«A Woman Smells Good when She Smells of Nothing». Woman, Attire and Cosmetics in the Humanist Selections of Latin Poets

Abstract

Concern for external appearance and interest in clothing are traits that have generally been identified as characteristic and exclusive to the female character and, therefore, evidence of women’s frivolity and inferiority to men. Nowadays, the phenomenon of fashion (physical appearance, attire, etc.) is approached as a more profound issue, and older beliefs have been replaced by new perspectives. Nevertheless, many of these beliefs are still valid today, and an analysis of their origin and evolution over the centuries is always a necessary and interesting exercise. For this reason, in this paper, a series of excerpts or fragments related to female attire, taken from some of the most relevant sixteenth-century florilegia (Mayer, 1534; Estienne, 1534; Mirándola, 1538; Schönborn, 1565), will be used in order to analyze the ideas and positions on this subject present in the classical authors, as well as to explore their influence on Renaissance society, in the light of what these florilegia and the selection made by their compilers show.