A Discovery of 1590s Fashion (and Witches!)

A Discovery of Witches has finally returned to our screens. In this series we move from Oxford to London, but not the London we know. Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), a witch who can walk through time, transports herself and Matthew De Clairmont (Matthew Goode) to 1590s London to escape their pursuers. The Armada defeated only two years prior, the Berwick Witch trials just beginning. London city is buzzing with anxiety over the lack of an heir to the English throne and the threat of another Spanish invasion. Based on the best-selling books by Deborah Harkness, Discovery is first and foremost a fantasy series, but unlike many fantastical stories, the costumes are not just imaginative- they’re very well researched. 
Costumes help to balance the context of the story with the vision of the director. A costume designer’s job is foremost to create clothes that support the actor in selling the character and convey a story. Everything has to work together visually so as not to be distracting or off-putting and make sense within the world of the show, but strict realism is often unnecessary. That said, 1590s London looks, well, like 1590s London. The design team reconstructed London’s bygone streets using street maps and illustrations alongside modern data. The characters who populate the set also look the part, and as an Early Modernist, I am here for it!

So let’s take a look at the costumes…

The more accurate costumes:

First up, Matthew’s leather jacket, or as it was known in 1590, jerkin. It is actually based on an extant example housed in the Museum of London. What we cannot see under those winged shoulders are hopefully ribbons or strings with metal ends called points, which attach the arms to the body. Points would also hold ruffs onto collars and join separate items in an outfit at the waist.

Jerkin Tudor; 1550-1600

OnDisplay: Museum of London: Medieval London: War and Fashion: Fashion

The jacket is also pinked (patterned with holes). From slashes to tiny little holes, human pin cushion was the height of Elizabethan men’s fashion. “By my hand I will pinck thy flesh full of holes with my rapier” says Bob in Jonson’s Every Man in His Humour. 

A Discovery of Witches, Sky.

One’s choice of clothing held symbolic meaning in the Elizabethan era. You could tell someone’s status, occupation, and even temperament from the colours and fabrics they wore. Both Diana and Matthew are wearing black in their introduction to 1590s London, and this screams one thing – Wealth. Black dyed fabrics including wools and silks were incredibly expensive to produce owing to the dying process.

A Discovery of Witches, Sky.

However, as Matthew jokes, that collared black dress is at least 20 years out of fashion, and as we move on to discuss other costumes, you will see why. The sleeves are not dramatic enough; the shoulders are too flat; the neckline neither high nor low enough to suit late Elizabethan sensibilities.

Next up, a visit to the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Black and white was a colour combination favoured by Queen Elizabeth, so the black and white colour scheme seems to have been chosen for its historical significance by the design team. The (incredibly cute) wrist ruffs and fan are consistent with accessories depicted in portraiture from the time, and the variety of neck ruffs are just wonderful for heightening the drama of the scene. 

A Discovery of Witches, Sky.

Speaking of drama, please let us talk about this magnificent, very French gown. I gasped when this appeared on my TV screen. From the ever so slight misalignment of the skirt and doublet in this photo, I would assume that the skirt is part of some sort of sleeved kirtle and that the doublet with tied-on sleeves goes over the top. The wired ruff adorned with pearls and the hanging sleeves edged with tiny little pearls and coppery lace are two aspects of fashion that we can see it in the most lavish portraits of Elizabeth I.

A Discovery of Witches, Sky.

Here are the things that they took creative liberties with:

This doublet and skirt combination is truly opulent- an outfit fit for a queen. The problem is that Diana is not even a member of the nobility.

According to sumptuary laws set out by Elizabeth I in the 1570s, Diana would not have been permitted by law to wear silver or gold silk as Mistress Roydon. These laws were very poorly enforced, but as someone who needed to blend into their new surroundings it seems unlikely that this outfit is intentionally flashy and outlandish, 

A Discovery of Witches, Sky.

Hair is another point of creative liberty in Discovery, and a common one in period dramas. Very often modern hairstyles sneak in. By 1590 women’s fashion had moved far away from hoods and small caps with veils, but some sort of hair cover was still expected. In this photograph Diana’s hair is up, but very tousled. She is not wearing a cap or caul, which were particularly important for married ladies. In the blue and gold outfit that we looked at earlier, her hair is more Botticelli mixed with a hint of the little mermaid than late Elizabethan. Hair in 1590 was all about the updo, and rarely did a stray curl or two made their way back towards the shoulders until the early 17th Century.

A Discovery of Witches, Sky.

Lastly, this travel ensemble; an outfit from the series that I love. However, Diana is wearing men’s hose, and the amount of leg on show would have been considered shockingly indecent. There is no way an Elizabethan woman would ever have worn this in public. 

The Verdict:

This series is a treat. Although some creative changes have been made, they work in perfect synergy with the true-to-period pieces. The costuming team deserve a massive round of applause for the amount of detail that went into this show. They did their due diligence. They made sure people wore shifts under their pairs of bodies. They probably spent an age starching those ruffs… and it paid off. 

The bits that aren’t very accurate are, on the whole, sexy little accents that remind us that these characters are not from the time period they are currently in. Having now watched the whole series, I really do feel like I’ve been gifted a look through a portal into 1590.