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Fashion - Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance

History of women's fashions through the 17th century, in the ancient and medieval world. Illustrations from historical costume books, essays and more.

If you're interested in this topic, you might also be interested in: Women's Fashion History | Ancient Women's History | Medieval Women's History | Medieval Clothing |

  1. Early English Costume (10)

Early English Costume: Women/Girls
What did women wear, from the time of William the Conqueror (1066), in medieval England? Includes color plates and line drawings as well as detailed articles about early English women's fashion.

Women's Fashions of the 17th Century
In the mid-17th century, Wenceslaus Hollar published this series of 32 engravings depicting the costume of women in England. Because these drawings were done from life subjects, they are quite valuable as resources for researching the clothing that women wore in the 17th century. The later images show the transition towards Puritanism.

Clothing Worn by Ancient Women
Find out what women in the ancient world were wearing, in this feature by About.com's Guide to Ancient History, N.S. Gill.

History of Costume
Many of the color plates reproduced here (from a book published mid-19th century) are of women. This page includes the 16th-17th centuries.

You Had to Be There
NY Times Magazine honors women and the millennium with a fashion show covering nearly 1000 years of women's clothing.

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