Renaissance women's clothing is defined by regions and time periods. The historical costumes of Western Europe during the Renaissance are beautiful and richly detailed.
The Sixteenth Century (1500s) was a time of great change for women’s Renaissance fashion. While Renaissance fashion tends varied in different countries (just like today’s fashion trends) there are some commonalities between all areas of Western Europe.
Early Sixteenth Century women’s fashions were very similar to that of medieval dress. The styling of a typical outfit of an early Renaissance woman consisted of a kirtle and gown with a cone shaped skirt and long train. Bodices had square necklines, decorated with edgings of fine laces and jewels. Sleeves were very wide, often edged in fur. Waistlines dipped slightly, and overskirts were split to show the decorative kirtle underneath. A kirtle is a simple a frock with a tight fitting bodice and sleeves and full skirt, similar to a petticoat. A typical noblewoman’s gown was made from finely woven wool or linen. The very wealthy may have some garments made of silk and velvet, though sumptuary laws prohibited lower classes from wearing such fine fabrics.
Beneath her gown, along with a kirtle, a renaissance woman would wear a linen chemise. This may seem like many layers of clothing, but remember, central heating is several centuries away, and even the finest castles and manor houses were drafty. Around 1525, Renaissance women began wearing a kirtle in its own right. When worn without a gown it would be paired with a decorated girdle. Unlike the latex undergarment of today, a Renaissance girdle was similar to a belt, worn about the waist and adorned with tassels or gold chains and precious stones. A lady could hang a pompadour or her keys from her girdle for safe keeping.