During the French Renaissance this was the type of fashion when it came to what the lower-class citizens could afford and allowed to wear.

Standard English peasant/working class attire

1620-1660: peasant women's clothing

1600s-1700s Set 4Image Ref: RJ-1600s-1700s-Set 4-117Please contact us for information about licensing and purchase options.© Richard Jenkins Photography

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The kirtle was a garment that supported the bust and created the correct silhouette for the period. It was worn over the petticoat, and from the 1540s onwards, over the farthingale. It seems that the kirtle bodice was stiffened in some way, usually with buckram. This was a stiffened linen which may have had additional stiffening consisting of some kind of “boning”.

These are fabulous! Co-Costume Designer Terry Dresbach on creating the new costumes for colonial life: It was very exciting to design American colonial life. I grew up with various versions and vis…