Elizabethan Influences on Fashion Nowadays

Fashion during the Elizabethan Period that has influenced modern catwalks

Many catwalks and fashion shows are nowadays are based on a theme such as gothic clothing, Geisha themed or Elizabethan. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in Elizabethan themed catwalks. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the clothing of women changed dramatically. The outfits that were worn by the woman of that Era fashioned huge dresses, corsets and dramatic accessories including huge gold necklaces, pearls and feathers in the hair and even fox fur scarves. All of these outfits represented power and wealth, if a woman was seen wearing nice gowns or even wore a slight bit of gold, it was clear that they were wealthy. One important part of an Elizabethans woman's outfits is a ruff which was worn around their necks. Elizabeth was known for her love of wigs and hair pieces and since her reign, this became increasingly more popular for woman to start either wearing these or dying their hair. 

These two images were taken from the Giambattista Valli AW12/13 catwalk show. As you can see, both outfits show a high collar around the models' necks to represent a ruff which was popular during the Elizabethan Era. The colours of the dresses are also similar to the colours that Elizabeth would have worn herself. For the makeup, both model's are sporting a pale face with barely noticeable eyebrows, a nude lip and slicked back hair with a middle parting.

Another example of modern catwalks influenced by the Elizabethan Era was the D&G Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 Ready to Wear catwalk. The show started by showing a red carpet catwalk and red curtains to hide the entrance and once the curtains opened, the models were revealed wearing Elizabethan style outfits. There was a mix of dresses, pants, t-shirts and jackets for the show, all influenced by the Queen herself and the fashion style she created. The outfits showed a variety of colours, ranging from black and white to gold and red, each design being very unique. Many designs were made from silk or satin and others were made from transparent material, one example was this material layered up to create a very bushy looking skirt. Accessories were also added to some outfits with things such as jewels and ribbons being added to the designs. There was an example of one dress I especially liked, where the model was seen walking down the runway wearing a fur collar around her neck which really set off the dress and made this one piece stand out.

This one particular outfit is one that I enjoyed the most from the catwalk. I like the use of accessories with the handbag and the fur collar, both matching the colour of the dress.

This outfit reminded me of a Elizabethan outfit with a contemporary twist. The outfit style with the padded shoulders and the corset design on the front reminded me of Elizabeth's clothing but with the dress being short and bright yellow, that's how it's been made more contemporary.

The patterns on this design look like they have been influenced from the Elizabethan Era a lot. I could imagine Queen Elizabeth wearing a long dress with this pattern on it. It reminds me of something that only rich people would have been able to afford back at that time.

This was probably the most contemporary look from the catwalk show. It would have been very rare if almost impossible to have seen a woman wear pants with a shirt and a bowtie. To make it more Elizabethan, the designers have added a black fur jacket which would have been something more the rich women from the Elizabethan Era would have worn.

This is another outfit that is heavily influenced by the Elizabethan period. Black was one of the most popular colours to wear back then as it represented power and wealth. I like the design of the dress being 'slashed' and hung down in small pieces as it reminds me of a scarf or coat Elizabeth would have worn. The outfit was complemented with a black bag and black shoes, along with a high collar coming up to the model's chin.

The last outfit I chose was this dress which was one of the last pieces to come down the runway. The bottom half of this dress is something I could imagine the Queen wearing herself and the top half is more contemporary with the boob tube corset and the black bow as an accessory. The colours in the dress is very Elizabethan.

I really liked looking at both of these catwalk looks and researching more about them to find out more about how Elizabethan clothing has inspired catwalks and fashion shows all around the world today.

Sources:
http://www.catwalkyourself.com/fashion-dictionary/elizabethan-period/
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2009/ready-to-wear/d-and-g