and embroidery. Depending on the social status, stockings were made of wool, silk, linen or even a sewn cloth. Silk stockings were reserved for the royalties while wool was reserved for lower class. Nevertheless, the nature of stockings to be worn would be dictated by weather conditions. Heavy and warm stocking would be worn during the cold weather conditions while the light stockings would be worn during the cold weather conditions. The hair and headdresses was also an elaborate part of the women fashion and hairdressing was even a time-consuming element. Women would spend a significant part of their time plucking hair from the foreheads in order to have receded forehead and this was viewed fashionable. Hair would be brushed back, coiled and held by a fillet, a narrow hair band. The hair was also kept into position by a templer. A gable, which was a head dress, was also worn during the period. Footwear was also a crucial element of the renaissance women fashion. There were various footwear designs. Women shoe sizes were restricted. The soles were made of wood and the slipper form mad of leather. Some shoes had raised platforms to wearer’s height (Eubank 56). However, fashion in the current era has been accompanied by differences, as well. There are two type of dressing; the casual and the official wear. Official dressing entails a collection of cloths that should be worn for official purpose such in office work while casual wear dressing entails collections to be used worn when one is away from official duties, such as when one is going for dinner or recreation purposes. Nevertheless, it seems activities and festivities determine the nature of fashion to accompany. In the most general sense, official dressing entails a collection of a shirt, a trousers, socks and pair of shoes. The shirt is tacked in the trousers. The shirt could be won alone of covered with a coat or a sweater, which is could be determined by the surrounding weather environment. The most cherished fashion is the three-piece suit. It is not only official but also considered as executive. Indeed, it is won by the bosses, among other people with high profile. For a dressing to be considered as a suit, the color of the trouser should match the color of the coat. The shirt could be a different color, yet there should be not clash of colors between the pieces, including the belt. There are no limits to the colors that should make the suit, however, black and grey, among other dark colors are fancied. White suits may be meant for other purposes such as weddings while yellow suits are uncommon. Suits go with other closed shoes. There are no restrictions for casual wear. However, the common collection includes jean trousers, shorts, t-shirts, coats, jackets, sweaters, sunglasses and so on. Footwear could range from open shoes to closed shoes, sport shoes to high-heeled shoes, from plain color to stripped and canvas to leather and so on. There appears to be no social class for dressing. The evolution of the world has given birth to a wide range of hairstyles. The common style is short hair, which is considered official and ordinary. Women fashion trend has also registered various developments. The concept of official and casual wear is also applicable. However, what is expected is that official clothes should entail a blouse and a skirt or trouser, and even closed shoes and this should reflect office etiquette and mannerism. Their colors should not be flashy. Women suits are also fancied and consist of trousers or skirts, which should match the coat, in terms of color and material. Even so, the boundaries between women’s casual and official wear is not clear. It is not uncommon for women to wear miniskirts and open shoes, some of which may be considered casual. Other dresses that may consider casual include jeans and sun glasses. Hair styles are varied, and include plaiting or making it blonde, cutting or dressing it with a weave. It is argued there are well over a hundred styles and this has particularly influenced by trending fashion in other parts of the globe, as catalyzed by increased globalization processes. What has commonly been embraced is the urge to look sexy, and women have embraced it in various ways, including putting on closely fitting dresses and jewelry. Make-ups and cosmetics and even plastic surgeries and handbag carrying are being done in the name of beauty, and this distinguishes them from the past (Eubank 178). Thus, in conclusion, the renaissance period can be considered as an era with a lot of changes in the fashion industry. Elaborate features, as well as the expensive jewelry and fabrics, were only some of the crucial elements of the renaissance period. Considering that most garments were padded, the movement and walking was difficult. Decorations became elaborative and this was the case even until the Elizabeth age. Dressing was a subject if social class. However, this has taken a different twist. Globalization has seen the world converge to a common fashion. People dress for occasions. People dress officially for official duties and casually when away from the official events. In contrast with the renaissance fashion, men no longer wear skirts, few cloths are padded for lightness and ease of movement and women have the urge to look sexy. Work Cited Aston, Meil. The Fifteenth century’s developments. London: Thames and Hudson. 1968, Print Baines, Barte. The revival of Fashion New York: Drama Specialists, 1981. Print Bucknell, Hill. The evolutions in fashions. New York: Drama Specialists, 1967. Print Eubank,Tortora. A survey of costumes in history. New York: The Fairchild, 1989. Print. Hale, Jackson. The Renaissance Civilization. New York: Atheneum. 1989. Print. Lesley, Paul. Renaissance fashion, jewels and Objects. Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, Print. Read More