Fashion

Fashion in the Midle Ages Colby Gallagher If you lived in the Middle Ages, what would you wear? Your rank in society helped determine what you wore. Children, noble men, noble women and peasants all wore different clothes. If you were a noble your clothes would last longer, be more comfortable, valuable and expensive. However, peasant’s clothes were uncomfortable, inexpensive and peasants often only had one pair of clothes.

Noble women in the Middle Ages layered many clothes. The first thing was called a kirtle. A kirtle is an undergarment worn underneath clothes. On top of the kirtle, they wore a tunic. A tunic could be worn by men or women. When worn by women, a tunic hung down to their ankles. Women also wore skirts. To extend the skirt from the waist, a farthingale was worn. A farthingale was a support that extended from the waist horizontally. Finally, on top of everything was a surcoat. A surcoat had open sides and no sleeves. Fashion for the noble women was much more fashionable than the peasants!

Noble men, like women, layered their clothes. Underneath everything, men used undershirts and briefs. Over the briefs and undershirts was a doublet. Doublets were outer garments worn by men from the Middle Ages throughout the Renaissance. They were also quilted to make them more comfortable. On top of the doublets men wore padded tunics. Unlike women, men’s tunics only reached their waist. The sleeves on the tunics were puffed, and the collar was rough. On top of everything men sometimes wore a long, fur-lined coat. Noble’s lived a more advanced fashion life.

Children dressed like miniature adults. Children who were born into noble families wore expensive clothes. The clothes were made from wool, silk and velvet. The clothes worn by noble children were very comfortable. Their clothes were dyed red, green and blue. These colors showed that they were of higher rank. Since the children wore such expensive clothing it was often passed down from generation to generation.

Royalty had fur-lined, silk robes. The king or queen’s clothes were purple to show that they were in power. Popes dressed in red and white, wore capes and biretums. Like bishops, a biretum was a specific hat worn by the pope. Bishops dressed in vestments and Crosiers. Another thing worn by a bishop was a mitre. A mitre is type of hat. Monks and nuns wore gray, white and black tunics. Clothes for the clergy and the royalty were often very decorative and expensive.

Peasants’ clothing was simple and inexpensive. Their clothes were made from wool, and were very uncomfortable. Peasants did not wear shoes. Instead, they tied rags or leather around their feet. Peasants also had to wear a belt because while they worked they had to carry their tools. Children born into a peasant family only had one pair of clothes. It was made from wool, and was spun by their mother’s hand. To show that they were peasants their clothes were dyed brown, green and yellow. Unlike nobles and royalty peasants’ clothing was very uncomfortable.

Hats determined your place or rank in society. If it was two feet tall you were a peasant, and if it was three feet tall you were a noble. Hats were very fashionable. They were worn by all people. Peasants made straw hats that they could wear while working in the fields. Noble women wore tall cone hats that had ribbon coming out of the top. Accessories were a big part to fashionable nobles.

Fashion in the Middle Ages was very strict. There was a rule telling you how many buttons could be worn on your jacket! Laws stated that you could not dress as someone in a higher rank than you. This was a major fashion rule!

__ Works Cited __ "Clothing Rules". //Apple Seeds// 4 December 2001: 26-27. "//Daily Life//- //Childhood in the Middle Ages//." . . . April, 2009 []. Dawson, Imogen. //Clothes & Crafts in the Middle Ages//. New Jersey: Dillon Press, 1998. Elliot, Lynne. //Children and games in the Middle Ages//. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2004. Elliot, Lynne. //Clothing in the Middle Ages//. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company2004. //"Medieval Clothing"//. April, 2009 []. "Clothing." //The New Book of Knowledge//. Ed. Russell, Douglas A.. :, 2009. . Ventura, Piero. //Clothing//. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993