Ruff (clothing)

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A ruff from the early 17th century: The Regentesses of St Elizabeth Hospital, Haarlem (detail) by Verspronck
A ruff from the 1620s

A ruff is an item of clothing worn in Western, Central, and Northern Europe and Spanish America from the mid-16th century to the mid-17th century. The round and flat variation is often called a millstone collar after its resemblance to millstones for grinding grain.

Elizabeth

History

The ruff, which was worn by men, women and children, evolved from the small fabric ruffle at the neck of the shirt or chemise. Ruffs served as changeable pieces of cloth that could themselves be laundered separately while keeping the wearer's doublet or gown from becoming soiled at the neckline. The stiffness of the garment forced upright posture, and their impracticality led them to become a symbol of wealth and status.[1]

Ruffs were primarily made from linen cambric, stiffened with starch imported from the Low Countries. Later ruffs were sometimes made entirely from lace, an expensive embellishment that developed in the early sixteenth century.[1]

The size of the ruff increased as the century went on. "Ten yards is enough for the ruffs of the neck and hand" for a New Year's gift made by her ladies for

goffering irons. At their most extreme, "cartwheel ruffs" were a foot or more wide; these cartwheel ruffs required a wire frame called a supportasse
or underpropper to hold them at the fashionable angle.

By the start of the seventeenth century, ruffs were falling out of fashion in Western Europe, in favour of wing

.

The ruff was banned by Philip IV of Spain in 1621 in a symbolic attempt to reduce the inertia and power of the conservative Spanish elite.[3]

Today

A priest of the Church of Denmark wearing a ruff (2015)

Ruffs remain part of the formal attire of bishops and other clergy in the

Anglican church choirs.[4]

Colours

The most popular and basic colour for ruffs was white,

The bluish tint of a ruff was supposed to make the wearer's complexion appear paler, thus more attractive to contemporaries.[9] Elizabeth I took against this colour and issued a royal prerogative: "Her Majesty's pleasure is that no blue starch shall be used or worn by any of her Majesty's subjects, since blue was the colour of the flag of Scotland ...".[10]

Of the dyed ruffs, those in yellow were the most popular throughout Europe.[7] In England, yellow went out of fashion after the trial and execution of convicted murderer Anna Turner, who was considered the inventor of yellow starch. During her trial the yellow-dyed ruffs started to be seen as a symbol of declining morality. According to some of Anne's contemporaries, she wore a yellow ruff to her trial, after which the executioner ironically decided to wear the same colour to carry out her sentence. However, this may only be a rumour of the time, as there are other primary sources that do not mention this detail.[11]

Coloured ruffs are rarely seen in portraits not only because they were overall less popular than the white ones, but also because later restorers repainted them, believing white to be the "correct" colour for ruffs.[6]

  • Green ruff trimmed with lace, England, 1596
    Green ruff trimmed with lace, England, 1596
  • Saffron yellow ruff made of lace, England, early XVII century
    Saffron yellow ruff made of lace, England, early XVII century
  • Blue ruff, 1623
    Blue ruff, 1623
  • Saffron yellow ruff, 1618
    Saffron yellow ruff, 1618


Gallery

See also

  • 1550–1600 in Western European fashion
  • 1600–1650 in Western European fashion
  • Piccadill, a similar clothing fashion
  • Collar (clothing)

References

  1. ^ a b xxxxx. "The Fashion Historian: Ruffs". The Fashion Historian. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  2. ^ Mary S. Lovell, Bess of Hardwick, Empire Builder 2005:184.
  3. .
  4. ^ Wenlock Chalice and Paten set. "croftdesignshop". croftdesignshop. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  5. ^ Vicki (22 July 2013), Elizabethan Ruffs, Historical Britain, retrieved 27 May 2020
  6. ^ a b c d Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London (2014), Liza Picard
  7. ^ a b Ruth Turner Wilcox (1979), The Dictionary of Costume
  8. ^ Vivian Thomas, Nicki Faircloth (2014), Shakespeare's Plants and Gardens: A Dictionary
  9. ^ Christopher Breward (1994), The Culture of Fashion
  10. ^ Forbes, T. R. Chronicle from Aldgate (1971)
  11. ^ Ann Rosalind Jones, Peter Stallybrass (2000), Renaissance Clothing and the Materials of Memory

Bibliography

  • Janet Arnold: Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd, W. S. Maney and Son Ltd., Leeds 1988. ()

External links