Here is a listing of the various myths, in case you prefer to pick and chose.

  1. Myth: That paintings are perfect representations of what the painter saw. [Darmstädter Madonna]
  2. Men's' clothing should fit like today's garments, loose, baggy and hang off the hips (doublets). [True Art of Defense]
  3. Men's' clothing should fit like today's garments, loose, baggy and hang off the hips (lower classes). [Woodcut of a Workman]
  4. Men's' clothing should fit like today's garments, loose, baggy and hang off the hips (upper and nether stocks). [The Land of Cockaigne, Detail]
  5. Codpieces are large, and were worn throughout the Tudor era. [Details of Codpieces Over Time]
  6. Shirts can be worn alone with no doublet or jerkin, especially without sleeves. [The Peasant's Dance]
  7. Shirts are laced up the front. [2 Views of Men's Shirts]
  8. All women must have ample cleavage overflowing from their very tight bodices. [A Group of English Women]
  9. All tight laced bodices lace up the back. [Lady Helena Snakeborg, Colonna Family Child]
  10. Corsets aka "Pair of stays" or "pair of bodies" were always worn under English Renaissance court bodices, and were meant to make the waist small and push up the breasts. [Lady Mary Guildford, Italian Woman]
  11. A corset is a corset. I can wear any kind under my Elizabethan gown. [Elizabethan Pair of Bodies, Victorian Corset]
  12. English smocks are sexy garments to be seen by everyone, have drawstring necklines and wrists, and are worn off the shoulder. [Woman's Smock 1575-1585]
  13. Partlets were only worn by married women all of the time. [Princess Mary Tudor]
  14. Farthingales were worn throughout the entire Tudor era. [Two Family More Ladies, Princess Elizabeth
    Elizabeth Brydges & Queen Elizabeth]
  15. Farthingales are the same shape as modern hoopskirts or 19th century crinolines. [Farthingales, Modern Hoop, Crinolines]
  16. Skirt length must cover the ankles to be proper. [Two Family More Ladies, Two Women from 'June, Mowing']
  17. Here is proof of a "princess seam" in medieval/renaissance portraits. [Virgin and Child. Valois Tapestry]
  18. Buckles had no tongue, and were just a d-ring. [Buckles]
  19. Gemstones were cabochons only. [The Barbor Jewel]
  20. Only nobles wear sleeves. [April - Farmyard Scene, Detail ]
  21. Peasant woman wear a fur tail because it's sexy! [Jeweled "Flea-fur", The Cripples]
  22. Only the monarch may wear ermine fur. [Ermine and Sable furs]
  23. Peasants often wear bells to jingle while they walk. [Bell on a Child's Arm]
  24. Just wearing a crocheted snood is perfectly fine and period for English ladies. [Examples of Women's Hair Coverings]
  25. Peasants do not need to wear a hat, hood, or other form of head covering. [Peasant Wedding]
  26. Flat caps were commonly worn by English gentlemen. [Examples of Men's Headwear]
  27. French hoods are easy to make from a visor, so it can stick up on top. [Medal of Queen Mary Tudor, Detail]
  28. Colors for the less well to do were drab & boring. Black colored garments were reserved for the nobles only. [A Fete at Bermondsey, Detail]
  29. Pink is not a period color. Shiny fabric is not period. [The Ambassadors, Detail]
  30. Blue colored garments are for servants only. [An Elizabethan Maundy]
  31. All purple colors in all fabrics are reserved for Royalty only. [Example of Royal Purple and Common Violet. Photos of Reproduction Wools.]
  32. There were no buttons used, and everything was closed with ribbon laces or ties. [Various Forms of Closures]
  33. Only the Irish and Scots use celtic knotwork on their garments. Shiny gold trim is not period. [King Henry VIII of England, King Francis I of France]
  34. All Tudor English pirates should look like they stepped out of a pirate movie. [English Sailors, and a Thrummed Cap]
  35. Irish leine sleeves hang to the ground and are held up with drawstrings or pleats. [Irish Men and Women]
  36. Highland Scotsmen wear kilts. [Highland Archers c.1577]

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