A.

In general terms it is hard to describe the costume of the period as there were many
changes in fashion. All people, rich or poor wore lots of layers, mainly to keep out the cold,
but also to help hide bodily smells as they didn’t wash themselves very often.

For women and girls, the first thing to put on would be a ‘shift’ or undershirt made of cotton
or linen for the poor and perhaps silk for the rich.  Then came the petticoat, a hooped
underskirt was worn under the petticoat if you were rich.  The hoops were made of sticks
softened in water then bent to shape. Skirts got wider and wider throughout the Tudor
period and a ‘bum roll’, a roll of material like a thick sausage, was worn low on the back to
make a pronounced shape.  This was worn by both rich and poor.  They then put on another
petticoat and underskirt.  The poor girl’s overdress would be made of a heavy durable
material like worsted or wool whilst the rich, outer garments were made of such things as
velvets and silks. In the winter a pair of sleeves would be attached to the dress at the
shoulders, with ties. 

B.

As in other areas of Tudor life, there was great difference between the clothes worn by rich
and poor.  While items of clothing worn by rich Tudors still exist in museums, very few
examples of clothes worn by working people and the poor are still here.  Their clothes were
worn until they fell apart or were passed to someone else.  No one thought to keep them, so
it can be difficult to get evidence about the clothes worn by most of the population.

Men and boys wore breeches (like short trousers) and hose (stockings) covering the leg.  On
the top half there would be at least one undershirt, then an under-jacket or tunic. On top,
the rich people might have worn a type of jacket called a “Doublet”, a close-fitting jacket
with long sleeves. Poorer men would wear a loose tunic. Wealthy men were as fashion-
conscious as the women, wearing ruffs, jewellery and putting padding around their
shoulders to appear broader. 

C.

Everyone wore some kind of headwear. Different trades had their own hats. Women
working in the fields would have worn a cap to keep the sun off their skin, it was fashionable
to have light skin.  Both men and women wore stockings held up with ties, these were
knitted, again, silk for rich, wool for poor, and would have had seams as they couldn’t knit
stockings in tubes as they do now.  Underpants were not worn.
The rich spent lots of money on clothes and were greatly influenced by the king and the
people around him.  For them, fashions and fabrics were constantly changing.  For the poor
it was very different. The very poorest didn’t have a single change of clothes.  All their
clothes were homemade, plain and coarse, and would feel rough against the skin. 
In Tudor Europe, clothes were not just for keeping you warm. Your clothes were an
indication of your position in society and laws were passed to ensure that nobody dressed
above their station in life.  In 1510 the English parliament passed a law defining the dress of
everyone from the aristocracy right down to labourers, telling everyone what they could and
could not wear.  There were punishments for breaking these rules; gentlemen would be
fined and servants and labourers could be put in the stocks for three days, needless to say,
the law was often broken.

http://snitchfamilyhistory.co.uk/tudor_life.htm
 THE GREAT TUDOR INFORMATION EXCHANGE
1. Is it easy to tell what people were wearing in Tudor times? If not, why?
2. Why did the people wear lots of layers?
3. Who wore petticoats? What were they?
4. What was a bum roll?
5. In the pictures, label: breeches, hose, undershirt, doublet and tunic. Why are the
man’s shoulders do broad?

6. Why was it important for men and women to wear a hat in Tudor times?
7. Who followed/ didn’t follow fashion? Why?
8. ©http://snitchfamilyhistory.co.uk/tudor_life.htm, adapted by Susie Zatorska, Lewis School of English,
www.lewis-school.co.uk