Overview
A camicia is a full undergarment of white linen, gathered at neck and wrists, worn by both men and women under the outer clothes. As the only washable layer it protected the costly gown above and the skin below, and its whiteness signalled cleanliness and wealth.
How it is worn
It is pulled on first and shows deliberately: puffed and pulled out through the gaps and slashes of the sleeves and bodice, and frilled or embroidered at the neckline that the outer gown framed. Blackwork and gold embroidery turned the humble shirt into finery.
History
The camicia was universal in Renaissance Italy and, as outer sleeves were laced on separately and slashed, its display grew ever more elaborate through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is the ancestor of both the man’s shirt and the woman’s chemise blouse.