Chemise or Partlet
Depending upon the construction of the gown, a noble woman might wear either a chemise, which like that of the other classes was a loose shirt of varying length, or a partlet, which is comparable to the modern "dickie", and looked like a chemise but was really just a neckpiece that tucked into the top of the bodice. Both the chemise and the partlet were usually slit up the front, and gathered into a collar around the neck, often with a little ruffle unless a ruff was going to be worn over it. A noblewoman's chemise or partlet would have been made of very fine fabric, sometimes silk or linen, or another fabric that complimented her gown, though as always modern reenactors could choose any non-printed natural fiber fabric that could pass casual inspection. Embroidery, especially blackwork embroidery, lace, or ribbon of fine silk, satin or velvet could be added to the edges to further embellish it.

Bodice
An Elizabethan noblewoman's bodice was tightly fitted to her torso to accentuate the Elizabethan style bodice is worn over the chemise, like a vest, but it laces up. Though middle class women's bodices all basicly follow the same lines, there are many variations on the general theme: some laced up the front, like the peasant version, while more well to do women who could afford a servant might have a bodice that laced up the back. Small cap or puff sleeves at the shoulders could be worn, as could "tippets" (little tabs of fabric sewn into the waist cut in various shapes). Middle class women could also afford a wider range of fabrics than a peasant could have. Fine wool, heavy linen, flannel, cotton chamois cloth and fine whaled corduroy can all be appropriate choices for a more modest middle class woman's bodice, while wealthy merchant's wives would have had clothing almost as fine as a noblewoman, and could even use brocades, velvets and tapestries. You will either want the bodice to be boned for support, much like a corset, so that it holds your body into the Elizabethan shape, or to wear a period-styled corset underneath it. Boning in bodices should be heavier than the flimsy plastic type that you find in women's lingerie, and a suitable type will probably not be available in your local fabric store, so if you choose to sew your own you may be interested in the websites listed in the sewing section which sell heavy corset boning. Since the bodice is by far the most difficult item of peasant clothing to construct, you may simply want to purchase a pre-made one and save yourself the work. If you wear an unboned bodice over a corset, make sure that the corset is of an Elizabethan style, rather than the Victorian style which is far more common today. The main difference between the two is that a Victorian corset cups the breasts and thrusts them outward, whereas an Elizabethan corset saught to flatten a woman's torso and tended to push a woman's breasts strait up. The overall line of your clothing will be ruined if you are not wearing the appropriate corset.

Sleeves
A middle class woman would be likely to wear sleeves, which would be tied (or even possibly sewn) on to the shoulders of her bodice. There is probably more variation with sleeves than in any other area of Elizabethan costuming. A few poplular styles of the era were the leg of mutton sleeve, which was a padded sleeve that was very full on the upper arm and tapered to the wrist, and the hanging sleeve, which was really two sleeves, one of them left unbuttoned and open to hang over a narrower undersleeve. Browse the offerings of different merchants, patterns and portraits of the period for ideas. There are links to all of the above throughout the website and in the links section. A woman's sleeves would probably be made out of the same fabric as her bodice, or in certain instances her underskirt.

Skirts
At least two skirts would probably have been worn by a middle class woman. Lower middle class women might have worn the same gored or circle skirts as her peasant counterpart, only in better quality linen, wool, or any solid color natural fiber fabric that approximates the look of one of those, including cotton broadcloth, lawn, chamois cloth, or flannel. An upper middle class woman would have worn a overskirt (probably of the same material as her bodice and sleeves), like a noblewoman, usually split up the front to reveal the often elaborate forepart of her underskirt. Upper middle class women could have gowns made of heavy silk, velvet, damask or brocade in addition to the more common wools and linens. Most middle class women would have worn something to add fullness to her skirts. Lower middle class women might have simply worn a petticoat, while social climbing upper middle class women would have worn the same farthingale (hoopskirt) that a noblewoman wore.

Cloaks
A cloak can also be worn, if you wish, though it is not absolutely necessary, made out of any of the previously mentioned fabrics, or a combination thereof. The only thing I would say to avoid is ruffles, like the ruffled trim around the hood of the popular Kinsdale cloak. Ruffled designs are from a later period, and tend to look odd next to an Elizabethan costume.

Underpinnings
Besides the previously mentioned corset and farthingale or petticoat that some middle to upper middle class women will need, a bumroll was both very period and very common. A bumroll is a padded circlet that sits around a woman's hips, accentuating the swell of her hips and "bum". Bumrolls were worn by nearly every Elizabethan woman above peasant class, as they were much less expensive than a farthingale. You will most likely want to invest in a pair of tights to wear beneath your costume too. Cotton tights are of course preferable, and there is an online merchant called The Faire Pair (http://www.tightsgoddess.com/) that sells them in nearly any color, though please avoid the stretch velvet variety. If you wanted to be truly accurate, you could wear a pair of bloomers, which Amy swears are quite comfortable, and can be finished off with extremely period cotton stockings held up with simple garters at the knee.

Hats
All Elizabethan women wore a hat when out in public, all the time. There are a number of different choices available, which you can choose from based on your particular costume and social standing. Muffin caps are simple circles gathered near the edges and were worn by peasants and lower middle class women, while flat caps are a fancier version. Middle class muffin caps could be made of fine linen or similar fabric and trimmed embroidery or a bit of ribbon, while flat caps can be done in a heavier fabric, like velvet or brocade and even accented with a broach, feather or both. French hoods are an even more formal choice and were very popular with the nobility, and thus upper middle class women. A French hood consisted of a small, stiff headpiece covered usually with an opulent fabric and often trimmed ornately with beads, pearls and jewels, with a shoulder length veil hanging down the back to cover a woman's hair (often the veil was black). Coifs are close-fitting caps that cover the top of the head and were often worn underneath under other headwear.

Shoes
Shoes are, without a doubt, the most difficult item of clothing to procure for faire. They are difficult to produce at home, and often extremely uncomfortable to wear all day if you do. The few pairs of reproduction period shoes available tend to be extremely expensive. If neither of those options appeal to you, there are a few other options available that will suffice, as most people will not be spending an awful lot of time inspecting your footwear. Chinese slippers and "kung-fu" shoes are fairly serviceable, can be found in many shops and online at The Pillaged Village (http://www.pillagedvilliage.com) and are available in both canvas and velvet. Only the poorest peasants wore sandals, and any shoe with high heels would likely be inappropriate. Shoes are discussed in more detail in the shopping section, and there are specific sites on the links page that address how to reproduce, or fudge, period footwear.

Accessories
You will most likely also want to purchase or make a pouch which you can hang from the belt, and will take the place of your purse and store your ID, money, car keys, sunscreen, and so forth. They are absolutely simple to make and easy to find. Middle class women would not have worn tankards and bowls and such hanging from their belts, as a peasant woman would have done. One thing that was very common, and a rather unique ornament for middle class women, was a set of keys, indicating that she was mistress of her own home. If you can find a few large, heavy iron keys, they would make a perfect accent to your costume. Upper middle class women, like noblewomen, might have worn a fancy feather fan hanging from her belt, or a pomander. Both are available online and sources are listed in the shopping section. Jewelry was indicative of how much money you had, so if you are playing a lower middle class woman, you might stick to one or two humble items, while an upper middle class woman might have as much as the sumptuary laws would allow. If you wish to wear makeup, it should be kept as natural as possible. Perfumes could be worn by a middle to upper middle class woman, though I will still take this opportunity to recommend Demeter Perfume's natural scents, like "Dirt" (which smells just like that rich scent of fresh-turned earth), "Grass", "Woodsmoke", or something along those lines. Demeter perfumes can be purchased at Sephora.com.

Elizabethan middle class women had access to better quality dyes, and thus could and did wear brighter, truer colors than her peasant counterparts. In addition to the peasant-y earth tones, such as browns, beiges, greens, russets, deep oranges, saffrons, and medium to dark blues, middle class women could wear bright, jewel toned colors such as scarlet, ruby, sapphire or peacock blue, emerald green and bright saffron. Purer, brighter whites can be worn by middle class women, as well as black in small quantities. Very pale pastel shades like petal pink or baby blue were uncommon, and purple is never appropriate! Purple was reserved for royalty and should never be used for any costume other than that of a king or queen. Keep metallic accents of gold and silver to small touches as well. You can refer to the sumptuary laws listed elsewhere on this website for further restrictions if you have an interest.

Additional Information:

Book: Elizabethan Costuming (For The Years 1550 - 1580), Janet Winter
Book: Patterns of Fashion : The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women C1560-1620, Janet Arnold