Renaissance Costumes - Medieval Clothing - Madrigal Costumes

Welcome to The Tudor Shoppe! Founded in 2001, The Tudor Shoppe provides reproduction Tudor Era (1485-1603) and related goods to individuals, stage productions, television shows, museums, historic sites, educational institutions, and re-enactment societies. Our goal remains clear: to offer quality goods at the best price possible price.

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Our Most Popular Complete Renaissance Costumes:

Tavern Wench	Innkeeper	Celtic Dress	Steersman	Kitchen Wench	Deluxe Monk's Robe

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Learn About Renaissance Costumes! Visit our Articles and Resources! Renaissance Clothing Glossary

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What's New in 2010?
New Jewelry!		New Drinking Vessels!
Sacre Coeur Ring	Renaissance Trefoil Ring	Captain Raleigh's Tankard	Glastonbury Goblet
Economy Weapons!		Toys & Games!
Economy Daggers	Economy Swords	Treason in the Tower Board Game	Prisoners in the Tower Jigsaw Puzzle

Renaissance costume was distinctive. The Renaissance culture was very conscious of fashion, and their costume was extremely stylized, very complex and elaborate, and above all, striking. The very nature of the Renaissance clothing style was to make a statement, whether that was of status, power or of wealth.

The popular image that we have of Renaissance costume, particularly that of England, is what was worn by the upper classes. Style was paramount, and both men and women in the Renaissance wore clothing we would consider costumes, similar to the 'costumes' we wear in formal occasions today. Look at a modern wedding to see a perfect example. If an historian were to see a photo of a wedding in our time, might he not think we wore such finery all the time?

To the modern eye, Renaissance costume appears to be highly constrictive and extremely uncomfortable. This is true, but only because we tend to associate the formal clothing of the nobility with the period. This is natural, as most of the examples we have of Renaissance clothing are from paintings and written descriptions. Historians and artists generally do not record the activities of the poor.

Would you wear an evening gown or tuxedo every day? Of course not. When they were not 'in the spotlight', the people of the Renaissance wore clothing that was just as comfortable as jeans and a t-shirt are to modern folk. Then, as today, those in the Renaissance that set the style of costume were those at the top of the social scale, and those styles, to some extent, filtered down to the ordinary people like shopkeepers, merchants and even to a lesser extent, peasants.

Clothing in the Renaissance for everyday became less like 'costumes', both in formal and daily wear as you went lower in the class system. Where a lady of the aristocracy might expect to wear a corset as a near requirement, except when in her chambers, a merchant's wife might wear a bodice that was heavily boned, but no underlying corset, giving her more freedom of movement. Going lower still, a peasant woman would have a single color, plain boned bodice.

In the Renaissance, clothing, both the richness and the *amount* of it, was a mark of status. A peasant woman might have a bodice, a blouse (or maybe 2 blouses), 3-4 skirts, smallclothes (underthings) and a cap. When going out, she would wear at least 2 skirts, both to keep warm (England was experiencing a mini ice age at the time), and because it might be all the skirts she had, so wearing them was the best way to keep them safe! On the other hand, a noble lady close to the throne might have smallclothes, a hoop or farthingale, a chemise, a corset, a bum roll, an underskirt (which would likely be made with common material in the back, and use fancier material in the front where it would show through the gap in the over skirt or gown), an overskirt or gown, possibly with interchangeable front pieces, a bodice with interchangeable busk, a snood, a cap, a hat or a hood. This doesn't include all the accessories such as purses and pouches, mirrors, jewelry, miniatures, pomander, keys, belt, and knife; the list is endless! A noble lady might carry around nearly 40 pounds of clothing and accessories at any given time.

The Tudor Shoppe carries Renaissance costume for all levels of society and walks of life, from the basic wench skirts and bodice, to pirate gear, armor, accessories, and Renaissance clothing for both men and women. Browse our shop, and we're sure you'll find something to fit your every need!