Monday, August 13, 2007

Renaissance costumes, a rebirth of attitudes and interests.

Have you ever thought of wearing a renaissance costume? The year 1453 marks the invasion of Constantinople by the Turks. Unwittingly, this triggered off a sea change in the attitudes and interests of the European people which hitherto were dictated by insipid Gothic customs. Humanism and aesthetics came to the fore and the biggest beneficiary was Italy, where most of the scholars of the Greco-Roman schools in Turkey fled across the Mediterranean. This sea change is amply evident in the renaissance costumes worn during that era. By 1490, Gothic dress in northern Europe had given way to the simpler styles of Renaissance Italy.

The era was marked by a spirit of a new beginning. Fashion did a U-turn from the pointed Gothic look to the square style of the Renaissance costume. Puffing, slashing and accentuation of curves was the perfect visual metaphor for the 16th Century, because it suggests a society that is literally bursting at the seams with new ideas and problems. Decidedly, one can literally identify the era from the Renaissance costumes. Gleefully, they provide excellent reference material for the theatre, films and in day-to-day life, theme parties, Renaissance Faire, Halloween, not to forget - your friend's SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism, which is a group dedicated to researching and recreating the Middle Ages in the present.) wedding.

Relive the glorious era.

In today’s times, midsummer Ren Faires and Halloween provide an excellent platform to help you take on the guise of a Renaissance figure in a stylish Renaissance costume or Renaissance Halloween costume - Be it Lord or Merchant, Peasant Farmer or Court Jester, and for the ladies – Queen Elizabeth, Marie Antoinette, or Ladies-in-Waiting. Renaissance costumes come in all sizes including extra large and 4x plus size, so nobody is left out of the fun. And for the smitten, you can be your beloved’s Knight in Shining Armor – quite literally!