WIP

In this post I try to explain what the different types of female garment are, how and when they were worn and give some examples of each type of garment. I have more detailed posts on the fashion of each centrey here on the blog.

I try to be careful about adding sources and dates to all the pictures. The names of the garments shift and depend on the country. I try to writte the different veriations that I find, the English names, quite often the latin ones and the french ones are there as well and the Danish names in parenthesis. I am still learning so I might misname thing – this is a work in progress and I update it as I learn more about the period.

What did woman wear?

Women would wear a shift, a dress called a cote or a kirtle over that they would often wear something else either a surcote or a robe of some sort. Grown women would almost always wear some kind of head cover (read more) either a viel, coif or hood of some sort.

Below I have tracked the changing fashion and focus in on particlar peices of clothing with lots of pictures. I update this as I find more infomation.

Social context

There were huge differences between the different layers of society, and you used your clothing to show your rank, status and position in society. Some clothes were tied to particular positions and trades. The richer and higher up in the social order you were, the less practical were your garments.

Unlike in much of the rest of Europe, Denmark didn’t really have laws about what people could and could not wear – at least not during the middle ages.

Underwear

Chemise

Women would wear chemise or shift (særk), which could have long sleeves, short sleeves or shoulder strops. The length could vary. More often than not the chemise was made from uncolored and unbleached linen.

Women also wore stockings/hose (korthoser) – normally the short version that ends under the knew and is kept up with a garter – either made from leather or woven tape. Read more

Outer layers

 Cote, cotta, tunic or kirtle

Women wore long cote/cotta/tunic/kirtle (kjortel), the length depended on their station and wealth. The cote would be worn over the shift and often under an outer layer often a surcote.

Around the mid 1300’s the cote became a fitted garment along with the more fitted outer garments.

From mid-1300’s the cote would buttoned or laced either in front or in the sides.

The cote might only have short sleeves and be worn with the chemise showing or loose sleeves pinned over the chemise.

Eve spinning in a long gown/kirtle with straight sleeves and a linen veil, c. 1170.

Woman gathering eggs in a very simple gown with a low neckline. It might just be her kirtle/cote.

Maid and lady both in simple loose cotes with tight sleeves. The lady is having her hair braided and pined by her maid, who is wearing a veil. c. 1325-1335.

Woman in a very long red cote – notice how it pools on the ground. It seem to have wide neckline. Early 1300’s

The wide neckline of the cote lets you nurse while wearing it – apparently. Early 1300’s

Women wearing cotes, c. 1390

Shepherd wearing a blue cote/kirtle, cut low. She wears her hair up and is weaving a garland for her hair. In her belt she wears a purse. c. 1413

Woman wearing a cote and veil and gorget, c. 1413

Peasant women raking hay work barefoot and wear their short sleeved kirtles looped up over long-sleeved linen smocks, c. 1415

Mary Magdalene is portrayed in contemporary dress of 1480. The low front opening now laces over the kirtle or an inserted panel or plackard, and the gown is draped up to reveal the richer fabric of the kirtle skirt.

Older man (chiding an indiscreet young woman, see image below) wears a long, loose houppelande. The fashionable young men wear short tunics, one with dagged edges. The man on the right wears shoes with long pointed toes, late 1300s.

Surcotes

Over their cote aristocratic would often wear another layer. The nobel ladies’ surcotes (surkot) could be richly decorated and made from costly fabrics. Some of the designs are also quite advanced. The dress would be to the floor, perhaps with part of the dress raised to show off the tunic underneath. Dresses could also have long trains that would require an assistant to help you move around in them. The surcote would often function as outerwear as well.

Two woman wearing kirtle with a surcote over. Notice that the two dresses are different colors and that the sleeves of the surcote is large and hanging from the elbow. 1413

Two woman wearing kirtles with surcotes over. Both have pulled up their surcotes to show off their kirtles of a different color. The kirtles have white coffs.

Long trimmed gowns of the 1480s are carried looped up to allow walking, displaying the kirtle beneath.

Bliaut from 1100’s

Excessively long sleeves – fitted to a degree above the elbow, and opening wider below – and sometimes simply elongated cuffs. The lowest part of the sleeve is often square.Tight fit on the torso – sometimes laced along the sides. Neck openings – can be round, keyhole, or V shaped, often decorated with embroidery, woven braids of applied silk bands in contrasting colour. Sometimes the long sleeves are knotted for practical as well as aesthetic reasons. 1A Damsel in This Dress

Woman both wearing a bliaut with a tighter shift or cote underneath. See her knee length sleeves, tight waist, and round neckline. She is not wearing a belt. Her sleeves begin to widen above the elbow and come to points at the bottom in contrast to the square french sleeves. mid 1100’s

Two Women c. 1170

Trumpet sleeved bliaut, c 1180

Woman in bliauts with extreamly wide sleeves and bare heads, 1100’s

Gown with flared sleeves from the albow a narrow body and a pleated on full skirt, c 1140

Virgin Mary (shown as a queen) wearing a bilaut over a cote in a different color. She is also wearing a mantle. c. 1175-1200

Cyclas or tabard from  1200’s

For a long time noble women would wear surcotes with large armholes showing off the tunic underneath that would be of a different fabric. In the 1200’s woman would wear cyclas almost like the one the men would wear. A Cyclas began as a rectangular piece of cloth with a hole in it for the head. Over time the sides were sewn together to make a long, sleeveless tunic.

Saint wearing what looks to be a cyclas over a chemise. She is also wearing a red mantle drapped over her head. ca. 1170s

Queen wearing waht looks to be a cyclas and a matching mantle over a white cote. 1100’s

Woman in a barbette and coif, cyclas, gown and mantle. Sketch by Villard de Honnecourt, c.1230

Woman in a cyclas and cote pouring wine for the servants, 1280

Lady wearing a beautiful blue cyclas over a cote. Her hair is braided with a cloth band wrapped around it. late 1200’s

Highly embroidered cyclas or surcote under a mantleover a chemise or white cote with coffs, 1200’s

The lady in the front is wearing a cyclas and matching cote with narrow forarms, 1305

The virgin is wearing a cyclas and matching cote. In the background the ladies are wearing cote that are tucked under their breasts, 1305

A loose dark red cyclas with a cream cote and gold details worn under. Notice the sleeve, 1306

A loose dark red cyclas with a cream cote and gold details worn under. Notice the sleeve, 1306

A lady wearing a rose cyclas over a red cote. Again the upper sleeve is loose while it is fitted from the albow down. c. 1315-1325

Here the openings of the cyclas is round rather than straight and shows off more of the cote underneath. Also notice the bottoms on the sleeve. c. 1325 – 1335

Woman wearing a cyclas, veil and wimple, c 1300-1340

Rounded red cyclas or a sideless surcote over a red cote. Notice the wide neckline on both dresses. c. 1325-1340

Rounded blue cyclas or a sideless surcote over a cream cote. c 1300 – 1340

Cyclas, c. 1340

Red cyclas over a dark blue cote. c 1300-c 1340

Intense blue cyclas over a rose cote, c. 1300 – 1340

Woman in a rose cyclas over a turquoise cote. c. 1300-1340

Woman in a red cyclas over a cream cote. c 1300 – 1340

Lady in a blue cyclas over a yellow cote, c. 1300 – 1340

Elderly woman wearing a cote, head scarf and a cyclas, c. 1325-1340

Robes from late 1300’s

In the late 1300’s women would wear a robe (kåbe) belted just under the breasts. The robe would have a lot of fabric, folds and huge sleeves.

Mary de Bohun in a high collared robe with wide sleeves and small wrist openings. It is belted just under her breasts. She also has funky hair.

Woman in robe with the belt knotted under her breasts. 1300’s

Robe, c. 1410-1430

Surcote ouverte

Over time the cyclas developed into the Surcot(e) ouverte and were popular from the mid 1300’s until the 1500’s as a symbol of rank among the noble women. The surcote ouverte was a woman’s sleeveless outer garment, with armholes that deepened towards the hips in the middle of the 1300’s. Retained as a symbol of rank for aristocratic women into 1500’s.

Duchess 1300’s

Surcote ouverte, c. 1496-1498

Houppelande or pellanda c. 1360-1430

Over time the bliaut develope into the  houppelande/pallanda, which is introduced in the 1360’s. It is a sleeved, front-closing robe worn by both sexes. It is always full-length on women; sometimes short on men. In the north they are called pallanda.

Characterized c.1400 and later by huge sleeves often falling to the floor.

Robe with dagging on the sleeves, (1200’s or early 1300’s)

Full-bodied houppelandes with voluminous sleeves worn with elaborate headdresses are characteristic of the earlier 1400’s.

Blue robe tied with a red studded belt just below the breasts. Notice the big white collar and very wide sleeves, 1413

Nobel women wearing mostly robes, c. 1410 – 1414

Woman wearing a houppelande with “dagged” sleeves. c. 1415 Maria d’Harcourt et d’Aumale, wife of Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich, in a houppelande, fol 19 of the Breviary of Marie de Gueldres

Two ladies wearing houppelandes, 1440

Pellote/pelice 1400’s

Over time the cyclas developed into the Pellote and Surcote ouverte and were popular from the mid 1300’s until the 1500’s as a symbol of rank among the noble women. The pellote was a woman’s sleeveless outer garment, with very large armholes trimmed with fur.

Pellote, 1413

The Marriage of Catherine of Valois and Henry V of England in 1420 Surcote ouvertec. edged with fur over a dark blue cote. Notice how big the arm holes are now.

Pellote, c. 1460

Marguerite of Provence, Queen of France, lived 1250 (image 1400’s)

Open sleeved surcotes 1430- 1500

The open sleeved surcote is fitted around the body and has a loose skirt. The sleeves are fitted till the elbow where the sleeve is cut open and hangs from the arm showing off the cote underneath. It has many of the same characteristics of the bliaut of earlier periods. The ends of the long sleeves are, like on the hoods, called liripipe.

Two women. One is wearing a simple cote while the other is wearing a surcote with square sleeves hanging from the elbow. 1413

Two woman wearing kirtle with a surcote over. Notice that the two dresses are different colors and that the sleeves of the surcote is large and hanging from the elbow. 1413

Open sleeved surecotes c. 1413

Lady wearing an open sleved surecote talking to a group of men in wide sleeved tunics and robes, c. 1413

Burgundian gown 1430-1500

Around 1430 the houppelande fell out of fashion again and robes were in again. The sleeves was narrower again – it would seem they became very fitted and large manchets were added to the sleeve. The neckline is v-shaped, often furtrimmed and shows up the cote underneath and normally a small bit of the chemise as well.  The ladies would wear their dresses long enough to have trains. Unless they had someone to handle the train they would wear it over an arm if outside.

Fur-trimmed Burgundian gown of mid-15th century has a V-neck that displays the black kirtle and a band of the chemise. Hair is pulled back in an embroidered hennin and covered by a short veil. ca. 1455.

MS Douce 195 pg 18 by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meung, French, late 15th century.

Her gown has a black collar trimmed in white fur and she wears an elaborate carcanet or necklace, Netherlands, 1478–78.

1500-1550

In the 1500-1550 women would wear a long gown, usually with sleeves worn over a kirtle/cote over a chemise/smock. The high-waisted gown of the late medieval period evolved in several directions in different parts of Europe:

• Germany and bohemia: The gowns was still short waisted and tight-laced but not corseted. The front of the gown was open-fronted laced over a kirtle or had an insert of a stomacher or plackard. The sleeved were puffed and slashed or had elaborate cuffs.
• France, England and Flanders: The high waistline gradually moved toward natural waist in the front and toward a V-shaped point. Large trimmed cuffs came in fashion.
• Denmark: I wonder if we followed the German or France fashion?

German fashion: Anna Cuspinian wears a rose-pink brocade gown with a high belt and black collar and cuffs with a large headdress 1502–03.

German fashion: Katharina von Bora wears a front-laced grayish gown with black trim. She wears a white partlet edged in black, and her hair is confined in a net or snood, 1526.

German fashion, c. 1529

Three ladies in German fashion of 1525–30. Baretts with upturned slashed brims are worn over cauls, and sleeves are variously puffed, pieced, and slashed, with short wide cuffs extending over the hands.

Anne Stafford wears a black fur-lined gown with turned-back sleeves over a dark kirtle. She wears a soft sash at her waist and a sheer partlet over a square-necked chemise, c. 1535.

German fashion, c 1539

 Outerwear

A lot of different kinds of cloaks, capes and mantles were used as well as surcotes and robes.  For more partical outerwear you would wear a short cape with or without a hood.

Probably the virgin Mary with her head covered both in a (palla) cape over her head and something under it. 1000’s

lady wearing a sbernia (cloak worn under one arm and over the other. Common at the end of the 1400’s in Italy. c. 1325-1340

Peasant in bare legs, tunic and a big scarf, c. 1416

“Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan, in mourning”

Chape – short hooded cape

The chape is a short hooded cap that later developed into the liripipe. It is covering the head and shoulders with a hole was cut in the fabric to frame the face.

Virgin Mary (I think) on the donkey. She wears a cote, a chape and a circular cape or perhaps a draped mantle, c. 1050

Woman playing a instrument while wearing a cote and overdress as well as a chape.

Pilgrim wearing a hooded purple cloak over a long blue cote. I am guessing she is wearing a child on her back? c.1325-1335

Mantle

A mantle was a loose outer garment or cloak cut in the round, open down the front and fastened either on the shoulder or in front; used by both men and women. It was often worn in a ceremoniel or representative capacity.

Woman in a cote, over-dress and mantle, c. 1180s

Lady covered in a mantle. Under that she wears a wide sleeved patterned over-gown. 1009-1111

Woman presenting a chaplet wears a linen barbet and fillet headdress. She also wears a fur-lined mantle or cloak, c. 1305–1340.

Lady in a red cote wearing a blue mantle. Man in tunic, hose and a hood. Early 1300’s

Mantle: loose outer garment or cloak cut in the round, open down the front and fastened either on the shoulder or in front; for men or women

Mary de Bohun wears an ermine-lined mantle tied with red strings. Her servant wears a mi-parti tunic. c. 1380–85

Gardecorp

The gardecorp came into fashion in the 1200’s. The garment is wide in the body and has long sleeves. The sleeve are cute open near the armpits so that the arm can pass though when the warm of the sleeves are not needed. The length wary from knee to full length. They often have a hood that is worn up or down. The fashion lasted until some time in the 1300’s. Though variants turn up later. They evolve into the split-sleeve houppelandes of the 1400’s2revivalclothing.com

Gardecorp, c. 1280-1290

Lady in gardecorp and a woman in a simple cote and appron

Gardecorp. c. 1300-1340

riding lady in a cote and gardecorp, c. 1300-1340

Gardecorp c. 1488-1496

Commoners

Commoners would also wear a shift and cotta/tunic. The style would be simpler and more practical than what the nobles and rich merchant wore. The tunic would often not hit the floor for everyday wear – it is simply not practical. It would often hit go to the ankles or mid shin. The sleeves wouldn’t have the huge openings or be as long as were fashionable for part of the period (try cooking over fire with those). Over their tunics they would often wear an apron.  Read more

She is in a cotta with slippers and he is in a open shirt with leg wrappings and no shoes. c. 1423

Peasant woman in a cote 1475

More about medieval fashion

Useful links

• mctekstilblog.blogspot.dk, in Danish
• Wiki: Medieval clothing, in Danish
• dragt.dk: They have a pdf magazine published a number of time a year all about the history of garments. In Danish
• Hvad hed tøjet? Dragtbetegnelser omkring 1380-1410 Af Camilla Luise Dahl – Middelaldercentre (no longer on the official website) In Danish
• muckley.us: A great overview of pictures of medieval underwear
• Images and analysis of Maciejowski Bible
• Spanish site on foodwear among other things
• wikiwand.com
• romandelarose.org names of garment parts
• Wiki on 1200-1300 European fashion
• historymedren.about.com
• vulgarcrowd: How to put together a 1500’s outfit

Books

• “Medieval Dress and Fashion” by Margaret Scott, 2007 by British Library