Elizabethan Menswear

SHIRT - For a man, the shirt was made up of simple rectangles, not very full in size. It was fitted closely to the body and arms, with gussets under the arms to allow movement, sometimes gussets at the neck for shaping, often a band collar, and side slits to allow movement below the natural waist. There may even be side gussets to allow more movement as lower class people needed far more range of motion than courtiers. Shirts should be made of white or “natural” colored linen, ranging from coarse to as fine as the person can afford. They would not be dyed any other color. Shirts did not have lace up the front, and the romantic billowy “poet” look commonly associated with the period.

 

DOUBLET (W/SLEEVES) – Again made of wool, the doublet should have sleeves attached and very simple closures (ties, hooks and eyes or wood, horn or cloth-covered buttons). It may or may not have wings (epaulets) on the shoulders, but they should be minimal and continue the slope of the shoulder. It may have no peplum at all (the skirting at the waist), a short one or the skirt may go down to the hip joint. The doublet’s waist seam will be at the natural waist. Going without a doublet in public is to be considered undressed, and hence uncivilized. The doublet is for public wear only not for toiling in the fields.