Medieval

Clothes

The clothes of these rich merchant classes date from late medieval times when something like fashion was beginning to develop. Exotic silks, taffetas, velvets and furs, and new dyes, gave added interest to the cut and style of clothes.

Sleeves remained ridiculously wide for much of the Medieval period, and ladies' dresses puddled around their ankles. This lady's headgear is one of many fantastic shapes of the time. Wire or pads created steeple, horned or heart shaped head dresses which were draped with veils.

The bliaud or overtunic of the portly merchant is topped with a turban style hat - the new way of wearing the hood with the long liripipe as sported by the younger gentleman. The merchant has stuck his head into the part for the face and wound the dagged edge of the liripipe around his head.

And there were now distinctly separate underclothes - chemises (petticoats) for the ladies and braies (underpants) for the men.

Do you think their shoes were comfortable?

Click the picture for an answer.