Costume during the thirteenth century inEurope was relatively simple in its shapes, rich in colour for both men and women, and quite uniform across theRoman Catholic world as the Gothic style started itsspread all over Europe in dress,architecture, and otherarts.
Male and female clothing became remarkably similar, with many men's garments differing substantially from women's dress only in hem length, with the fanned sleeves common in the previous century vanishing from the latter and tightly buttoned sleeves becoming common.[1] While most items of clothing, especially outside the wealthier classes, remained by comparison little changed from three or four centuries earlier,[2]: 39 the more tightly shaped cuts that had been introduced in the preceding century continued to evolve in commoners' fashion[3] too, with the imitation of nobles' clothing beginning among the developingburgher class that would become prominent in following centuries.
The century saw great progress in the dyeing and working of wool, which was by far the most important material for outerwear. For the rich and fashionable, vibrant colour and rare fabrics such as silk from thesilkworm were ubiquitous. Silk started to be produced in Europe in greater quantity than before, with silk embroidery seeing notable developments away from the style ofChinese silk that had beenimported earlier; these would continue into uniqueEuropean styles of silkwork in the 14th century.[3]
The most common dyes remained shades of red, notablycarmine, and basic yellows and greens. A lapis lazuli-dyed, intense blue became very fashionable, being adopted by theKings of France as their heraldic colour.[2]: 60
Men wore atunic,cote, orcotte with asurcoat over a linenshirt. One of these surcoats was thecyclas, which 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. When sleeves and sometimes a hood were added, thecyclas became a garnache (a cap-sleeved surcoat, usually shown with hood of matching color) or a gardecorps (a long, generous-sleeved traveling robe, somewhat resembling a modern academic robe). Amantle was worn as a formal wrap. Men also wore hose,shoes, and headdress. The clothing ofroyalty was set apart by its rich fabric and luxurious furs. Hair and beard were moderate in length, and men generally wore their hair in a "pageboy" style, curling under at neck length. Shoes were slightly pointed, and embroidered for royalty and higherclergy.[4]
Working men wore a short coat, ortunic, with a belt. It was slit up the center of the front so that they could tuck the corners into their belt to create more freedom of movement. They wore longbraies or leggings with legs of varying length, often visible as they worked with their cotte tucked into their belt. Hose could be worn over this, attached to the drawstring or belt at the waist. Hats included a round cap with a slight brim, theberet (just like modern French ones, complete with a little tab at the top), thecoif (a little tight white hood with strings that tied under the chin), the straw hat (in widespread use among farmworkers), and thechaperon, then still a hood that came round the neck and over the shoulders. Apart from aprons for trades like smithing, and crude clothes tied round the neck to hold seed for sowing, special clothes were not worn for working.[2]: 49–52
Dress for women was more loosely fit compared to the previous century and somewhat more modest, the era from about 1220 onward having notably been characterised as the 'elegant period' in Gothic dress according toOrtwin Gamber.
A narrowbelt was uniform, which could be richly decorated with metal plating in various colours such as blue and green. Over it was worn thecyclas or sleevelesssurcoat also worn by men. More wealthy women wore moreembroidery and theirmantle, held in place by a cord across the chest, might be lined with luxurious fur. Women, like men, wore hose and leather shoes which, regardless of gender, could be elaborately embroidered for special occasions.[4]
Individuality in women's costume was notably expressed through their hair and headdress. One distinctive feature of women's headwear was thebarbette, a chin band to which a hat or various other headdresses might be attached. This hat might be a "woman's coif", which often resembled apillbox hat, in plain or fluted versions. The hair might be confined by a net called acrespine orcrespinette, visible only at the back. Later in the century the barbette and coif were reduced to narrow strips of cloth, and the entire hairdress might be covered with the crespine, the hair fashionably bulky over the ears. Coif and barbettes were white, while the crespine might be colored or gold. Thewimple andveil of the12th century still seen onnuns today continued to be worn, mainly by older women andwidows.[4]Women also wore long tunics that went down to their ankles. This was worn over a shirt.
Wealthy women often wore clothes lined with fur. They wore jewelry and jewels such to make them look wealthy. Rings and brooches were made of gold and silver, inset with uncut precious and semi-precious stones. Gold was reserved for the upper class.
Shoes began to develop a pointed toe at this time however, they were much more restrained than they were in the 14th century. The usual shoe, worn by men and women alike, opened at the front, from the instep to the toe. Boots were largely only worn by men. Commoners also wore stockings with leather sewn to the sole, and wooden clogs. Woollen garters were also worn by commoners.[5]
TheLübeckian chroniclerArnold mocked changes in Danish attire he attributes to the increasing economic power of the Danes:[6]
The Danes, who imitate the habits of the Germans ... are now adopting the dress and weapons of other nations. Previously, they dressed like seamen because they lived by the coast and were always preoccupied with ships, but now they clothe themselves not only in scarlet, parti-coloured and grey furs, but also in purple and fine linens. The reason for this is that they have all become very rich due to the fishing that takes place every year around Scania. ... They catch the herring at no cost to themselves, by the abundant grace of God, while the merchants offer the best they have in order to secure a good bargain – and sometimes even lose their lives in shipwrecks.
Historians conjecture that the raw materials used to make clothing changed along with the styles, from wool to linens, as well as the colors of the textiles, and the types of weave, from homespun grey woolens to imported red and darkly-colored textiles.
TheFourth Council of the Lateran of 1215 ruled that Jews and Muslims must be distinguishable by their dress, beginning the process that transformed the conical or pointedJewish hat from something worn as a voluntary mark of difference to an enforced one. Previously it had been worn but had been regarded by European Jews as "an element of traditional garb, rather than an imposed discrimination".[2]: 138 [7]: 15 [8]: 173–174 A law inBreslau (Wrocław) in 1267 said that since Jews had stopped wearing the pointed hats they used to wear, this would be made compulsory.[8]: 174 TheYellow badge also dates from this century, although the hat seems to have been much more widely worn.
Sumptuary laws covering prostitutes were introduced (following Ancient Roman precedent) in the 13th century: inMarseille a striped cloak, in England a striped hood, and so on. Over time these tended to be reduced to distinctive bands of fabric attached to the arm or shoulder, or tassels on the arm.[2]: 139–141
These probably reflected both a growing concern for control over the increasing urban populations, and the increasing effectiveness of the Church's control over social issues across the continent.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Jews sometimes adopted the "Jewish hat" as a prominent feature of their personal seals.– Via My Jewish Learning.com:Archived 25 February 2008 at theWayback Machine
