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Welcome to Women’s Medieval Renaissance Costume Accessories. Discover beautiful Medieval and Renaissance costume accessories to adorn your Medieval and Renaissance woemn’s costumes. I have found the extra pieces you need to give your costume authenticity. Accessories for a costume are the detailed items needed to transform a costume from mediocre to fabulous; from ordinary to extraordinary. They are the “icing on the cake” for your costumes.
Here at DeluxeAdultCostume.com, I have gathered together a variety of high-quality costume accessories to enhance the look and the authenticity of your Medieval and Renaissance Costumes.
Here you will find a beautiful array of Elizabethan ruff collars, faux jeweled collars, ornate metal cloak brooch pins and clasps, luxury fabric handbags and purses, Medieval belt chapes, and more to accessories your Renaissance costumes. Browse through the variety of Medieval Renaissance accessories I have selected for you. See what you can find to enhance and upgrade your fabulous Women’s Medieval-Renaissance Costumes with an air of authenticity.
Women’s Elizabethan Ruff Neck Collars
Table of Contents
During the early 16th-century ruffs were the fashion for men, women, and children. They were originally created out of necessity. The collars hid the neckline soil and grime plus they could be laundered separately. Commoners ruff collars were usually made of linen while the upper-class wore collars of linen and/or lace. The upper-class ruff collars were heavily starched and wired to support the extra wide ruffled fabric.
During the Tudor rule, once starch had been discovered, the ruffled collars and matching wide cuffs became quite elaborate with voluminous shapes and widths. The ruffs were wide enough to cover the breast, chin, neck, and shoulders of the woman wearing it.
Often during starching process, ruffs were dyed with vegetable dyes to give them a mauve, pink, or yellow tint. Pastel blue was another color possibility achieved by adding smalt to the starch. Queen Elizabeth I, however, ruled against the use of this color by her royal subjects with a Royal Prerogative because blue was the color of Scotland’s flag.
Often women would wear lace collars such as the four detachable lace collars feature above. These types of lace collars were put on first over the bare neck and collar bone area and tied behind with a ribbon. Then a wide and elaborate ruff was place over it and again tied behind the neck. Lace collars and ruffs could be worn this way, however, they have often been worn the opposite way.
The lace collars are placed upon the bare skin like a mini cape with the ribbon ties tucked into the front of the tight bodice. Large elaborate ruffs have been seen fitted this way too, leaving the front collarbone area bare as the background for a large jeweled pendant. Sometimes this bare front neck and collar bone area is then covered by a jeweled chain-maille breastplate necklace.
Women’s Renaissance Lace Trimmed Cuff Sets
During the Tudor reign in England, men, women, and children were known to wear ruff cuffs at the wrists of their garments. Not only were the cuffs the height of fashion, it was so much easier to wash soiled cuff pieces than to launder the whole garment. Simple linen cuffs were worn by the lower-classes. More expensive fabrics and exquisitly designed lace pieces were worn by the upper-class.
Women’s Renaissance Ruffled Lace Pearl Trim Cuff Pair
Women of the Renaissance Royal Court often worn bejeweled detachable collars with their low cut, tight-fitting bodice gowns. The collars were worn the pretty much the same way women of today like to add fancy collars to their otherwise plain blouses. The more elaborate the design and the fabric and the more expensive the jewels and pearls, the higher the rank of the woman’s husband.
Pockets were an unknown amenity to women’s clothing during the Middle Ages, thus the need for handbags and satchels to carry ones personal items. The small purses, coin bags, and satchels were usually worn tied to the lady’s belt or girdle.
Heavily embroidered bags from France were very popular with the aristocrats in the 14th and 15th-centuries, although genteel women were quite adept at embroidering, petit point, cross-stitch, and beading their own bags as a leisure pastime.
Some of the bags were all cloth while others were edged with a decorative metal framework and jeweled fastenings. Ornately designed metal purses encrusted with jewels were also used by the upper-crust women of society.
In this section, I have selected coin purses and handbags made of elegant fabrics and ornately decorated metalwork. A lady would have tied soft fabric bags to her belt to carry her coins and other small personal items. Aristocratic women would have been able to afford the more decorative bags.
I have also included a few decorative metal framework handbags similar to bags used by women during the 14th and 15th-century in Europe along with engraved gemstone encrusted metal purses.
Mini Silk Brocade 24-Pc Drawstring Coin Purse Bags
Most of the 15th-century bags were made of leather or from woven fabrics. Luxury bags for the upper-class were often made of precious fabrics and were beautifully embroidered with silk thread. Additionally, bags of the aristocrats were artfully beaded, or made of silver metal, either engraved or encrusted with gemstones or precious jewels.
What a bargain! I found this set of 24 mini bags on Amazon. They are a silk brocade fabric. They can be used to hold jewelry pieces or choose a color to match your costume and tie it to the belt of a lady’s Renaissance dress to hold keys and a credit card. The gorgeous fabric will be an enhancement to your royal lady’s costume dress.
Fill it, string it onto your costume belt, and you’re off to the Renaissance fair! After the 16th-century, women carried bags and purses on a châtelaine. A châtelaine is a hook with chains attached to the belt or girdle to carry accessories, such as keys, purses, scissors or sewing tools. The chatelaine was often engraved with the family crest of the lady of the manor during the Middle Ages.
Medieval Tarot Card, Runes, or Coin Velvet 4-Pc Drawstring Bags
Another fantastic deal from Amazon! Four velvet drawstring bags for the price of one. Perfect for the fortune teller to hold a deck of tarot cards or rune tiles.
Women’s Traditional Indian Silk Brocade Faux Jewel Drawstring Bag
When the purses were made of precious metals such as silver, gold, copper, brass, and polished steel, or decorated with luxury materials such as enamel, mother-of-pearl and gemstones, the châtelaine were then considered jewelry and status symbol pieces.
Handmade Medieval Inlaid Gemstone Silver-Toned
Metal Purses
Another alternative for carrying personal assets were the clasp bags and thigh bags. The silver clasp bag was worn attached to the skirt’s waist or girdle by a hook and came in a great variety of decoration.
The silver clasps were modernized by fitting them with luxury fabrics of velvet, damask, silk, leather or beads. Eventually, many clasp bags were refashioned by replacing the hook with a chain for carrying the bag.
In the 17th and 18th-century, women’s skirts were so voluminous with layers that a pair of bags could easily be hidden underneath the layers. One bag was attached at each hip and became known as thigh pockets. Thigh pockets remained in fashion well into the 19th-century.
Renaissance Replicated Embroidered Beaded Metal Framework Bags
Faux pearl clutch bags are an excellent choice for a Renaissance wedding celebration. During the Middle Ages into the Renaissance period, clutch handbags decorated with precious gemstones or pearls (shown above) were presented as elaborate gifts to royaly. Did you know that it is still protocol for English royal women to only carry clutch handbags?
Medieval Penannular Cloak Brooch Pins
Cloak clasps, cloak pins, and pennacular brooch pins all served the same function during the Middle Ages. Obviously, they were used as clothing fasteners to keep cloaks, scarves, and shawls closed while traveling, however, they also served another purpose for women. A closed cloak was meant to be a form of chastity. It was a statement for men with a wandering eye that the woman whose breast was cloaked and closed with a clasp, pin, or brooch was off limits.
Pennacular cloak brooches were also a means of clothing adornment as a jewelry accessory. They were made to function as clothing fasteners, but the more ornate and decorated the clasp, the higher the class of the woman wearing the piece.
Renaissance Bronze Semi-Precious Stone Celtic Cloak Brooch Pins
Bronze was considered a precious metal during the Middle Ages especially when enlayed with gemstones. Brooch pins such as these were worn by all classes of women. Lower-class women often received these precious pieces as wedding gifts and only wore them for special occassions. Upper-class women were able to afford ornately decorated pieces for everyday use. Gold and silver metals were usually reserved for the wealthy, but contrary to popular belief, not always. These pins may be used to secure a cloak, a cape, or a shawl, and to pin a scarf.
Stitch a pair of replicated ornate decorative Medieval Renaissance cloak clasps onto your Renaissance style cloak to add authenticity and detailing to your Ren Faire costume cloak. Even if you don’t sew on a regular basis, it is easy to stitch these cloak clasps onto a cloak or cape. It is easier than sewing on buttons.
Another way to attach cloak clasps is to pin them on with jewelry headpins and crimps. This way is costlier, but they do look more professional. The skill is not difficult to learn. It just takes a little practice. Click this link to see simple DIY instructions: How to Attach a Cloak or Cape Clasp.
Regardless of the way you choose to attach the cloak clasps, there is a 1st step before sewing or crimping. Measuring! You first need to put on the cloak. While looking in a mirror, decide where you want the clasp to be attached. They should be below your chin, about the area of your collarbone or a little below. Be sure to give yourself a comfortable amount of room to turn your head from side to side as well as looking up and down. Also be sure you can easily pull the cloak’s hood on and off.
A women’s belt, during the Middle Ages, was actually refered to as a girdle. As with all of a women’s accessories, the higher the price, the more intricate the design work, the types of materials used in the construction, were all determined by the wealth and status of a women’s husbands.
Women of this time period generally wore long thin leather belts low on the hips with the long tongue hanging down in front. The higher a women’s status the longer the belt tongue. The belts were knotted at the buckle.
Women of high-status also wore heavily embroidered belts, belts adorned with metal fittings, and belts encrusted with pearls, jewels, and gemstones. Some of the belts were fitted with metal belt chapes. A belt chape is a decorative metal plate or fitting which connects to the belt or strap. Chapes are pieces which can be made to attach to the end of a belt or as a connection to a belt buckle. I found a few Medieval belt chapes you might like to attach to a leather belt.
These medieval chaps are a wonderful way to authenticate a costume for a reenactment event or a Renaissance Festival. Please keep in mind these chapes are more for the DIY leathercrafter. If you have never worked leather before these chapes won’t be for you. Unless that is, you know someone who is a leathercrafter you can hire to do the work for you.
Wealthy women from the 13th and 14th-century wore elaborately embroidered belts with single loop belt buckles. Some archeological finds go back as far as the 12-century. Often embroidered belts were mounted with metal chapes like the brass chapes featured above. Wear these belts with plain Medieval tunic dresses.
Medieval Floral Hand Embroidered Wool Cotton Belts
And there you have it. Great items to enhance and authenticate the look of your Medieval and Renaissance women’s costumes. We hope you have lots and lots of fun at your next costume event wearing anyone of these Women’s Medieval and Renaissance costume accessories.
Keep in mind, there are only three really important things to remember when searching for the right Medieval Renaissance Costume Accessories….. Keep Calm, Have Fun, and Enjoy the Hunt!
Before you leave, be sure to browse through the Women’s Medieval-Renaissance Leather Accessories page too.
There you will find awesome genuine leather and faux leather Medieval and Renaissance costume accessories.
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Welcome to Women’s Medieval Renaissance Costume Accessories. Discover beautiful Medieval and Renaissance costume accessories to adorn your Medieval and Renaissance woemn’s costumes. I have found the extra pieces you need to give your costume authenticity. Accessories for a costume are the detailed items needed to transform a costume from mediocre to fabulous; from ordinary to extraordinary. They are the “icing on the cake” for your costumes.
