Most
people in the Middles Ages wore woolen clothing, with undergarments
made of linen. Brighter colors, better materials, and a longer
jacket length were usually signs of greater wealth. The clothing
of the aristocracy and wealthy merchants tended to be elaborate
and changed according to the dictates of fashion.
 Towards
the end of the Middle Ages, men of the wealthy classes sported
hose and a jacket, often with pleating or skirting, or a tunic
with a surcoat. Women wore flowing gowns and elaborate headwear,
ranging from headdresses shaped like hearts or butterflies
to tall steeple caps and Italian turbans.
Most of the holy orders wore long woolen habits in emulation
of Roman clothing. One could tell the order by the color of
the habit: the Benedictines wore black; the Cistercians, undyed
wool or white. St. Benedict stated that a monk's clothes should
be plain but comfortable and they were allowed to wear linen
coifs to keep their heads warm. The Poor Clare Sisters, an
order of Franciscan nuns, had to petition the Pope in order
to be permitted to wear woolen socks.
 Peasant
Clothes
Peasant men wore stockings or tunics, while women wore long
gowns with sleeveless tunics and wimples to cover their hair.
Sheepskin cloaks and woolen hats and mittens were worn in
winter for protection from the cold and rain. Leather boots
were covered with wooden patens to keep the feet dry. The
outer clothes were almost never laundered, but the linen underwear
was regularly washed. The smell of wood smoke that permeated
the clothing seemed to act as a deodorant. Peasant women spun
wool into the threads that were woven into the cloth for these
garments.
 Fur
and Jewelry
Fur was often used to line the garments of the wealthy. Jewelry
was lavish, much of it imported and often used as security
against loans. Gem cutting was not invented until the fifteenth
century, so most stones were not very lustrous. Ring brooches
were the most popular item from the twelfth century on. Chaucer's
prioress in the Canterbury Tales wore a brooch with the inscription
"Amor vincit omnia" ("Love conquers all"),
not a particularly appropriate slogan for a nun. Diamonds
became popular in Europe in the fourteenth century. By the
mid-fourteenth century there were laws to control who wore
what jewelry , and knights were not permitted to wear rings.
Sometimes clothes were garnished with silver, but only the
wealthy could wear such items.
|
