This page contains affiliate links for products I recommend. If you click a link and buy something I may receive some compensation in the form of a small commission. This does not change the price you would pay.
Medieval and Renaissance Lady Undergarments
It is important when dressing in costumes from the Middle Ages not to neglect the use of the Medieval and Renaissance lady undergarments. The undergarments, in many cases, are part of the overall feel of the costume, in addition to playing a big part in completing the look of the Renaiassance costume.
The undergarments for the peasant-class ladies during the Medieval era were, for the most part, a simple flax linen tunic or cotton chemise which was worn under a surcoat.
During the Renaissance, the chemise served as a blouse worn under a sleeveless bodice or under a corset. The chemise was basically worn under all ladies’ clothing during the Middle Ages. It kept the outer clothing cleaner by absorbing the perspiration and oils from their bodies. It was often used as a nightgown as well.
Skirts were worn several layers deep over chemise, pantaloons or bloomers. The top skirt layer was often used as an apron, a cleaning cloth, and also as a travel garment to keep the underskirt layers dust free.
Renaissance Women’s Long Chemise
Table of Contents
The upper-class nobility wore more expensive silk chemises, often with fancy adornments and embellishments, such as lace and fancy buttons. Under their skirts were layers of crinolines, or ruffled skirts, which were worn over their silk and lace undergarments.
DeluxeAdultCostumes.com provides an excellent selection of chemise styles replicated from the Middle Ages for your costume needs. These Medieval undergarments come in ankle-length smocks as well as hip-length chemise blouses. They are ideal to wear underneath any of our Renaissance dresses or with our Medieval skirts. After spending the money to purchase a gorgeous costume, you may as well go all the way and protect it by wearing a chemise. Some Renaissance costumes must have a chemise to complete the look.
Chemise gowns are made with a variety of sleeve styles which can be worn with costumes from many different timelines in history. The Anne of Cleeves chemise is a medieval design with drawstring at the neck & elastic at the ruffled elbow. The stylish sleeves fan out below the elbow. Back lacings give it a nice curvy fit to wear under a corset and skirt. The chemise has been made from 100% cotton.
Medieval Renaissance Lady Lace Trimmed Chemise Underdress
A light and airy white Medieval style chemise with double rows of delicate lace ruffles featured on the gathered neckline and sleeve cuffs. Floral white-on-white embroidery grace the hemline. It would be such a shame to hide the charming embroidery under a skirt. I recommend wearing it under a skirt that can be cinched up to show off the embroidered hem.
;
A classic simple peasant chemise with a ruffled neckline to be worn under a Medieval or Renaissance style bodice vest and an overskirt or two. The neckline gathers with a drawstring and elastic is used at the cuffs of the poofy ruffled sleeves.
As charming and as feminine as you can get wearing a chemise because of the delicate lace trim adorning the sleeves and the hem. It is made of a soft light-weight cotton blend and the lace gives an added touch of elegance fit for an upper-class noble’s wife or daughter.
Let the delicate lace be seen by cinching up the skirt you wear over it with a pair of leather skirt hikes.
I love the mutton sleeves on this long white chemise. It will look fabulous when worn under a Renaissance lace-up bodice or corset with full gathered layered skirts. And the best news? I found it at a 40% lower price than the listed price on Amazon for the exact same chemise!
Renaissance Surrey Chemise Banded Puff Sleeves Ren Faire Underdress
A Surrey chemise is a dressier Renaissance style of chemise rather than the simpler Medieval version chemise. It is made of a lightweight fabric, perfect for summer Ren Faires, reenactment events, LARP, and RPG events.
This chemise is accented with 4 bands of richly embroidered lace trim on the sleeves. This type of trim was only worn by nobles. Peasants could not afford the expensive sleeve trim decorations. The sleeve bands can be adjusted giving them a lovely poofy bouffant effect.
Renaissance Long Celtic White Tied Sleeves Chemise
A beautiful full white Celtic chemise to wear under all your Medieval and Renaissance outfits. The neckline is gathered with long, gathered full bell sleeve adjusted to fit by ties at the shoulders.
Celtic Decorated Trim Long White Chemise
(One Size)
During the Middle Ages only the nobility could afford a chemise such as this one. Even though they were sewn by the peasant women of the kingdom, the peasant seamstresses could not afford to buy lace or embroidered trim for themselves. The full bell sleeves of this gorgeous Celtic chemise, by ToBeAPirate, are embellished with a beautiful floral and ivy embroidered trim. It which will look lovely worn under any Renaissance outfit. The neckline is gathered elastic allowing you to wear the chemise on or off the shoulders.
Note: I do not recommend this chemise for a tiny petite person as it will be too long, and too bulky with the ample amount of fabric used to make the undergarment. It is best suited for a medium sizd woman up to an x-large size.
Medieval Renaissance Faire
Celtic Long Puff Flowing Sleeve Chemise Underdresses
Featuring medieval undergarments meant to be worn under a sleeveless dress, with a sleeveless surcoat, and with a lace-up bodice or corset. It is not meant to be worn by itself as a dress. During the Renaissance era, if a woman were to venture outside wearing only a chemise such as these, it would be the same as going outside today in a bra and panties.
The sleeves on these underdresses are what sets them apart from other chemises featured on this page. It has elastic gathers in two places for a poofy sleeve design and the gathered neckline gives you the option of wearing it on or off the shoulders.
A light brown linen chemise with a round neckline and long fitted sleeves. Wear this underdress under a medieval surcoat or under a corset and skirt for added fullness.
A classic simple cotton peasant chemise with a ruffled neckline to be worn under a Medieval or Renaissance style bodice vest and an overskirt or two. The neckline gathers with a drawstring and elastic is used at the cuffs of the poofy ruffled sleeves.
Wear these peasant style 100% cotton trumpet sleeve chemise underdresses underneath sleeveless overdress bodices that lace-up the front with long open skirt panels. They are best suited for lower-class peasant costumes and not for royals. They can be worn on or off the shoulders because of the elastic necklines. The waists are smocked with elastic for a comfortable fit. They are long in length (55-inches) so be prepared to hem them shorter if you are short with a petite body frame.
Several different eras of fashion can use this costume underdress. It can be worn as a blouse for an Elizabethan era costume, a Renaissance costume, a Gothic era costume, a Victorian era costume, a Steampunk or Diesel Punk costume. Wear it under several skirt layers in place of a petticoat. For addition fullness a petticoat can be added under the double layered skirts.
Women’s Short Sleeve Long Summer Chemise Underdresses
These next chemise underdresses are ideal for hot summer days at Renaissance Fairs and Pirate Festivals. The chemise underdresses are made of light-weight fabric with short poofy sleeves.
Renaissance Maiden Inspired
Lace Cap Sleeve Trim Chemise Underdress
The delicate lace cap sleeves and trim of these summer chemise underdresses are the exquisite detailing that sets these undergarments apart from the rest. The smocked elastic waist will fit comforably under a corset. Layer another skirt over the skirt of the chemise and cinch up the hem to reveal the lace hem of the chemise to poke out underneath. A lace chemise is best suited for a lady or a noblewoman.
You’ll remain cool in the hot summer heat while looking like an elegant Renaissance maiden lady. The chemise is available in 13 gorgeous colors. I am featuring just a few of the colors below.
Another long summer chemise with puff sleeves, but this one is 100% cotton. It is long (52-inches) and will be too long if you are petite like me (5’2″). If that is the case, be prepared by allowing enough time before your event to have it hemmed up. It is available in a total of 6 colors; brown (shown) black, white, cream, burgundy, and purple.
Women’s Long Plus Size Medieval Renaissance Chemises
For the full-figure woman, I found several different syles of chemise undergarments to wear under a surcoat, a lace-up bodice, an overdress, or a corset.
An important addition to the full-figure woman’s cosplay costume wardrobe! You want to have this piece on hand to wear with a pirate costume or a Renaissance costume. The chemise can be tailored to your measurements at no additional charge.
Women’s Short Chemise Tops
Short chemise tops can be worn with many different costumes from Medieval to Renaissance, Diesel punk to Steampunk, German dirndls to Victorian era costumes. Wear them alone, under laced bodices, or boned corsets. They are considered to be “undergarments” but can also be worn as blouses.
Typical of a medieval under-blouse. The large pointed trumpet sleeves were the fashion style throughout the Medieval period. Wear it with gathered skirts and a corset or waist cincher.
Women’s Ruffled White Gauze Hi-Low Lace Pirate Chemise
I recommend wearing this chemise with a sexy lady pirate costume, a steampunk costume, an Octoberfest haufbrau maiden costume, or a western burlesque costume. Wear it under a corset and layered skirts or wear it as is with just a corset, pirate boots and a pirate hat. It is sheer so you will need to wear boy shorts or a nude body suit under it.
This chemise is a very thin, see-through cotton gauze fabric at a very affordable price. Because the fabric is so thin I don’t anticipate it lasting through more than a couple of uses. I recommend washing it by hand if you do get it as I think it might fall apart if washed in a washing machine even if washed on a gentle cycle setting. Another thing, I only recommend getting it if you are a petite woman. It will not fit an average to a larger woman and I’m afraid it might shred at the seams.
With all of that being said, it is an ultra feminine chemise with ruffled lace detailing at the elastic off-shoulder neckline, at the hems of the trumpet sleeves, and on the hem of the 2-tier, asymmetrical hi-low hemline.
Renaissance Faire Lady Costume Smocked Waist Chemise Top
You will love the way the smocked waist of this chemise top fits along with the trumpet sleeves. It gathers at the neckline with elastic giving you the option of wearing it on or off the shoulders. The chemise was designed to be worn under a Renaissance costume dress, under a corset, or a Medieval style bodice. It is available in different colors (shown below) to help you to create any outfit you want to wear to the Faire.
Similar to a Medieval houppeland overdress, the slashed sleeves of this short chemise expose a fitted lace sleeve. The elastic neckline gathers for an on or off shoulder look. It is a style replicated from the chemise that would have been worn by noblewomen under a houppeland in the Middle Ages. It is also available in black.
A fantastic find for a pirate costume or a Renaissance Faire tavern wench. The off-should chemise has a ruffled neckline and draping banded sleeves. The sleeves have 3-tiers of gathered elastic that can be pushed up or down to poof-out for a bouffant effect. The sleeve cuffs are tattered as if you’ve been out at sea, or working your tail off in a pub full of rowdy pirates.
The skirt has 3-tiers of ruffles. They will add an extra bit of fullness at the hips worn under your skirt. It will look super cute worn over your skirt with a corset, bodice, or waist cincher.
The vendors have labeled this short chemise as a dress. However, no woman during the 16th- or 17th-century would have ever worn a short skirt. It could be worn by a modern-day cocktail waitress serving drinks in a pirate-themed bar, but not as an authentic Renaissance woman. If you choose to wear it as a dress instead of a chemise, keep this in mind. Wearing it with a corset, bodice, or waist cincher will hike the skirt up even shorter than it already is. Additionally, it runs small so order a size larger for a snug fit and 2 sizes larger for a looser fit.
Peasant Women’s Pleated Gathered Neck Ruffled Sleeves Short White Cotton Chemise (Plus Size)
There is very little known about women’s underpants in the Middle Ages. The records probably lack the information because the records were kept by men. Men either lacked the knowledge of women’s underclothing, didn’t think it was important enough to log into the household records, or it was considered too private an issue to record.
We do know that wealthy Italian women wore “drawers” under their dresses during the 16th-century, but true pantaloons and pantalettes were not recorded until the early 1800s. Even though the short pantalettes may or may not be historically accurate, they are still fun costume pieces to wear under the long tunics of the Medieval period and the full, flowing skirts of the Renaissance dresses.
Each individual bloomer pair is lovingly handmade in England with great attention paid to detail. The superb craftmanship comes at a very affordable price and are shipped to you directly from the manufacturer in England so please order far enough in advance to allow extra shipping time.
We think the knee-length pantaloon bloomers may be more historically correct than the fun and flirty short bloomers. However, as already mentioned, it is mere speculation as we haven’t yet found any records to back up the theory.
Adorable cotton bloomers with layers of beautiful ruffles accented at the knees with lace trim. These bloomers can be worn under a Renaissance costume, a Victorian costume, a Steampunk costume, a Japanese Lolita costume, or a Japanese Harajuku Kawaii costume for cosplay events. With what costume will you wear pantaloons?
Renaissance Wench New Orleans White Cotton Lace Trimmed Pantaloons
A really awesome pair of bloomers made with 100% cotton, are accented with blue satin ribbon ties and waterfall lace ruffles at the knees. They can be tied above the knee like a bloomer or below the knee as pantaloon.
The hem of the pantaloons are 4-tiers of pretty ruffled eyelet lace. I would wear them peeking out from under a ruched-up skirt with a corset or bodice. The elastic waistband has plenty of room for a super easy fit. These bloomers are meant to fit at or near our natural waistline to enable being worn under a corset.
Made and shipped directly from England. These long white pantaloons are available in women’s sizes 10-42.
Women’s Costume Petticoats. Crinolines,
and Hoop Skirts
Petticoats and crinolines are necessary undergarments when a full skirt is needed for a period costume. During the Renaissance, the Rococo, the Baroque, the Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian, and Civil War times in history women wore gowns with very full skirts. Layers of petticoats were needed to achieve the fashion statement popular at the time. Farthingales (hoop skirts) panniers, and bum rolls were also worn by women under their skirts for a fuller hip effect.
I would wear this crinoline petticoat under a full skirt gown to give it the additional fluffy and puffy fullness it needs to keep the full shape of the skirt. The three tiers of gathered ruffles make it a very full undergarment that can easily replace a hoop style petticoat with much more comfort. You don’t have hoops to adjust when sitting down. It is not as full as a hoop petticoat, but it is an alternative for very full ball gown.
Before the petticoat was invented, women wore hooped undergarments such as this one. This farthington hooped underskirt can be worn with or without a bum roll. It contains 5 metal rings which will keep your overskirt in a beautiful umbrella shape and will help to accentuate the overall appearance of your Renaissance gown.
Women’s Full Formal Ball Gown Crinoline Hoop Skirt
A very full taffetta 6-hoops and 7-ruffles underskirt. It is the perfect undergarment to wear under costume dress skirts when the maximum fullness is needed to keep the shape and integrity of the skirt. It is ideal for Renaissance, Victorian, Civil War, and Southern debutante ball gown costumes. Remember to measure the length of your skirt to be sure it will cover the hoop skirt completely without it showing at the hem of the dress.
Women’s Pannier Costume Undergarments
Side hoops or frames called panniers were worn under women’s gowns in the 17th- and 18th-century. The term pannier comes from the French word paniers which roughly translates to the wicker baskets slung on each side of a donkey. Their shape added width to the sides of the skirts, but left the front and back rather flat. The pannier shape served as a sort of display board to showcase the elaborately decorated panels designed into aristocratic dresses. Extreme panniers extended the width of the skirt several feet at each side of her waist making it a challenge for aristocrat women to fit through the doors.
Women’s Renaissance Double White Pannier Undergarment
During the Tudor reign in England, the bum roll became a necessary part of women’s fashion undergarments. As the name implies, the stuffed roll was tied around the waist, resting on the bum under a women’s dress. The purpose was to add fullness to the skirt and to add the illusion of a smaller waistline. The roll could be worn alone for lower-class women or placed on top of a hoop skirt or pannier for women of wealth. The fuller the appearance of the dress skirt, the wealthier the woman
Wearing a bum roll or a bum pad carried on into the 19th-century to the Victorian era. Women wore them under their skirts to add a bustle look to their dresses which was the height of the Victorian fashion.
For those of you who are a semi-homemade costumer like myself, you may want to make some of your undergarments yourself. If you have basic sewing skills, many of the pieces are easy enough to sew at home.
Included in this pack of patterns are the pieces to make a high neck puff sleeve smocked chemise, a square-neck fitted sleeve tunic, a partlet, 3 corset styles, a farthingale, and a bum roll.
The bum roll is the easiest piece to make and it only takes a yard of fabric to make it. I made one from plain cotton muslin fabric and stuffed it with scrap fabric I had lying around.
You can get fancier if you want and stuff it with quilting batting. A heavier fabric such as a uniform cloth like cotton duck or twill will hold up better, but I wanted to use what I had on hand for my first try at it.
I hope you have lots and lots of fun at your next costume event wearing one of these Renaissance Lady Undergarments.
Keep in mind there are only three really important things to remember when searching for the right Medieval Renaissance Undergarments to wear under your costume for your next Medieval, Renaissance, Pirate, Victorian, or cosplay event….
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Medieval and Renaissance Lady Undergarments
