1540s-1550s
This style stayed in place, for the most part, for the 1540s and 1550s. There were some changes, however. The gown waistline, which started out at the natural waist, developed a distinct V shape. The bell shape of the skirt became more pronounced as well, giving a very triangular look to the style. This can be seen in the portraits of Lady Jane Grey <picture 1> and the Princess Elizabeth <picture 2>. The neckline, sleeve shape and flaring skirt remain pretty much the same as that of the previous decade, although the undersleeve puffs grew larger.

The kirtle's highly decorated forepart and sleeves, which had started out as integral parts of the undergown, soon became detachable. The forepart as a separate, highly decorated item remained part of fashion throughout the 16th century, though it changed shape to accommodate the skirt's changing silhouette.

Although the ensemble we've been talking about was the most fashionable and popular to be seen, other styles did exist. One of these was a gown with a high, flaring collar and puffed sleeves<picture 3>, worn over the smock and kirtle. This high-necked, or "high-bodied" gown, as they were sometimes called, could be closely fitted to the waist, with the skirt gathered to the bodice like that of a low-necked gown. Alternately, this gown could be loose and hang from the shoulders to the ground. Termed a "loose gown, It is seen with increasing frequency in the later 1540s & 1550s. Christina of Denmark<picture 4>, Katherine Parr<picture 5> and a Lady in Red<picture 6> are wearing examples of this type of gown. Lady Dacre<picture 7> also wears a gown of this type, which was more flattering (and perhaps more comfortable) to a larger physique than the body-hugging bodices of the time.

1560s
By the 1560s, this high-necked gown is often seen in portraits of the English nobility and well-to-do. <picture 8> It fastens up the front and has a new type of sleeve not seen before: a short, bicep to elbow length sleeve which was stuffed, padded, and perhaps even boned to keep its shape. <picture 9> It fits close to the waist, and flares from the waist to the ground over a Spanish farthingale.

The kirtle sleeves shown beneath this style of gown differ markedly from the large, puffed confections worn under the gowns of Henry's court. They are very closely fitted to the arm and usually pinked or slashed in a series of rows. This style of sleeve remains in vogue through the 1570s and 1580s, though the shape changes somewhat.

Meanwhile, in France... Although we are focusing on English fashion, what was happening in France during the 1550s and 1560s had a profound influence on English fashion of the 1570s. The French court gown of the time period retained the tight bodice seen in Tudor gowns, but rather than the flaring, trumpet-shaped sleeves, these gowns sported puffed, smaller sleeves, often of a fabric different than that of the gown, and distinct shoulder rolls. The neckline developed a distinct arch, and decoration appears around the neckline and down the front in the form of "guards", or strips of fabric. These guards could be highly decorated, as are those worn by Margaret de Valois<picture 10> or plain fabric, as those worn by Francoise Breze<picture 11>.

   

A pattern, photos and information on an extant gown of the 1560s French style type is in Patterns of Fashion on page 102-104.

Movies
Elizabeth R, Vol 1: "The Lion's Cub"
This recommended video shows some exquisite reproductions of later tudor and mid-16th century dress. Some of the gowns you'll recognize from the above portraits.

Lady Jane
Set in the 1550s, this movie has good examples of the rarely portrayed dress of the 1550s...not classic early Tudor, but not yet classic Elizabethan styles

Pictures

• Catherine Parr Gallery
• Kathryn Howard Gallery
• Portraits of Mary I
• Renaissance Fashion, 1530-1560
• Portraits of Tudor Nobility
• The TudorHistory Gallery: Images of Tudor Nobility

Timeline:
16th Century
Dress