Book Chapter

Action men: martial fashions in Florence, 1530-1630

  • Elizabeth Currie

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.

  • Keywords:
  • Florence,
  • fashion,
  • masculinity,
  • military,
  • bravery,
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Elizabeth Currie

Royal College of Art, United Kingdom - ORCID: 0000-0002-6220-0281

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  • Publication Year: 2022
  • Pages: 367-387
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
  • © 2022 Author(s)

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  • Publication Year: 2022
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

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

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

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

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

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

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