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The age of the 30 Year's War (1618-1648) was marked by warfare, and the fashion of this era was a "soldier's fashion". No single European royal court set the tone for fashion during this age. In Vienna and Madrid, Spanish fashion was still worn, and in other royal courts, fashion "anarchy" reigned.

Soldier's fashion during the 30 Year's War era, (1618-1648).

Soldier's clothing became the role model for clothing for men of all social classes. The clothing was loose, formfitting and sensibly cut. Between 1613 and 1623, the favored pants were the "culottes béarnaise" - formfitting harem pants which were tied beneath the knee or sometimes even on the calf with wide, decorative ribbons.

Long stockings, tied under or over the knee, were worn with the baggy knickerbockers, first third of 17th century.

Soldier's fashion during the 30 Year's War era, (1618-1648).

With these pants, oversized jackboots which covered the stockings were worn. During this fashion era, stockings did not play a visible role.

Long jackboots belonged to the typical fashion of the first third of the 17th century. The edging, as with the stockings worn underneath, was often folded over.

The few examples of stockings from the 17th century which survived, though, show that stocking production was very qualitative.

Stockings for the fashion of jackboots, whose edges were folded over.

Beginning in 1630, much tighter pants, which also were over-knee length, began replacing the culottes béarnaise. The rich bourgeoisie of Holland, which triumphed over the world power Spain and was at the height of its influence, began setting the tone for fashion in Europe.

Hand-knit green silk stocking,
embroidered with silver threads,
mid-17th century.

Embroidered silk stockings,
17th century.

Linen stockings,
17th century.

Embroidered silk stockings,
17th century.

Germany - the battlefield of all European nations during the Thirty Year's War, was not able to forge its own national state. As a result of various alliances between German potentates and the French royal court, Germany developed a special affinity for France. Those who wanted to "belong", dressed according to the fashion of Paris after the war. This was the beginning of European fashion history, and France was to set the tone for the next 300 years.

From the 1630's, harem pants evolved into over-knee length knickerbockers, which had a tighter fit.

Traditional wear of the Netherlands, 2nd third of the 17th century. Somewhat baggy knickerbockers worn with knee or over-knee length stockings were favored in the late 17th century.

In 1660, the soldier's pants in the tradition of the Thirty Year's War were redesigned and became a divided skirt - called the "Rheingrafenhose" (Count of the Rhine pants) - which was a pantskirt decorated with ribbons. These pants were very popular in the French royal court, as they corresponded to the spreading effeminate tendencies of aristocratic circles in the mid-17th centuries.

In the 2nd third of the 17th century, the "Rheingrafenhose", a pantskirt decorated with ribbons, evolved from the harem pants of the Thirty Year's War.

Aristocratic men wore wigs or had long, curly hairstyles; they wore make-up and favored high-heeled shoes decorated with ribbons. All of the European royal courts and the aristocracy oriented themselves on the court of Louis XIV.

The fashion of the royal court of Louis XIV. became the role model for all of Europe's courts.