Costume of Western Europeans in the Middle Ages. Journeyman essay for the Tailor’s and Courtier's Guild. Written by: Christian P. Nelson Known in the Royal Order of Chivalry as: Sir Hamish MacKay Knight Banneret “the Swordbanger” The very word “costume” gets in the way of our attempt to imagine how people of the Middle Ages dressed. We would not refer to our everyday 21st century clothes as a “costume”. The people of Western Europe at the time of the Middle Ages as seen in illuminated manuscripts and paintings of that era did not dress up in impractical cumbersome garments in order to pose. For the exception of ceremonies, banquets and other special occasions people wore practicable clothing well tailored and made to last (even to hand down) fashioned to the work they did, the climate they live in, and their own aesthetical preferences. The same could be said of today’s clothing (for the exception of “made to last”…). It is interesting to note that much of the clothing we see in contemporary illustrations reveal striking similarities in dress throughout the Middle Ages and Europe. However this impression is most likely over exaggerated on account of insufficient images portraying that of the lower classes of society during this time in history. It is not until the 16th century we begin to see clearly defined styles for married and unmarried women, middleclass and nobles, even within the same city. It is compelling to believe that these distinctions have long existed; in fact it is very nature of mankind to promote tribal, communal, regional, national, political and religious allegiance in ones attire and accoutrements. There are many intriguing examples of such practices which can be glean from medieval iconography, however I still have much research that has yet to be done on this subject. It appears as though people of all classes seem to have gone dressed about their home in modest and comfortable clothing, wearing their best clothing for venturing out to the market place or for entertaining. Commoners, too, seem to have had at least one set of clothing for special occasions - perhaps their wedding finery carefully remade for a festival. In warmer climates of southern Europe, at least, partial undress or even nudity within the home was not considered shocking. There are also examples in the Maciejowski Bible of serfs wearing nothing but a pair of braies and a coif as they thresh and winnow grain. People slept naked, and might strip down to their chemise or take off their chausses to settle down by the fireside to relax at the end of a hard day of work. Family life within the home was much like it is today usually informal and laid back. There is one point that is worth mentioning here is that though medieval soldiers were gathered form the country side and surrounding fiefs most soldiers were not ragged poorly clothed peasants as Hollywood portrays; on the contrary noble family’s household soldiers were selected land-owning men and retainers usually coming from the lower knightly classes. These freelance soldiers and men-at-arms were well equipped and resplendently clothed. Most seem to be handsomely paid, at the level of skilled tradesmen, and household men were periodically supplied with new clothes, or cloth to be made up. Typically most campaigns did not last long enough to render soldiers clothes to rags. Given the traditional limitation of military operations due to the months between the season of sowing and harvest, historical accounts document a staggering amount of successful campaigning during the winter months – without warm, water-repellent clothing and sturdy footwear this undertaking would be nothing more than absolute folly. Clothing made of wool and when worn in layers is perfect for extreme conditions such as snow, water and freezing temperatures, wool sheds water and draws moisture away from the body even when it is soaked it retains body heat. Woolen clothing yields better protection against the elements than modern synthetic fibers (as I can personally attest too). All classes of men for the most part wore basically the same kind of clothing, fabric and cut differed according to their wealth and their position in society. Chemise (or under-shirt) Through out the Middle Ages (especially in Northwestern Europe) clothing was typically worn in layers, the chemise (a linen under-shirt) servers as the foundation of the wardrobe in which an additional linen, wool or silk kirtle was worn over it. The nature of this garment is probably to retain additional body heat, by the 13th century the chemise became smaller closer-fitting simple white linen shirt. When worn under a kirtle or cotte of the period the chemise would be virtually covered and concealed from sight, for exception, at the collar possibly. Not only do contemporary illustrations bare evidence of the existence of this undershirt in this time period, but a similar linen shirt to the ones see in such records survives in a relative preserved condition to this day. The shirt is said to have belonged to St. Louis (King Louis IX of France) and is known as the St. Louis Shirt. Braies The undergarment known as braies are simply nothing more than medieval underwear to a lesser extent they were made of linen and typically are depicted as always being white. All classes of medieval society and culture wore braies from lowly English peasants, to Norman knights, and Spanish royalty. Braies were a bit balky depending the time period they’re in and the length changes as time goes on. 13th century braies were voluminous and extended to the mid calf of the leg. 14th century braies were more or less like boxer style shorts and typically stopped at the knee. 15th century braies were rather close fitting and looked much like a diaper. Presumably there was a drawstring at the front of waist to tie them up and points (laces) were sewn in at the hips and used to attach chausses (leggings). Although braies were typically used in conjunction with chausses they were also worn alone, the comfortable fit of the braies were great for lounging around camp and especially in hot weather (which I can personally testify). Chausses or (Hosen) It seems that during the Middle Ages throughout Western Europe the concept of “trousers” had not been in style or perhaps even thought of quite yet, instead men (and quite possibly women) wore a pair of voluminous knickers with chausses tied to them. Chausses are separate stocking-like legs that are attached to the braies by points (or buttoned perhaps) and are cut high so that the braies can be neatly tucked in. Chausses were made of linen or wool, which came in an array of different colors and were often worn parti-colored. They were cut “on the bias” to give them greater elasticity, some stopped right at the ankle, but most seem to have had feet attached, and some yet seem to have a leather sole sewn to the bottom of the feet so shoes were not needed. To give the chausses more support garters made of supple leather, linen, or wool (often embroiled) were buckled or tied just below the knee. Cotehardie Fashions, like seasons, are a cycle. Nothing reveals this more than constant swinging back and forth between loose and tight styles shown in contemporary artwork of the 14th century. Close-fitting kirtles before this period constricted movement in the arms, chest, and shoulders in particular, due in part to the tailoring method based on sleeves cut into simple geometrical shapes of fabric being sewn straight into the armhole with the seam under the sleeve, with a gusset for width to allow somewhat better movement. When the innovation of la grande assiette (the curved armhole) and sleevecap became perfected in the mid to late part of the 14th century, it revolutionized fashion and gave way for new styles of clothing that was previously impractical. The new form-fitting kirtle was called a cotehardie which originated in France quickly came into vogue all across Europe (both men and women wore the style). The male cotehardie (like its predecessor the kirtle) varied in length, most commonly being knee-length prior to 1350. Because the garments were so tight fitting, the first cotehardies were laced closed in the front, or perhaps the side and even up the back until the button was introduced as a means of fastening a garment closed. The sleeve seams rotated almost a half-turn to go up the back of the arm, and were fastened by rows of closely set buttons extending from the wrist to the elbow and higher to allow the sleeve to become more form-fitting. For the humbler classes, buttons were made of horn, wood, or bone. The wealthier classes had buttons cast from alloys such as pewter, bronze, and other precious metals. Cotehardies were decorated in a variety of ways: it could be parti-colored with heraldic appliqué or embroidered. To further add to the embellishment of the cotehardie it was dagged (also known as foliated) and appeared on all garments in 1346. These "dagges" were made by cutting away the material at the hem of the garment to form scallops, oak leaves, or battlements, about its edges. Also fashionable was the practice of fastening above the elbow a narrow band of fur, velvet or material different from the rest of the garment called “tippets”. Perhaps as a vestige of the bell-like sleeves of the previous century. Chaperon (Hooded shoulder cape) Head-coverings were a common necessity during the Middle Ages in Europe. Based upon contemporary illustrations of the period and surviving examples chaperons seemed to be worn by all classes of society and were tailored in quite a number of different styles and forms. The peak of the hood grew so long that it hung to the floor, requiring knots to be tied in it. This appendage became known as the "liripipe" and was often wound about the head with the end tucked in, or draped across the shoulders. The bottom edge of the shoulder cape was dagged or straight hem draping down to the elbows or just covering the shoulders. The chaperon was pulled over the head, buttoned up the front or fastened closed with a pin at the collar. A dukes’ chaperon could be distinguished from that of a peasants by the extreme costliness of material used, the ornateness of the dagging, or the excessive length of the liripipe. Towards the end of the 14th century the chaperon began to be worn as extravagant hat by rolling the face-opening up as a brim and placing it on the head with the liripipe wrapped around the head like a turban, with the gorget (the shoulder cape) draped to one side of the head. However by the turn 15th century a new style of the “hooded-turban” appeared. Instead of the gorget draping to one side of the head it was made of a stiffer material that would make it stand up on the head when worn and since most were dagged by this time it gave the appearance of a cock’s comb. Belts Belts in the Middle Ages were usually just a long, narrow strip of leather with a buckle attached at the end. Belts served an important function and often a pouch would hang from the belt to carry oddments and some kind of utility knife. Ladies often wore long strips of beautifully woven textile. Towards the later half of the 14th century, the upper classes began to wear belts with gaudy plaques and other ornamentation made of bronze and other alloys attached to the belt. These “plaque-belts” were not worn around the natural waist but were worn down around the hips to produce a longer waistline, then known as hip-belts. Crakows or poulaines (Pointy toed shoes) Throughout the Middle Ages, footwear was generally simple; at the beginning, moccasin types made or untanned leather were worn, later becoming buckled or tied around the ankle. The French were not the only ones to corner the market in fashion, towards the end of the thirteenth century Polish cobblers began created pointy toed shoes and exported extensively across Europe, these new shoes were called poulaines (after Poland) in Paris and crakows by the London dandies (after Cracow, then capital of Poland). The toes of shoes increased in length and pointed outward; the points were also referred to as "pikes" and later became filled with moss to retain its shape. They were decorated in elaborate designs including leather cut-outs, leather embossing or scoring and showed rich contrast of color. This essay provides a small insight to the costuming of the Middle Ages and leaves much to be desired in the way of types of weaves, dyes, and cuts of period garments. There are also many more articles of clothing from the Middle Ages that can be discussed in this essay, however, it is my intention to expand and elaborate more on this essay in the future. My hope and endeavor is that this essay will spur those in the ROC to have a greater knowledge of period garb, in conjunction with striving towards a more authentic appearance. Which will enhance the allure of our unique ministry and ultimately glorify our King. Sources Avril, Francois Manuscript Painting at the Court of France: the Fourteenth Century George Braziller, New York, 1978 Braun and Schneider Historic Costume in Pictures Dover, New York, 1975 Delort, Robert Life in the Middle Ages Edita Lausanne, Publishers, 1973 Druitt, Herbert A Manual of Costume as Illustrated by Monumental Brasses Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, 1970 Gravett, Christopher English Medieval Knight 1300-1400 Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2002 Kohler, Carl A History of Costume Dover, New York, 1963 Marks, Richard and Morgan, Nigel The Golden Age of English Manuscript Painting 1200-1500 George Braziller, New York, 1981 Norris, Herbert Costume and Fashion E.P. Dutton and Co. Inc., New York Owen, D.D.R. The legend of Roland: A Pageant of the Middle Ages Phaidon Publishers, Inc., New York, 1973 Platt, Colin The Atlas of Medieval Man St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1979 Stibbert, Frederick Civil and Military Clothing in Europe Benjamin Bloom Inc., New York, 1968 Thomas, Marcel The Golden Age, Manuscript painting at the time of Jean, Duke of Barry George Braziller, New York, 1979 Unterkircher, F. King Rene’s Book of Love George Braziller, New York, 1975 HOME ©2005 The Western Condiferation