Medieval Clothing Patterns

The clothing patterns or fashion changes with time. Costumes or dresses of a particular time period are influenced by the changes taking place in the society at that time. Economic prosperity also has an important role to play in defining the patterns of Medieval times clothing. This fact holds great importance from the point of view of the world of fashion, since the time that preceded the Medieval period was characterized by a stagnant socio-economic condition. By the end of medieval period, the economy and culture of Europe was fast changing and it accepted new traditions and customs. Thus, the medieval period is considered to be a time frame in the history that witnessed transition and change on a large scale.

Medieval Clothing Patterns

The medieval clothing patterns or costumes can be classified into many different categories. Classification can however, be done properly by placing the clothing patterns in three broad categories: the 13th, 14th and 15th century medieval clothes. The Medieval clothing for women and men are classified and explained in separate paragraphs in the following article.

Thirteenth Century Fashion: During the period between 1200 and 1300 AD, the clothing patterns across the continent of Europe were simple, since changes took place at a slow pace. Most of the costume types used were three to four centuries older. Thirteenth century however witnessed development in the field of wool working and dyeing. Wool was commonly used in making garments in this period.

• Men's Clothing: Men used to wear a tunic and surcoat over a linen shirt. The 'cyclas', a type of surcoat in its basic form was a rectangular piece of cloth with a hole in its center for the head. After adding sleeves to the cyclas, it became a 'ganache'. Men used to wear shoes, hose and a headdress.
• Women's Clothing: Women used to wear a long and loose gown with tight sleeves. The cyclas was worn over the gown. Women from rich families used to wear costumes with embroidery; the mantle was one such costume used by these ladies from rich families.

Fourteenth Century Fashion: A lot of experimentation was done in the clothing patterns during this century. In the words of James Laver, a costume historian, the middle of the 14th century witnessed the beginning of recognizable 'fashion'. Earlier, the clothes had straight seams and most of them were in the form of draped garments. The art of tailoring developed during this period. The clothes designed in this period had a snugger fitting and were decorated with buttons and lacing.

• Men's Clothing: The men's clothing included garments (shirts) made of linen. The chausses or hose were used to cover legs and were made of wool. Men also wore a tunic, gown or kirtle over the doublet or shirt. Men used to wear a hood or cloak over the tunic.
• Women's Clothing: The women of this time period used to wear fitted or loose gowns known as kirtle or cotte - these gowns were characterized by a floor-length or ankle length. Women used to wear a costume known as 'train' during formal events.

Fifteenth Century Fashion: Fifteenth century was a period of prosperity, and it was marked by the extravagances and extremes. The clothes used during this period incorporated complex patterns and reflected the prosperity of urban middle class and exhibited the skills of workers. Doublets and houppelandes were main clothing patterns or costumes of the fifteenth century.

• Men's Clothing: The doublet, shirt and hose were the basic costumes of men during this time period. The shirt used to be covered with an overgown. The headgear was a common component used by men along with almost all the dresses. A range of different types of hats having long crowns and short brims, low crowns and wider brims, and many other varieties were used by men during this period. The brimless scarlet cap was also in fashion in those days.
• Women's Clothing: Long gowns were the main costumes used by women in the fifteenth century. These gowns had sleeves and were used along with an undergown or a kirtle. The V-neck clothes were in vogue as they replaced those with a shallow scooped neckline.

Renaissance Clothing Patterns

Clothing patterns that evolved during the Renaissance period were marked by prosperity and extravagance. Different European countries adopted different styles of costumes. A conservative approach towards accepting changes was taken by countries like Italy, France and Britain. The influence of medieval costume patterns however, remained for a long time in these countries. Germany on the other hand made great improvements in this field. Use of large puffs in the costumes - at the head, thighs and shoulders and small puffs over the chest, arms, back and legs were some of the prominent features of the Renaissance period.

Fashion and costumes have changed a lot over the course of time. The changes would continue to take place in the future too. The medieval clothing patterns are a good example of transition and changes that take place in the society. The Medieval clothes and other patterns developed in this period stand testimony to the beginning of change in the field of fashion.