Women's Clothing in Elizabethan times.

Getting dress in Elizabethan times for a woman was no walk in the park. it was a huge process and if you slept in too late, you were going to be late for whatever it was because you couldn't just throw on some sweats and a shirt.
In Elizabethan times, women had many times of dresses to choose from. Their dresses depended on their age and background. They wore dresses that were flattering to their figure, no matter what their size. In these complex and intiricate dresses there are many layers.
First, we start with a smock or a shift. This is a basic underdress worn to protect the outerdress from odors and oils since bathing was scarce. There are many times of smocks. Some are cut close to the body or are billowy. Some have slim sleeves or puffy sleeves with cuffs.
Second, we have stockings. Stockings in this time came just above the knee. Stockings can come in a basic wool, a tight knit, or even silk stockings. Stockings are held up by a garter which is just a simple ribbon tied directly below the knee.
Next that goes on is a corset. Usually, women only wear their corset at court. One can typically get away with a dress that has a fashionable enough figure at home without a corset. They were most commonly worn by curvaceous women. Women who has small chests could get away with wear a little bit of ribbing in their dress and it was fine. The corset is made out of reed and whalebone.
A verdingal is a hoop skirt that creates an A-line shape for the dress. The verdingal is tied to the corset to help transfer the weight from all of the heavy skirts to the torso instead of it all laying on the hips.
The next step is optional. It's called a bumroll and its a small, cushioned crescent worn around the hips to help the skirts poof out more.
Now all of the structural items have been traced over. Next is the creativity part of clothing.
A petticoat is a skirt that can be simple or extravagent. There are ones with simple lace trim or are intricately embroidered. There are warm flannel petticoats that one can put on underneath their vendingal.
Another option instead of a petticoat is a kirtle and forepart. A kirtle is like a petticoat, except it's not a full skirt. It's a semi skirt that attaches to the bodice. The forepart buttons onto the kirtle, to creat a full skirt. The forepart is a piece that is selected to match the gown and sleeves.
Getting close to the end, we have the partlet. A partlet ties under the arms and fits just below the bustline. It can be made of silk, lace, or be embroidered. Sometimes, they have a ruffle at the neckband as well.
The gown and sleeves are finish of the body. The gown lies evenly over the kirtle and shows of the forepart. The gown laces up the front and covers the bodice.The sleeves come up to meet the partlet.
Last, we have shoes. They are all made of a thin leatherand the tops are made of leather, velvet, silk, or other fabrics. They are lined with wool, taffeta, and satin. Sounds comfy. Some of them are slips-ons while others look like a mary-jane. There are also shoes like resemble a modern t-strap that tie with a ribbon.


Sources:
Putting on an Elizabethan Outfit, Leed, Drea; http://www.elizabethancostume.net/overview.html.