When it comes to fabrics, if you want to be more authentic looking, try to find completely natural fabrics, or blends with small amounts of polyester. Common fabrics used in Renaissance fashion include wool, cotton, leather, and linen. Fabrics like silk, satin, and velvet were reserved for the upper classes. Women can use poet shirts instead of blouses as well. Poet shirts are baggy shirts with large long sleeves. Stick to the same fabric and color guidelines as the blouse. [2] X Research source
Two skirts is better than one, if you can find two, as it adds more texture and shape to the garb. Make sure their colors don’t clash. [4] X Research source Alternatively, you can look for a dress, rather than a skirt and blouse. Just make sure the dress goes down to ankle or floor level, and isn’t in a loud color or modern fabric.
If you got a white blouse and you want to make it less bright white, you can throw it in a pot of boiling water with some tea bags. Let it sit for five minutes. Then throw it in the dryer. Renaissance women wore low necklines, so if the blouse has a neckline that’s too high, you can cut it down to size. Lay it out flat then mark where you want the new neckline with a pencil. Cut it carefully, then stitch the new neckline with either a thread that matches the color of the blouse or something like olive green or brown. You can do the same with the vest or button up sleeveless top. The over blouse should have a little lower neckline so that the neckline of the blouse shows through.
You can choose a different color if you want. Brown and olive green work well. Instead of a poet shirt, you can opt for a tunic if you wish. These are long-sleeved shirts that go lower than normal shirts. Look for something in a natural color and of a natural material. To create an authentic-looking Renaissance costume, pick fabrics and colors that resemble materials from the 16th to 17th century.
Alternatively, you can look for pants that come down to just past or just above the knee. If you can sew elastic into the openings to make them resemble bloomers, even better.
A leather vest would be ideal, but you have a lot of freedom with fabrics here, so just look for something that you like the look of.
If you’ve chosen to wear pants that go to the knee instead, you could wear some leather sandals instead.
Belts are a must for men. Simple brown belts work just fine. If you’ve chosen a tunic for your top, the belt will go over the tunic. Large leather belts or sashes tied around the waist can add a lot to female garb. Drinking vessels and pouches are both convenient and period appropriate. Look for leather or faux-leather. Bandanas pair well with peasant garbs. The same fabric and color guidelines as the rest of your garb apply.
The lack of under-layers won’t hurt your garb’s look though, so if you can’t find any while thrifting, don’t fret.
Examples of proper head wear during the Renaissance include: muffin caps, biggins, flat caps, felt hats, and straw hats.
