So You Want to Dress Like a 14th-Century Medieval Lady

Welcume, loveli folke! Heere is thyn wey to dresse as a ladye reverant and faire.

The medieval period was not a monolith, and neither were the people who lived during it. Spanning from the fall of Rome to the Renaissance in the 14th century, the Middle Ages encompassed a thousand years of social, cultural, and religious upheaval, and — most importantly — changes in textiles, dyes, and sewing techniques. Societal status played a crucial role in how people dressed — sumptuary laws emerged to separate the nobility from upstart merchants’ wives, regulating conspicuous consumption of luxury fabrics and jewelry in order to preserve social distinction.

For the sake of simplicity, this article will narrow its scope to Northern Europe during the 14th century, a time when the Black Death ran rampant, the Hundred Years’ War raged, and chivalry was at its height. For fashion historians, the 14th century is an incredibly exciting time due to the emergence of tailoring, lacing, buttoning, and curved seams. Gone were the days of draping — sleeves were tight, waists were narrow, and gored skirts were in.

There were certain commonalities in clothing throughout the medieval period, beginning with the base layer: the linen chemise (also known as a shift or smock). This undergarment resembles a modern nightgown and was often slept in at night. Made out of an easily washable fabric, the chemise absorbed sweat and kept the more expensive fabrics clean. Men and women alike wore wool hose and garters on the legs. For those in the lower classes, hose often did not fit well and required the garter to stay up.

A type of gown called a kirtle was worn over the chemise. For those in the lower classes, the sewist would cut fabric into rectangular lengths and sew straight seams, resulting in a boxy fit. Women would wear leather belts to cinch the fabric in. For those who could afford the fabric wastage caused by curved seams, the kirtle could be laced in the back, resulting in a form-fitting silhouette. Gores, small triangles of fabric inserted into cuts in the gown, were added to create fuller skirts. Necklines were wider and sleeves were tight, to show that the wearer could afford an expensive tailor. Finally, a sideless surcoat would often be worn over the kirtle, with armholes large enough to see the tailoring of the kirtle beneath.

Women braided their hair with ribbons and looped it around either side of their face. Covering one’s hair was very important in medieval times due to religious ideas of chastity and piety. However, by the 14th century, there was some leeway for unmarried girls to leave their hair in simple braids. For married women, a barbette — a band of linen passed under the chin and pinned on top of the head — could be worn with a veil or linen band across the forehead called a fillet. Wimples, a staple of previous centuries, were becoming more common with widows, nuns, and older women. A plethora of other head coverings including cauls (jewelled nets) with flowing veils, padded rolls, reticulated headdresses, and coronets could be worn by the elite. Various styles of headdress ebbed and flowed with the fashion of the time, resulting in each decade’s distinctive look.

In the 14th century, cut of clothing became the preeminent sign of class. As a lady of high estaat, be sure to hire the finest tailor that thou canst!

—Staff writer Laura B. Martens can be reached at laura.martens@thecrimson.com.