Early Theatrical Costumes

Early theater had strong aspects of acting, directing, lighting, and set design to name a few. But perhaps the most visually important and interesting aspect of the theatre was costumes. Huge amounts of money were poured into costuming. Today, most clothes are made from cotton, but in the early centuries the advantage of this material wasn’t available. It was rare and expensive, so most clothes were made from linen and wool. The upper class costumes were often made from precious materials such as satin, velvet, or silk. The costumes in tragic shows were often more lavish than those of comedies. Coloring costumes was a difficult and tedious process. Artificial dyes were not available in early theatrics, so in order to get certain colors they had to be taken from insects. For instance, in order to dye a garment purple, the color had to be created by crushing sea snails. Although the costumes varied with the shows, typical items were used by men and woman in multiple performances. Women often wore tight corsets, petticoats, skirts, and gowns. Men wore pants, boots, vests, and hats which varied according to status. In early theatre woman were not allowed to act, so masks were often used by men playing female roles. They also aided in increasing the voice of the actors. Makeup of the time often consisted of a white base with red lipstick, but it varied by show, part, and theatre.

http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/early_theater/costume.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/380883/theatrical_costumes_throughout_history_pg6.html?cat=2