the journal of literature and the arts at saint david ’ s school
The importance of fashion during the Italian Renaissance can only be fully understood when evaluated within the full context of all the changes that occurred during that period . The growth of the textile industry , the new social mobility and emergence of the Third Estate , as well as the Renaissance ideal of humanism combined to raise its importance during the era . The economy focused on manufacturers and consumers as the flourishing textile trade fed a new appetite for spending in the age of conspicuous consumption . As merchants and bankers gained wealth , the people of the Renaissance truly embraced the motto “ Clothes make the man .” In order to make the most desirable social impression on others , the appropriate dress was absolutely essential . Clothes not only signified social rank but internal qualities as well . However , there was an underlying sense that the intense desire to keep up appearances was getting out of control . People in the uppermost levels of society were aggressively competing with one another through lavish displays of wealth , not just of clothing but also homes , furniture , and patronage of the arts . Apparel was not freely chosen , but prescribed to the smallest detail , suggesting that the tight control of fashion was a way for society to handle growing anxiety .
Works Cited
Cecchini , Isabella . “ Patterns of Consumption in Renaissance Venice .” 2020 . Printing R-Evolution and Society 1450-1500 Fifty Years that Changed Europe , edited by Cristina Dondi , Venice , Edizioni Ca ’ Foscari , 2020 . Edizioni Ca ’ Foscari , edizionicafoscari . unive . it / media / pdf / books / 978-88-6969-333-5 / 978-88-6969-333-5-ch-16 _ TOFretg . pdf . Accessed 14 Dec . 2021 .
Currie , Elizabeth . Fashion and Masculinity in Renaissance Florence . E-book ed ., London , Bloomsbury Academic , an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc , 2020 .
Rublack , Ulinka . Dressing Up : Cultural Identity in Renaissance Europe . Oxford , Oxford UP , 2010 .
“ What were the social factors that led to the Renaissance in Italy ?” DailyHistory . org , dailyhistory . org / What _ were _ the _ social _ factors _ that _ led _ to _ the _ Renaissance _ in _ Italy . Accessed 14 Dec . 2021 .
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