The Renaissance period was an interesting time, that had some really exquisitely designed clothing for men and women. The fashion in this period was inclined towards opulent designs as well as simplistic forms. This was the period that saw the lavish use of silks and furs. Here's a close look at some of the details associated with Renaissance clothing. Women's Fashion: The Italians were largely influential over the clothing designs from the Renaissance period. Clothing was more about displaying one's social status. The rich would wear clothes in expensive fabrics such as silk and brocade. Women's fashion saw an evolution during this era. Style was the prime factor. The initial costumes did restrict freedom to move around. This is because women wore around 5 layers of clothing. This included the skirt, bodice, vest, underskirt, and the collar. Wedding dresses during this period were particularly beautiful in their appearance and were made of brocades. Exquisite jewels were sewn onto the patterns.Many layers of clothing thus formed an important factor of Renaissance fashion for women. This was probably considered as a way to keep the body warm during the cold weather. Women's clothing also consisted of a kirtle, which was worn with a gown. The term kirtle means a frock. This frock consists of a tightly fitted bodice and a flowing skirt. Sleeves were often wide and the rich loved to line their sleeves with fur. Along with this, many women adorned pointed hats over their hair. Gowns often had long trains of cloth behind. This was on the similar lines as the clothing seen in the Medieval era. Women also used to take a long time to get ready due to the number of layers involved in the clothing. During the Renaissance period, it was particularly noted that Queens wore gowns made of purple color. In Spain, fashion for women was a bit on the heavy side. Materials such as wires were used to create clothing. The Spanish farthingale was actually a stiffened skirt. This was made from whalebone and rope. The French farthingale was crescent in shape. This was also stiffened by whalebone. In many such skirts, hoops were displayed on the outer side. The skirts were broad over the hips and the cloth fell loosely below. This was also probably one of the reasons, why women took a long time to get ready during the Renaissance period. Thus we see how Renaissance clothing was defined as per social status as well as the different regions. Fashion has definitely come a long way since then.