Queen Elizabeth I's

Queen Elizabeth was a great follower of fashion. While in private she preferred to wear simple gowns, as they were more comfortable to relax in, when in public she dressed to impress. Clothes were an important status symbol to the Elizabethans and a person had to dress in accordance with their social rank. The Queen was therefore expected to dress better than everyone else. Although old history books are full of stories of the Queen's vanity these stories are unfounded. They are either based on unreliable sources or are merely myth. Elizabeth was no vainer than any other Tudor queen or any modern celebrity who dresses to impress.

Queen Elizabeth famously had a vast wardrobe but many of the items in it were given to her as gifts. Garments of velvet and silk were very expensive so were rarely thrown away. Very often the Queen would gift old garments to her serving women or would recycle them by having them made into other garments. It must also be remembered that Tudor women wore several layers of clothing so the Queen needed several garments just for one outfit. In 1570 these layers were:

SMOCK (sometimes called a shift or chemise): this was the equivalent of Tudor underwear and it was worn to protect outer clothes from sweat or body oils. It was usually made of white linen.

STOCKINGS: these were knee-high and made of various materials from wool to silk. They were held up by garters.

CORSET: these were worn only when the outfit or occasion demanded it. If a woman had the 'perfect figure' by nature then she could skip the corset but most women needed a little help. Corsets were called 'a pair of bodies' and were made of linen or silk and stiffened with reed or whalebone.

FARTHINGALE: this was a cone shaped underskirt stiffened with hoops. It was made of materials like buckram and taffeta.

BUMROLL: an optional accessory worn by some women to give their skirts more flare at the waist. They were typically made of cotton or linen and were often padded with wool or rags.

PETTICOAT: some outfits called for a petticoat. This was a fancy underskirt worn over the farthingale and was made of wool, for warmth, or more luxurious materials like silk or taffeta.

PARTLET: this was a fanciful garment worn around the neck that fully, or partly, covered the bosom. It was often made of silk and intricately embroideered with blackwork. Sometimes it had an attached ruff.

KIRTLE AND FOREPART: a kirtle was worn over a fathingale instead of, or with, a petticoat. It could be a complete dress, worn with matching sleeves, or it could be a skirt. Kirtles were usually made of rich materials like velvet, satin, damask or taffeta, especially if worn without a gown. In the early years of the Queen's reign it was fashionable for the front of kirtles to be visible under a gown. When the fronts were displayed a wealthy lady would wear a forepart. This covered the front of the kirtle and was lavishly adorned with embroidery, puffs, lace and jewels.

SLEEVES: sleeves were separate garments in the Tudor period so they could be mixed and matched with various gowns. For the first couple of decades of the Queen's reign it was common for sleeves and kirtles/foreparts to match, but in the later years sleeves could also be their own attraction or an exact match for a gown.

GOWN: for women this was usually a sleeveless, tight-fitting, robe that was worn over their kirtle, especially in the first half of the Queen's reign. Gowns were made of luxurious materials like velvet, damask, taffeta and satin, and they sometimes had a train.

HEADWEAR: a Tudor lady was not fully dressed without a headpiece. There were various types from fanciful hoods to caps and hats.

To complete their outfit women would wear shoes or slippers, cloaks or capes to go outdoors, and accessories like gloves of cloth or leather, a pomander to ward off foul smells (and it was thought infection), and in warm weather a fan. Wealthy Women also wore jewellery and make-up and from the 1580s onwards cartwheel ruffs were very popular amongst the aristocracy. For horse riding or hunting Queen Elizabeth would wear cloaks and safeguards (that helped protect her clothes) and knee-high boots.

As well as helping to distinguish between social rank, as there were laws governing what people of different classes could wear, clothers also helped to distinguish a woman's marital status. Unmarried (or widowed) women wore outfits that revealed their bosom (like the Queen does in the portrait above) whereas married women wore outfits that hid their bosom.

Although black was the Queen's favourite colour to wear, as black was a costly dye and the colour was perfect to showcase her glittering gems, she also wore gowns of white, silver, gold, blue, red, green and various shades of brown and orange. Her Maids of Honour also wore gowns in these colours but white, the colour of chastity, was the Queen's preferred choice for them.

The Queen's vast collection of clothing was kept in various wardrobes. Fabrics for the Queen's use were stockpiled in the Great Wardrobe. This was located in Westminster, near to Whitehall Palace, and was managed by a Keeper. Some palaces had a Standing Wardrobe, which was a permanent wardrobe within the building, whereas others had only the Removing Wardrobe, which was the Queen's personal wardrobe that moved with her from palace to palace.

As the Queen's reign wore on female clothes became more elaborate and fanciful. This was due to a change in styles, the introduction of starch which allowed ruffs to become enormous, and to the Queen's use of magnificent outfits to help disguise her ageing.