Fashion history is not only about changes in clothes that can be observed over time. This is also the history of society in which this or that style existed. Different times aroused the need for people to wear a variety of costumes. Clothing of the Middle Ages is one of the most striking examples of how relationships in society influence fashion.
Common features
The costume is one of the most important symbols of social status throughout the Middle Ages. He determined a person’s belonging to a certain class and estate.
Clothing styles of the early Middle Ages are not particularly diverse. The fashion industry has not yet been developed as, for example, in the Renaissance. The cut of dresses for peasants and gentlemen was the same, the difference was observed only in the materials. At this time, the demarcation of society was not particularly noticeable in appearance. Clothing was the best way to express yourself, to present in the best possible way, therefore, all people did not spare spending on jewelry, decorated belts and expensive fabrics.
Middle Ages Clothing: Features
The first and most striking difference can be considered the material from which the dresses were created. In the manufacture of clothing, cotton was used along with flax, but different varieties of these fabrics were used. Rich people wore linen costumes, and poor people often wore burlap and wool.
The color of the clothes was also of great importance. For example, the poor were not allowed to wear bright colors, such a privilege was only for representatives of noble families - they were dressed in green, red and blue robes. For ordinary people, gray, black, and brown colors were available. The deprivation of the right to put on clothing made in shades corresponding to the person's origin was one of the most severe punishments in society.
For archaeologists, clothing of the Middle Ages is of great interest. The photos taken during the excavations show that in everyday life it was difficult to distinguish a simple worker from a knight. Home clothes were made from the same materials and did not differ in originality.
Identical costumes
Clothing of the Middle Ages (early stage) is usually characterized by its simplicity and uniformity. She did not differ in variety and was not divided into male and female. In general, tailors were not worried that the costume should be in the shape of its owner, and usually all things were free, and even baggy.
It should be noted that it was during this period that a separate type of clothing was fixed for the clergy. Previously, ministers wore the same dresses as other people. The Byzantine influence on the form of the clergy prevailed, and this can be considered a stage in the emergence of church clothes.
Connection with the present
Clothing in the style of the Middle Ages has largely influenced modernity. For example, the buttons that are present today on almost every wardrobe item were invented precisely in this era. Until the 12th century, parts of clothing were fastened with ties or fasteners, which were more likely beautiful than practical to use. With the proliferation of buttons, these elements began to be made of various materials: skin, bone, metal. This diversity made it possible to harmoniously combine fabrics and buttons of garments.
Gothic Costume Details
Clothing of the Middle Ages began to be enriched with details. They began to pay more attention to decorating clothes (embroidery), especially on the collar of the dress. It was cut so that the ornament on the lower shirt was visible. The belt also became an important part of the wardrobe: it was tied in front, and its long ends fell to his feet.
With a call to detail, a new stage in the development of fashion began. The dresses were redrawn, throwing away excess pieces; clothes were sewn, taking into account the characteristics of the body of each person. Now the costumes closely adjoined to the figure, emphasizing all its advantages. It can be argued that it was at this stage that the clothes of the Middle Ages acquired a secular character.
Gothic style in women's dresses manifested itself in elongated silhouettes, high collars, tight lacing at the waist. Clothes were picked up under the breast, and this created a special emphasis, an allusion to the beauty of femininity and motherhood. For men, the Gothic style manifested itself in fitted suits, either long or shortened. As a rule, the last option was chosen by young people.
At this time, several materials were combined in the creation of costumes at once: silk, linen, wool and leather found their application in the wardrobe of the townspeople. Thanks to such combinations, the first style of the dress appeared with the distinction of a corset and a skirt, the latter starting from the waist. New types of matter, such as cloth, gently encircled the figure.
New color schemes also spread: a suit for a man, for example, consisted of two halves of different colors, usually contrasting in their shades.
Color was of great symbolic importance. For example, the one who served the beloved lady, always wore the clothes of her beloved color. The same was true for servants who wore robes corresponding in color to the emblems of their masters.
The most popular color in the Middle Ages was yellow, but not everyone could afford such a dress.
New inventions
At the end of the 13th century, people refused pleating, but lace appeared in suits. Dresses were decorated with a fur edge, shawls or capes were added to the required accessories. The cloak was also worn quite often, usually it was decorated with fur and various fasteners. It was customary to pull the cloak over his head. Women hid hairstyles with bedspreads from light tissues. The position of the bedspread denoted the mood of its owner: for example, the fabric pulled over the face spoke of sadness, and the one tied to the head - joy.
Clothing of the Middle Ages became more practical over time: now it was possible to carry coins in it, more attention was paid to ease of movement.
The changes also affected the sleeves: often they reached the floor or were collected. The especially wide parts of the sleeves and skirts were pleated.
Headgear and accessories
An important role was played by the hairstyle. Men and women equally watched their headgear and even curled curls with the help of special hot tongs (this is something like modern plaques). And although the church forbade doing anything with her hair, city dwellers rarely listened to her in pursuit of fashion. Long well-groomed hair was popular. Women collected them in a variety of hairstyles, which were very high. They were decorated with flower branches and precious stones. Often, for convenience, special cylinders were used - gennins. This item supported the hair and could be either transparent or decorated with a falling veil.
The influence of the Middle Ages on the history of fashion
It is believed that Gothic clothing of the Middle Ages was most common in the Czech Republic. Czech tailors became the inventors of skirts and various devices, clothing styles.
The appearance of buttons, new types of hair styling and ways to decorate clothes made a huge contribution to fashion. The Middle Ages can be considered a difficult time for the development of culture: the plague, constant wars and undeveloped medicine - all these factors were obstacles to the peaceful life of people. However, it is this time that is indicated by the leap of society to the beautiful, which will continue in the Renaissance.
Clothing in the Middle Ages began to be created not only for practical purposes, but also for beauty. Not only costumes were decorated and transformed, changes occurred with architecture, painting, literature and music. The more cultural a society became, the more attention people paid to subtleties, and in all things one could find a special aesthetic.
Clothing of the Middle Ages appeared in one of the most beautiful and interesting stages of fashion development. From simple dresses similar to monastic robes, people came to richly decorated suits with huge sleeves and decorative embroideries, interesting skirts and high hairstyles. Sacking and wool began to be replaced by linen and silk. The most unusual color solutions found their reflection in clothes and accessories, and experiments with a combination of fabrics made it possible to express themselves and show their individuality.