Underware Question?

Question

Can anyone direct me to a web site or any link with information about the under garments worn by Queen Kathern of Aragon & Anne Boleyn....roughly between the years of 1530 - 1536.

Thank you for any information! :)

Answer 1

The term chemise can refer to the classic smock or shift, or else can refer to certain modern types of women's undergarments and dresses. In the classical usage it is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils, the precursor to the modern shirts commonly worn in Western nations.

The chemise seems to have been developed from the Roman tunica and first became popular in the European Middle Ages. Women wore shifts or chemises underneath their gowns or robes; men wore chemises with their trousers or braies, and covered the chemises with garments such as doublets, robes, etc. In those times, it was usually the only piece of clothing that was washed regularly.

In Western countries, women's shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and full slips. A chemise, shift, or smock was usually sewn at home, by the women of a household. It was assembled from rectangles and triangles cut from one piece of cloth so as to leave no waste. The poor would wear skimpy chemises pieced from a narrow piece of rough cloth; the rich might have voluminous chemises pieced from thin, smooth fine linen.

Answer 2

sorry i dont know any try searching it on ask.com

Answer 3

This is just a tad later, though, I think, for underwear, it's pretty close...I'm pretty sure the description of the stays is accurate to the period.  They changed pretty rapidly during the 17th century, but were pretty much the same from Catherine through Elizabeth.

Answer 4

I find a lot of answers on the wikipedia site. Just google: wikipedia. After getting there either type in their names or type clothing styles of 1530-36.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

They would have worn a shift or chemise (a cotton or linen "slip"), a pair of bodies (sort of what we would call a corset in modern times), a farthingale ( a petticoat stiffened and shaped like a cone), a kirtle (underdress or just the skirt depending) and an overdress. Depending on the type of sleeves of the overgown, they might also wear false undersleeves.

If you do a google search on Tudor fashion or Tudor costume or Tudor clothing, you will find a zillion websites.

Edited to add: Rachelle, you are really good and cut and pasting, but what does the history of the chemise have to do with what a woman wore in Tudor times? Are you trying to answer questions accurately? Or just want to get a top contributor rating?

Sue, actually, the term is "pair of bodies" not stays. The term stays was not used until nearly 2 centuries later. :)