What Materials Were Used to Make Medieval Clothing?

In the Middle Ages, leather was used for belts, shoes, armor and heavy aprons. Wealthy people had access to the latest styles and colors, while poorer peasants had only one robe. Although silks and other luxurious materials were available from abroad, they were too expensive for most people. Therefore, most of the clothing was made of wool.

This meant that medieval clothing was itchy, difficult to wash and dry, and very hot in summer. The most flamboyant clothing of this period was the revealing double sand hose from Italy. Hats, capes, hoodies and other headdresses became popular and were adorned with colors and feathers. Benedict stated that monks' clothes should be simple but comfortable, and they were allowed to wear linen headwear to keep their heads warm.

Wool was the main material used for medieval garments, with people receiving clothes that suited their social status in medieval society. Slaves and the poorest peasants could only use wool for their clothing. Statues, paintings, illuminated manuscripts, tomb effigies and the Bayeux tapestry all depict people wearing medieval costumes. When members of the lower classes wore clothes normally found among the upper classes, it caused a stir and some found it offensive.

Basic tutorials for sewing medieval clothing business patterns & what to do with them included leggings made of separate garments for each leg that were made of fabric and worn with a tunic. Cotton was also used in Europe to make garments entirely or partially. Fur was also used as inner linings for shelter due to the cold climate during this period. The simplest forms of medieval clothing appeared in the 5th century.

Sometimes no attempt was made to depict a historical figure wearing clothing appropriate to their time period. Synthetic and blended fabrics weren't available in medieval times. Hopefully future historians will discover more facts about medieval clothing and share them with us.Fustian fustian was constructed in the same way as velvets, described as a rough cotton fabric sometimes made with a linen warp and a cotton weft, woven in the same way as velvet and with a cut surface. Significant changes in medieval clothing began in 1100 during the Norman rule.