This chapter analyses the influence of contemporary ideals of valour, physical strength, and martial skill on male court fashions. It outlines the various channels that enabled the propagation of martial styles and begins by examining the close relationship between inner valour and outward display, highlighting the meanings ascribed to the words “bravo” and “bravura” in sixteenth-and seventeenth-century Italian texts and imagery. Florentine courtiers were surrounded by idealised representations and performances of warfare, including mock battles with lavish costumes that were a key feature of Medici propaganda. Soldiers and mercenaries were themselves frequently characterised as fashion setters, associated with gaudy colours, flamboyance, and ornate decorations considered inappropriate male attire in many civic contexts. The chapter proceeds to focus on three key aspects of male dress connected with military might and physical strength: leather upper garments, frogged fastenings on cloaks and gowns, and adherent, short trunk hose. Consumer demand for these styles and their cultural meanings are traced through contemporary literature, visual sources, and archival records.
Royal College of Art, United Kingdom - ORCID: 0000-0002-6220-0281
Chapter Title
Action men: martial fashions in Florence, 1530-1630
Authors
Elizabeth Currie
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/978-88-5518-565-3.20
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2022
Copyright Information
© 2022 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
La moda come motore economico: innovazione di processo e prodotto, nuove strategie commerciali, comportamento dei consumatori / Fashion as an economic engine: process and product innovation, commercial strategies, consumer behavior
Editors
Giampiero Nigro
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
422
Publication Year
2022
Copyright Information
© 2022 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/978-88-5518-565-3
ISBN Print
978-88-5518-564-6
eISBN (pdf)
978-88-5518-565-3
eISBN (xml)
978-88-5518-566-0
Series Title
Datini Studies in Economic History
Series ISSN
2975-1241
Series E-ISSN
2975-1195