The basic dress of the Florentine women consisted of three main components: the camicia, the gamurra, and the sleeves. All dresses before, after, and during Savonarola’s reign, which spanned from 1491 to 1498, contained these three elements, however, pre-1490s, the dresses were far more elaborate and consisted of additional pieces such as elaborate capes and additional dresses. The camicia was a white linen undergarment worn by all classes to protect the clothing from the oil and sweat of the body of the wearer; a woman’s camicia was “made full length, to the floor. Sleeves were generally long, some were cut in raglan style” (Tortora 162). The gamurra or camora was a “very simple everyday dress meant to convey modesty, one of the most important virtues for women to exhibit in [Florentine] society” (Thompson). The gamurra consisted of a fitted, slightly stiffened bodice with the waistline just above the natural waistline, sewn to a full length, pleated skirt; pre/during Savonarola, the gamurra laced up the front of the bodice; alternatively, under the arms, were side lacings. However, side lacing seems to be most prominent during the first quarter of the sixteenth century before the would Spanish alter the gamurra again. The sleeves pre and during Savonarola, consisted of two parts, an upper and a lower sleeve, both of which were laced onto the wearer’s arm, the other half of the sleeve, and also to the gamurra; post Savonarola, the sleeve was made up of a single piece which was voluminous in size and laced only to the gown. This was the basic dress of the Florentine women, but, specific events altered the embellishment and eventual cut of the dress.

Florence is said to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, thanks in part to the Medici family begun by Giovanni de Medici in 1397. Giovanni was a banker and a patron to the arts and to his son, Cosimo, he passed down a large fortune, the family banking business, and his love of the arts. Cosimo was “educated in the principles of humanism... [and a]s a successful businessman, [he] built up his father’s fortune and established business connections all over Europe” (SparkNotes). With these connections, Cosimo made Florence a thriving cosmopolitan centre which, in time, brought the Renaissance to all of Europe. In 1469, Lorenzo, perhaps the greatest Medici of the family, came into the spotlight. His nickname was “Il Magnifico” and he was as magnificent as his name. The Florentine economy increased and “the lower class enjoyed a greater level of comfort and protection that it had ever before. During Lorenzo’s rule, from 1469 to 1492, Florence became undeniably the most important city-state in Italy and the most beautiful city in all of Europe” (SparkNotes). Lorenzo, like his predecessors, was a great patron to the arts; many young artists flocked to Florence, among them Sandro Botticelli who painted such works as The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Il Magnifico increased the architecture which made Florence the most beautiful city in Europe. However, in 1482, sent by a religious superior, Girolamo Savonarola came to Florence to preach to the people that their extravagant lifestyle was unholy.

Savonarola was obsessed and strictly opposed to the “great energy the pagan and often immoral live prevalent in many classes of society especially in the court of Lorenzo de Medici” (New Advent). At first his sermons had no impact on the people as his method of speaking repulsed them. He left Florence to preach in other cities and in 1489, he returned to Florence (New Advent). Florence became the scene of all his triumphs and his inevitable fall. In August of 1490, he began sermons in the pulpit of San Marco in which he used contemporary “signs” to suggest that the Apocalypse was upon the modern world (Kreis); needless to say that Florence flocked to hear him speak and by 1491, he was made the vicar-prior of the monastary San Marco (New Advent). Because the people were so intent on what he was saying, he gradually gained power and influence over them, so that when Lorenzo de Medici, a man whom he never liked, died in 1492, Savonarola was able to drive out Lorenzo’s son and the Medici ruling party in 1494 (New Advent). After the Medici were thrown out of Florence, Savonarola became more and more extreme. He encouraged the people to burn their luxuries and encouraged them to live piously, to give up being a gateway to the rest of Europe and return to a very internal city-state; in this time he held mass bonfires in which luxuries such as paintings, fine clothing, sculpture, books, etc, were all burnt thus gaining the name “Bonfires of Vanities” (Kreis). Savonarola’s religious order was known as the Dominican Order; during this time, selected monks would go about the city like police, and take from the people luxury items, most notably women, married or single, were told to lay aside their frivolous ornaments and to become much more modest (New Advent). This is the root of the Florentine dress of the first quarter of the sixteenth century. The Dominican “police” were successful and brought a lofty air of power to Savonarola; he decided that the Church needed his brand of medicine (Kreis/New Advent).

Savonarola was convinced that the Pope was influenced by Satan (New Advent) and this brought him into conflict with Pope Alexander VI. The result was that, in 1495, the Dominican Order was forbidden to preach in San Marco, however, Savonarola began preaching again with increasing violence in February of the following year (New Advent). On the 12th of May, 1497 he was excommunicated, but he celebrated Christmas mass of the same year (New Advent). In “February 1498, [Savonarola] continued preaching to show that the sentences against him were void” (New Advent) thus proclaiming himself greater than the pope; opposition in Florence began to strengthen and the people began to turn against Savonarola. After the second “Bonfires of Vanities” in May of 1498, riots began and San Marco was attacked and Savonarola was taken prisoner and tortured (New Advent). On May 22, 1498, a panel of judges selected by the Pope Alexander VI, condemn Savonarola to death, and on the May 25, 1498, he is publicaly hung and burnt at the stake (New Advent). The Medici party was re-elected into power following his death, however, Florence was never the same power it was before Savonarola.

Savonarola had a profound impact upon the city of Florence but to understand better the impact he had, one must look at a painting by Sandro Botticelli entitled The Crucifixion with the Penitent Magdalene (Mystical Crucifixion).

Sandro Botticelli was a painter that was one of the most affected by Savonarola’s rule. He lived in Florence from 1470 until his death in 1510; it was here that he painted The Crucifixion with the Penitent Magdalene (Mystical Crucifixion) (see text, p. 80) circa 1500. At first glance it might seem that the painting is of the crucifixion of Christ, however, there is far more to it than that. In the background there is the city of Florence under bright light and a clear sky; to the right of the picture is a black cloud full of devils throwing flames towards the earth; in the upper left corner, “God the Father [is] hovering in a glory” (Deimling 80) with the black cloud being driven away by now faded angels. In the foreground, Mary Magdalene is clutching the cross “in a passionate, almost wild gesture” (Deimling 80). From underneath her red mantle, although deteriorated by time, a fox or wolf (Deimling 80) is fleeing; to the right of the cross, an angel dressed in white is striking a young lion dead with its sword. With the background history already provided, Mary Magdalene is believed to represent the city of Florence with its conscience stirred by Savonarola, is repenting its sins (Deimling 81). The wolf/fox and the lion seem to represent violence and deceit either leaving Florence or being ended (Deimling 81). Simultaneously, “God the Father is driving away the hellish clouds over the city” (Deimling 81) with the angels’ shields bearing the crest of the people of Florence. This can be an interpretation of either the Medici rule in Florence, but more than likely it is the end of the Savonarola’s reign over Florence. What is interesting is that Botticelli depicts Mary Magdalene in a gamurra and a slightly fuller sleeve than previous dresses. It can be judged as the beginning of the early sixteenth century Florentine gown which will eventually be transported all over Europe.

The basic silhouette of early sixteenth century Florentine dress is made up of the camicia, gamurra, and sleeves, but it also includes accessories such as headdresses, jewelry, shoes and stockings.

The camicia, also known as the chemise or smock, was made of white linen; it fell to the floor with full sleeves that could extend between six and eighteen inches from the tip of the fingers depending upon the wealth of the wearer. Much attention was paid to the construction and care of of this undergarment; a woman’s camicia was a symbol of her ability to act as a matron over the household and her domestic abilities (Thompson). So much pride was put into this garment that it became a very important part of the bride’s dowry. The neckline could be high or low, square or circular, revealed, or hidden under the bodice; in the first few years of the 1500s the embellishment on the camicia was very minimal, no more than smocking or plain bands to decorated the neckline; as the century progressed so did the additional embellishment so that by the 1520’s the neckband and sometimes the sleeves were decorated with black work and embroidery. The sleeves of the camicia were very full and were pulled through between the lacings of the sleeves to the gamurra. Although there is no evidence to suggest it, it is believed that along with the camicia worn under the gamurra, another undergarment, similar to the bodice and perhaps a predecessor to a pair of bodies worn in the northern regions of Europe. It is quite possible that a tight, quilted garment called a farsettino was worn beneath the gown; it would provide support for the bust and slightly flatten the torso. It is not overly certain with what it’s stiffened, whether it be quilted, stiffened canvas, or hemp cording (Thompson).

The bodice of the gamurra is a tight fitting, wrinkle free garment usually laced under the arms. Typically, these bodices closed with a simple spiral lace cord known in period text as accordellata (Thompson). The cord passed through bound eyelets or metal rings which would have been stitched to the edges of the fabric as seen in the previous period. In the first couple years of the 1500s, there are few examples of front lacing gowns and practically none after this period, but there is no evidence to suggest that there were back lacing gowns; this meant that a woman could dress herself. The neckline of the gown was either square or rounded, much like the camicia; the shoulder straps often are depicted in paintings as just about to fall off the shoulders “which would emphasize the graceful slope of the woman’s neck and shoulder, which was on of the key features in the Florentine conception of idealized beauty” (Thompson). The back of the neckline often appears to be round, square, or even V shaped. The main decoration of the bodice sat at the neckline with a row or two of contrasting colour guards. This seems to be a highly regional signature of the Republic of Florence at this time (Thompson).

The skirt could be attached to the bodice with knife pleats, box pleats, or gathers, however, they do not seem to use cartridge pleats until after this period. Although all women wore the same basic garment, upper class women wore their skirts past floor length; this would allow them to display their wealth with the excess expensive fabric used to make their gown; these skirts would have to be gathered at the front to be able to walk and would form attractive folds and give an opportunity to show off their richly made underskirts. The colour guards on the bodice were also used to decorate the hemline of the over and under skirts; it is believed that the number of bands on the bodice would be the judge of how many bands went on the skirts, however, this is not always true (Thompson). There is speculation that the underskirt attached to the underbodice, but again, there is no concrete evidence to prove or disprove this theory.

The sleeves of the dress were laced onto the bodice with many ribbons that could either be displayed or hidden on or within the sleeve respectively. The camicia would be pulled thru the spaces left by the lacing and form attractive puffs, one of the reasons why the camicia sleeves were so much longer. The material of the sleeve could match the dress, or, more commonly, be of a contrasting colour. The shape of the sleeve could be full and loose at the cuff into a bell like shape, or it could be wide at the shoulders and taper to the wrist. Both styles were equally popular. The sleeves could also be decorated with the same colour guards worn at the neckline and hemline of the gamurra.

Accessories for the dress consisted of two vestigial forms of once functional garments, an apron and a parlet or coverciere, a girdle, a simple headdress, shoes and stockings, and light jewelry. The apron was worn by all classes of women, not as garment to protect the skirt from cooking or cleaning, but as a symbol of her domestic status and as another means to add decoration while still conveying modesty. The coverciere was made of sheer silk, often invisible in paintings, and edged in white or black gimp. It was a method of showing off wealth to be able to afford such a luxurious fabric as sheer silk. Initially this was meant to cover the woman’s neckline and convey modesty; undoubtedly if Savonarola caught sight of this it would have been burned or taken away and then burned. The girdle is simply a cloth belt, sometimes decorated with beads or tassels, tied about the waist; sometimes though, it could be metal or metal chain. The headdress of the Florentine women covered much less hair than the rest of Europe; there were two main styles worn: a hairnet, (known also as a snood) or a turban. It is believed that the turban came from Moorish or Turkish styles (Thompson) or from European men’s hats. Shoes at this time consisted of slippers with a strap across the instep. Stockings were knitted and came in a rainbow of colours, even parti-coloured and could match the sleeves of one’s gown. Jewelry of this period was extremely modest as a tie over from the previous period where the Dominican monks came to each household and took away what they deemed immodest. It common for a wife, and often expect that after the first year or two of marriage she would give up her jewelry and become increasingly modest in her station. Small cords, small chains, simple beaded strings, or charms were worn for necklaces; modesty, demureness, and decency were highly prized in this society post Savonarola (Thompson). Rings, however, could be worn in abundance as they both symbolized the union between husband and wife, and the station of the wife within the women of her family.

The fall of the Medici and the rise and fall of Girolamo Savonarola directly influenced the simplistic style of the Florentine dress of early sixteenth century. After the Medici were elected back into power, trade ties began again and the ideas of the Florentine society, although they would never be the same as in the time of “Il Magnifico” Lorenzo de Medici, they would ship their style of dress all throughout Europe and in the end, the Florentine dress influenced the German, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, and Tudor styles of dress. The basic shape, style, and decoration is the same, the Italians just came up with it a few years earlier thanks in part to a religious fanatic.

“Girolamo Savonarola.” 18 Jan, 2003. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13490a.htm.

“Lorenzo de Medici/Lorenzo The Magnificent | Ruler of Florence and Art Patron.” 20 Jan, 2003. http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jan/lorenzo.html.

“Portrait of Girolamo Savonarola by Bartolomeo, Fra.” 18 Jan, 2003. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/b/bartolom/fra/savonaro.html.

Cosgrave, Bronwyn. The Complete History of Costume and Fashion From Ancient Egypt to Present Day. Octopus Publishing Group Limited: New York, 2000

Deimling, Barbara. Botticelli. Köln: Taschen, 2000

Kreis, Steven. “Girolamo Savonarola.” 18 Jan, 2003. http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/savonarola.html.

Noble, Matt. “SparkNotes: Italian Renaissance.” 12 Jan, 2003. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/renaissance1/.

Thompson, Jennifer. 15 Jan, 2003. “Florentine Dress 1500-1525: notes on style and construction.” http://homepage.mac.com/festive_attyre/research/flornotes/flornotes.html.

Thompson, Jennifer. “The Use of Lower Grade Silks in the Renaissance.” 15 Jan, 2003. http://homepage.mac.com/festive_attyre/research/silk.html.

Tortora, Phyllis and Keith Eubank. Survey Of Historic Costume. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1998

Zuffi, Stephano. One Thousand Years of Painting. Milan: Indigo Books, 2001

Click here for pictures of a reconstructed Florentine gown (not saying that it's any good, but it was a lot of fun to make for a first sewing project!)