What Kind of Fabrics Did They Use in Elizabethan Times?

Wool

• Highly popular particularly with lower classes, wool was used for gowns, hosiery, sleeves, hats, capes, coats, veils and tunics. It was one of the cheapest and most practical textiles available. "In fact, much of the economy revolved around the wool trade," says 16th century costume specialist Drea Leed. Wool could also be combined with silk or linen to create blended fabrics such as serge and fustian.
  
  

Linen

• Used for undergarments such as shifts and chemises, the linen used in Elizabethan times most closely resembles the fine, even-weave linen used in handkerchiefs today. While lower classes used sturdier, coarser versions, noblewomen wore the finest linen from Holland, which was highly expensive, wore out quickly and wasn't as warm as other textiles.
  
  

Silk

• "Silk was a fabric worn exclusively by the rich in Elizabethan times," says Leed. Used for gowns, doublets and other pieces, the silk in Elizabethan times was sturdier than that used today. Imported from Italy and Spain, silk was used as the base fibre for such highly luxurious textiles such as cloth of gold and silver. Silk blends, made by combining silk with wool or linen, were also very common during this era.
  
  

Other fabrics

• Several types of velvet were available during this era, including tufted pile, looped pile, polychrome and brocaded (velvet with gold and silver wefts). Satin was one of the most popular materials for lining garments and shoes, particularly among the nobility. And the "taphata" of the 16th century, which is similar to today's taffeta, was used on outer garments, garment lining, underskirts, puffs, piping and edging.