Corsets, Crinolines and Codpieces Part 6 Shape Changing

Shape Changing a dictate of Fashion?

Sage Grouse mating display

Birds change their appearance when looking for a mate...is there a parallel to humans and the need to change the shape of their bodies by artificial means. Does fashion dictate an altered body shape?

Shapes seem to change their focus on a regular basis over the centuries with seemingly little thought for the comfort of the wearer.

Padded Front

A portrait of Archduke Charles in a peascod doublet from 1569. Unknown artist

Melon shaped padded trousers

A peas cod belly or Goose belly was a exaggeratedly padded stomach area. This was very popular, mainly in mens dress, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and padded trousers 1550-1600.

Adding Height

Venetian courtesan  wearing chopines

 A chopine is a type of women's platform shoe that was popular in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, and were popularly worn in Venice by courtesans and were made of wood or cork. Note the padded breeches worn under the skirt. Chopines, besides their practical uses of protecting the foot from irregularly paved and wet or muddy streets, were also a status symbol becoming a  reference to the cultural and social standing of the wearer; the higher the chopine, the higher the status of the wearer. High chopines allowed a woman to tower over others.

 During the 18th century hair was dressed into elaborate
coiffures to give added height to the wearer.

Marie Antoinette by Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun

Hair styles became even more exaggerated with a variety of added decoration all giving extra height to the wearer.

Volume

Queen Elizabeth I ('The Ditchley portrait')

by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
1592

 The great farthingale so called because of it large circumference, was fashionable in the 1590's and died out during the mid 17th century when it was mainly worn only at court. The skirt was worn at an angle low in the front and higher behind giving the appearance of a longer torso and consequently shorter legs. The sitting problem seems to have been overcome by seating the wearer on a pile of cushions and spreading the vast skirts around themselves.Probably the nobility had special designed seating, perhaps padded stools. 

The stiffened cone shaped elongated bodice was also a feature of this fashion

 Added Length

German mens shoes 1550

and a reoccurring shape in 2014

Fashion does seem to repeat itself over the centuries!

Albino Peacock displaying

Face Framing

Unknown Flemish painter at the beginning of 17th century

 There certainly does seem to be a similarity to the peacock..but why did they wear ruffs, perhaps to emphasize the face? ..men wore them too.

Portrait of Sigismund III (1566 - 1632). Sigismund III was King of Sweden from 1592 until 1599

Most interesting costume..a peascod doublet, a scarcely visable cod piece, a ruff, and amazing fluted trousers with pristine tights...not a wrinkle in sight!

Charles XI of France 16th century

...and then in the 1800's the style for women was very loose and fluid though they still wore corsets to shape the high bust shape

Madam Hamelin by J L David 1800

...and of course there are many more changes of fashions....watch my blog for more in the shape changer series.

comments are always welcome!

Corsets, Crinolines and Cod Pieces...Part four...A Male Problem

A Male Problem!


Codpieces

Another unique renaissance fashion that this time was born out of necessity was the codpiece.The dictionary describes it as an appendage like a small bag or flap at the front of a man’s breeches:

‘Cod’ from Middle English meaning scrotum.

The fashion for shorter jackets exposed the hip area this necessitated joining the hose together at the top.

A crude but workable version is seen in Pieter Breughel’s painting ‘The Land of Cockaigue’

The Land of Cockaigue 1567 by Pieter Bruegels

From  Bruegels painting The Wedding Dance in the Open Air

In this painting a more three dimensional codpiece is shown..perhaps to celebrate the occasion!

Antonio Navagero 1565 by Moroni

There are many versions of why the codpiece developed from a serviceable flap  into a fashion accessory. 

One is that the hose became so tight when joined around the hips that it restricted movement, another is that it was added for sanitary reasons but soon  developed into something else, a protuberance which called attention to the male anatomy. Another more serious explanation was that syphilis was endemic at that time and that the exaggerated codpiece contained medication for the relief of the symptoms.

Edward III, King of England 1327- 1377, had the codpiece of his amour enlarged to astounding proportions because he had heard that the strength and military prowess were correlated with a man’s ‘endowment’.

At this time not only was this an outward display of virility used to display an aura of strength to your enemies, but to present an image to people that providing an heir would not be a problem, certainly this could have been a reason for Henry VIII to adopt this fashion as seen in the portrait by Hans Holbein 1535

  

Here Henry VIII wears a knee length doublet open at the front to expose the codpiece which was padded and decorated to draw maximum attention to it.

And here are two modern versions of the codpiece. 

Oderus Urungus of GWAR

AND....Batman

Watch out for Part  5....Crinolines

Corsets, Crinolines and Codpieces Part 3

Extremes of Fashion...Hennins and Footwear