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Dresses in medieval times reflected the social
status of the individual. The Lords of manors, for example wore a light
shirt made of linen as their undergarment. A heavy decorated gown called a
houppelande, sometimes made of velvet was worn over it. A belt with a purse
attached was worn with a belt buckle made of jewels. The gown had bagpipe
sleeves, which were baggy but tight at the sleeves. A hat called a chaperon
was favored by the lords, the hat used to have long tails called liripipes.
Pointed shoes were preferred and during winter a heavy fur lined cloak was
worn. The ladies usually wore woollen gowns that were very long with sleeves that
could touch the ground. |
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Clothing worn by royal people was brightly colored and made of soft
material. Ladies usually wore woolen gowns that were very long. A coat
called a surcoat was worn over the gown. Ladies had their clothes
embroidered. Fur lined cloaks were worn to keep warm- these cloaks were
fastened by a decorative cord or jeweled clasp around the shoulders. Heads
were kept covered either by a linen cloth held in a wire circle or conical
hat. Pattens, which were shoes with high bottoms, were wooden shoes used
when it was muddy outside. It was fashionable in the medieval ages for women
to wear jewellery.
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Merchants wore a surcoat that would end above their knees. The coats would
be of a bright colour and could have a trim of fox fur. A belt with a purse
attached was worn. To keep warm the merchant class wore stockings or tights.
The merchants wore shoes with long tips, which used to be so long sometimes
that they had to be fastened to the knees with jeweled chains.
The peasants out of necessity wore only rough clothing, as they had to work
hard in the fields.
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A rough tunic to keep warm was worn by the peasant and a simple cloak over
the tunic was used. The cloak was lined with sheepskin. As leather
shoes were not affordable for the serfs, they wore cloth ones, in muddy
conditions they worked barefoot and in winter they wore uncomfortable wooden
shoes.
The female peasants would dress like their male counterparts and wear a belt
in to which she would tuck her skirt to keep it from dragging in the mud.
The main materials used were wool, linen, leather, fur sometimes silk and
velvet. Silk dresses were used by the aristocracy. Velvet was favored by the
royalty in Spain and Italy. Finland was a major supplier for high quality
fur pelts.
The costumes of the common people were not very colorful, seldom going
beyond gray and brown but the nobility could afford differently styled and
dyed fabrics.
Married women in medieval times wore veils, if unmarried she let her hair
loose.
Women in the medieval ages did not wear panties but men did and also wore a
hose which was sewn to the undergarment.
Go To
Dresses Index Page
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