A lavish ball, a modest tea party with friends in the garden, or a day out with family at the palace - monarchs and their courtiers were always expected to look their best. But in the 15th century, it was strictly forbidden for anyone not only to wash, but even to wet royal dresses. Why did this rule appear?
Regardless of the time of day and location in the Tudor era, all the ladies of the court looked like they were about to go to a celebration. The thing is that at that time there were no walking or daily outfits made of simple fabrics. Also, do not forget that the Tudors needed to designate their status: a young dynasty that had all the rights to the throne. Therefore, the most expensive materials were used: red velvet, kamcha, the finest silk, ermine skins, gold threads for embroidery. The English princess Elizabeth was very fond of magnificent outfits. There was a rumor that she could change 30 dresses in a day.
When she became queen, many girls dreamed of being her maid of honor. If you are close to the queen, you will shine and bathe in luxury, and part of the evening dresses will go to you.
So why couldn't these riches and works of art be washed if each such dress cost a fortune? Why will the single use rule come into fashion?
Practicality! Or rather, its absence. Unfortunately, until the 19th century, the quality of fabric dyeing left much to be desired. The pigment did not linger on the fabric, so the product lost color in any contact with water. The red dress became pale pink, the blue dress became pale blue, and this is at best.
Under pain of death, no one had the right to touch the royal dresses, because in addition to bad dyes, one should not forget about the high cost of fabrics from distant countries and the services of dressmakers. The first basic palette included only three colors: white, black and red. White color was often used when sewing mourning clothes, because. he symbolized death.
Clothing care was questionable. As you know, hygiene at that time was not given due attention. On the contrary, “it was dangerous to take a bath, because you can catch diseases in the water. Maximum program: wash your face after a hard day and wash your hands before eating. Now imagine that the royal person could only completely wash herself in the bathroom twice: after birth and after death. Should I be reminded of the aromas of the body on a hot day?
The unpleasant smell did not suit anyone, so I had to look for a way out of this situation. The first layer under the outfit was put on a shirt-dress made of linen. It was she who absorbed the sweat and unpleasant odors. Ladies could change 3-4 of these shirts a day. Some girls put napkins in the armpits: the sweat did not spoil the dresses, and the skin did not suffer from irritation.
>>>>Ideas for life | NOVATE.RU<<<<
Also, to eliminate unpleasant odors, dresses were aired and hung out in the sun. Separate stains tried to wipe off with sand and a dry brush. If this method did not help, then the craftswomen embroidered a new pattern in place of the spot. It happened that the tailors would open the dress and replace the dirty element with a clean piece of fabric. The queen did not wear such dresses, but gave them to maids of honor or other ladies of the court.
Only in the 19th century, the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, despite her wealth, will show the world that one dress can be "walked into the world" more than once, and ladies from all over the world will pick up this trend.
Many of Queen Sisi's dresses have become exhibits in museums and private collections around the world. Their condition is carefully monitored by restorers who specialize in working with fabrics. The main enemy of vintage dresses is moth. And the average cost of one outfit is about 54 thousand dollars.
If you are interested in historical fashion facts, we advise you to read the article Two dresses instead of one: 7 interesting facts about the fashion of the 17th century
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/300522/63132/