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Medieval Clothing
By Joy J. Fine
Just like during any other period of time in history medieval clothing came in a variety of styles which were based mainly on class issues. Whether you dressed in coarse abrasive materials that might rub your skin raw or in delicately sewn smooth silks depended solely on how much money you had. The wealthy dressed in finery while the peasants were lucky to have anything to wear at all. They were graceful for whatever clothing they had and the material mattered not to them. What class you belonged to was the deciding factor in how you dressed.
What you wore identified your status. If you were royalty the medieval clothing you wore was made of silk. These clothes were brightly colored and it was obvious just by looking at you that the clothing you wore cost a lot, but you could afford it with no problem. The men wore brightly colored tunics often with jackets. They covered their legs with hose, a style of pants, and wore leggings and breeches as well. The women were dressed in beautiful brightly colored graceful gowns. Both men and women wore shoes.
The friars all dressed in cloaks with hoods over their habits. They wore a belt made of rope and wooden beads hung from it. These beads were used to count prayers. You would have no trouble telling which order the friars were from based on what color their robes were. They wore a simple sandal on their feet. Shoemakers were of a different class. They and their wives wore woolen coats that were trimmed in fur. A woolen doublet, a close fitting jacket, was worn under the coat. Both husband and wife often wore borealis hats. The medieval clothing that was worn by the manor lords, those men who were above most but were still lower class than royalty, often wore stirrups with brown jackets and felt hats.
The peasants wore what they were able to make for themselves. This often included straw hats, linen shirts, pants and some type of good luck charm. Their clothing was made of different material depending on whether it was outer clothing or the undergarments. Outer clothing was heavy and not overly attractive. It was made of wool and so was hot and relatively itchy. The undergarments on the other hand were made of linen and so this made them more comfortable and easier on the skin. It also made the outer garments more comfortable. Although the undergarments were washed regular the outer ones were cleaned only rarely. Oddly they did not tend to smell horrible because of the amount of time spent near open fires. The smoke is known to have acted almost like natures deodorant and to keep the smells to a minimum.
When it was cold, the medieval clothing worn included woolen hats, mittens and cloaks. Shoes were not often worn though in the cold weather leather boots would be. Women peasants wore woolen dresses and usually some type of simple cap. The clothing would be made by the women members of the family. They spun the threads from sheep fleece making them into cloth often of different colors. Dyes were easy to make and so could influence the colors of fabrics though their clothes would not be as brought as the royal silks.
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