What Not to Wear in the 14th Century
by Amanda Forester
One of the most interesting, or at least the most time consuming,aspects of writing historical fiction is conducting all the research. Clothing is one of the biggest questions Ineed to figure out before my characters can step forth on their journey. In my newest release, The Highlander's Heart,the heroine is an English countess. Thedate is 1355. The question: what wouldshe wear?
In the first scene Isabelle (Countess of Tynsdale) is separated, or Ishould say separates herself, from her traveling companions (and the guards whoare taking her back to be killed). As Iwrote the scene I had to try to picture what she might be wearing. We're in medieval England, so obviously shewill be wearing some sort of gown, but what fabric?
Sumptuary laws can be a help. Inthe 14th century, the rise of a prosperous merchant class became a bother forthe nobility. The upstart commoners weregaining as much wealth as the established aristocracy and could start dressingthe part (oh, the horror). Can youimagine the daughter of a merchant wearing a similar gown as the daughter of anearl? Certainly not! Sumptuary laws strictly governed what peopleof different classes could wear so the privilege and rank of the aristocracycould be maintained, and the prosperous bourgeoisie could be kept in theirplace. In particular, women were not towear clothing above the rank of their fathers or husbands. Certain fabrics, such as velvet, silk,ermine, or sable fur were prohibited to "commoners". Since my heroine is a countess, it would belikely her clothing would reflect her rank, thus I dressed her in a rich wine-coloredvelvet.
But wait, I am getting ahead of myself. What about underclothes? Underher gown, a medieval lady would have worn a linen or silk chemise, which was aloose fitting smock-like dress. Shewould have worn hose, though usually only to the knee, and leather shoes, whichin the 14th century would have had a pointed toe. These shoes were generally for castle use; ifgoing outdoors, one would put on wooden patens to avoid getting wet feet.
Over the chemise, a lady would wear her gown called a kirtle. In the 14th century, the previous fashion ofstraight seams and draped garments were giving way to curved seams and morecareful tailoring. Since Lady Isabelleis noble, I expect her clothes would have had the benefit of time and money, solikley her gown would have fit her quite well. Since she would have had ladies to dress her, she would probably havebeen laced into her gown in a way not possible if you were dressingyourself. Her sleeves would have beenform fitting and long, perhaps to her knuckles. These long sleeves would have been laced or buttoned in place. The neckline of this era was becoming widerand lower, and may even have revealed a little cleavage.
Over the kirtle, a medieval lady may have worn a variety of differentkinds of overgowns. Some may have hadloose fitting sleeves, while others were sleeveless (called surcoats), whichmay have been worn loose or laced. Later in the 14th century, surcoats becameshorter, ending at the waistline, and were often form fitting to reveal a smallwaist. A belt was commonly worn, hanginglow on the hips. These belts, orgirdles, could be quite ornate. Sumptuarylaws forbade commoners from wearing a silver girdle, so clearly the nobilitywere using their belts to show their rank. These belt could be quite fine and even encrusted with jewels.
On her head a lady would wear some sort of covering. Being married, Isabelle's veil would be moremodest, possibly including a gorget, which wrapped around the chin and coveredthe neck. Being a lady, she would mostlikely wear a veil made of silk. Unfortunately for Isabelle, she loses her veil during her escape, and sowhen she meets the hero, Laird David Campbell, he assumes she is not of highsocial standing or moral character. Notrue lady would be traveling alone with her hair flowing loose. Thus begins the story of David and Isabelle!
I have always loved the long flowing gowns and rich colorsand fabrics of medieval times. Whatwould you have enjoyed wearing if you were living in the 14th century? Comment on the blog for a chance to win acopy of THE HIGHLANDER'S HEART. (US & CANADA ONLY)
THE HIGHLANDER'SHEART
Lady Isabelle escapes her murderous English husband only tobe abducted by a Highland warrior and held for ransom. Her determinationto break free from captivity is exceeded only by the passion growing betweenher and the Highland Laird. David Campbell plans to hold Isabelle forransom as an easy way to line his pockets and return her back where shebelongs, but he is unprepared for a feisty English lass with a penchant forfinding trouble. Caught between rival clans bent on claiming the throneof Scotland, Campbell must choose a side, and a bride. Standing on thebrink of war, Isabelle may be his only hope to save his clan, and his heart
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