A gamurra was an Italian style of women's dress popular in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. It could also be called a camurra or camora in Florence or a zupa, zipa, or socha in northern Italy.[1] It consisted of a fitted bodice and full skirt worn over a chemise (called a camicia). It was usually unlined.[2]

Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1488, by Domenico Ghirlandaio. A woman wearing a gamurra underneath a giornea.

The gamurra probably developed from a fourteenth century garment called the gonna, gonnella, or sottana.[2] Early styles were front-laced, but the fashion later changed to side-laced styles. The fashion for sleeves also changed: though sleeves earlier in the fifteenth century are attached to the bodice, after 1450, they are usually detached[2] and laced or pinned to the bodice.[1]

The gamurra could be worn on its own in the home or in an informal setting; in a formal setting, it would typically be worn underneath an overdress such as a giornea or a cioppa.[1]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Herald, Jacqueline. (1981). Renaissance dress in Italy 1400-1500. Bell & Hyman. OCLC 557681355.
  2. ^ a b c Frick, Carole Collier. (2005). Dressing Renaissance Florence : families, fortunes, and fine clothing. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-8264-8. OCLC 62531995.