Blog 21: Prompt

         

           In the 1600s, about 400 years ago, things were drastically different regarding religion, form of entertainment or even clothing. One of the many factors that set apart the people, especially women, of today and those of the 1600s is the clothing. The women of this time mostly wore subtle colors such as black and white. The most commonly worn articles of clothing were long dresses and aprons. One other thing that was worn frequently was headbands also referred to as caps. Their shirts, or shifts, were white with buttons usually buttoned to the top and collars. Even though the 1600s were a time when most people were very conservative and dressed appropriately, some women objected. They wore their shifts unbuttoned, noticeably revealing their breasts. Women belonging to the upper class wore corsets or bodices instead of shifts. These types of shirts also revealed their body. For their feet, the women wore mules or latchet shoes. Most of the servants would wear colorful stockings which were popular at the time. As for the caps, most were white with lace embroidered edges. These were usually folded, and tied around the head and under the chin. An alternative of the head caps were the turban-like wrapped linen. This would allow people to distinguish upper class from lower class. The poor people usually wore the wrapped linen. The cap, bodice, shift and mules completed the look for a typical woman living in the 1600s.

 http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/articles/17th-century-articles/common-womens-clothing-in-the-early-to-mid-17th-century.html