What Was Medieval Clothing Like?

The medieval clothing used in the Middle Ages differed depending on the social class to which it belonged. People were distinguished based on the clothing they wore, making it a way of classifying them. Each social class wore different clothes. When the Roman period ended, the fashion changed, going from robes to knitted and mesh fabrics. The medieval period begins in 476 AD.

To contribute to medieval clothing, the barbarians introduced the use of panties that covered the legs, garments similar to pants, or leggings, these attached to the leg, embroidered and adorned, both adjusted on the calves, by means of crossed straps.

They generally wore two shades of clothing, the left side was not the same color as the right. The nobles wore them in red. Sleeves were added to clothing, as previously, in robes there were no sleeves. The Chlamys continued to be used, that is, rectangular woolen garments, but this time broader. Most of the clothing was spun, cut, and sewn by the women of the family.

Villains and servants used materials such as linen attached to the body, wool and cheap fur for the coat, the colors were reduced to the easiest and cheapest dyes, obviously these colors varied subtly depending on the area where they were.

The less privileged classes hardly used dyes on the fabrics, choosing their natural color. These were pigments like gray or brown. They wore camisoles with different sleeve lengths, but these never exceeded the hip. The length of the camisole reached to the knee and in 1000 AD it became shorter, reaching above the knee. In times of mourning they were covered in black or white suits, which were relatively cheap suits in that period. In winter they would put on wooden clogs and in the summer they would not wear shoes.

For their part, the children were confined to a saya tunic, which they wore mid-leg, generally barefoot and without other clothing.

The women wore approximately the same length as the ladies, without changing their outfits much more than those of the infants.

As far as work clothes are concerned, cheap fur aprons and breeches (rabbit or sheep) were used in winter, also on caps or hats that identify the owner with a certain guild or profession.

The luckiest of those who enjoyed greater social and economic privileges lived in a more colorful world, where clothing was generally longer and brighter. Regarding the use of fabrics, the lower classes used linen and the upper classes used silk embroidered in gold-edged with skins brought from exotic places. But the most common skins were the fox and the wolf. Young women wore a low neckline, but her skirt was floor length and her arms were covered in a linen or silk camisole.

This estate was covered with all kinds of shades, such as lilac, black, white (duel), red, blue, gold, silver, green, yellow, pink. Depending on the purchasing power that one had, more or less bright colors were used. The men, at the festivals they covered themselves with clothing in the style of the nobles of Constantinople (including jewelry), but on a daily basis, they wore garments similar to those of the peasants. They wore boots or shoes with long toes.

The Byzantines contributed rich and rich fabrics, such as silk and embroidery in gold and precious stones. Fringes and ornaments abounded in his clothing, and the fashion for the semicircular mantle spread to the West. This cloak was fastened with a fibula to the right shoulder, symbolized the social level of the person who wore it and if it was dark it meant that the person was going through a duel.

With the Arab invasion, new fabrics began to be used, and in those towns that did not manage to escape their dominion, their unique clothing of wide trousers (zaragüelles), the use of the girdle, the turban and the short tunic buttoned and adjusted were imposed.

As for women, the use of square-shaped skirts with a hole at the waist and four spikes at the lower end became common. Straight lines and tight sleeves predominated. They covered their heads with caps or headdresses, fastened with ribbons that were tied under the chin. They protected themselves from the cold with blankets or capes. Also like men, they wore fur coats. They did not wear leggings since the legs were not covered.

The religious, of great influence in the Christian medieval world also had typical clothes, many of whose characteristics still survive. For great occasions, the bishops used the miter, or high, pointed head, the pastoral staff (cane); the cape, and the dalmatic, open tunic on the sides, often finely adorned with gold and silver threads.

As for footwear, both sexes used a kind of open slippers made of leather, a goat for the wealthier classes, or cow for the common population. Sometimes the men wore boots.