14TH
CENTURY COSTUME GUIDE
Head: The head should really be covered with either a coif, a linen cap, or a hood made from wool or linen.
Braies: These were baggy underpants made from linen, not dissimilar to modern boxer shorts.
Hose: These were made of wool and in the 14th century were single legs with points at the top to attach to either braies or a belt. They could be of the same or different colours. Hose should fit the wearer fairly tightly, following the natural shape of the leg.
Shirt: 14th century shirts were made of undyed linen. They reached to the mid-thigh and had long sleeves. The neck was collarless and not laced up the front.
Tunic: Made from wool or linen, tunics came to the mid-thigh (getting shorter as the 14th century progressed) with long sleeves which tapered towards the wrist. Bands of decoration (usually embroidered) were added round the neck and wrists.
Cloak: Made from heavy wool/linen. Make sure you have plenty of material to make this as the fuller the cloak, the warmer you’ll be.
Footwear: Boots or shoes made from leather. Thigh length boots didn’t appear until 15th/16th century. Brown or black leather is acceptable.
Armour: For the average foot soldier armour consisted of a helmet and a padded jack. Padded jacks at this time came to mid-thigh (like the tunic) with short sleeves. Padded jacks were made up from 12+ layers of linen sewn together. NB to comply with re-enactment rules gloves also need to be worn.
Essentially the same as above but tunics and cloaks would be lined and richly decorated. Fur trims on cloaks would have served to show wealth.
Armour: Chainmail was the principle armour of the knight. A knight would also have:
Coif: Padded linen cap worn under helmet
Hauberk: Long-sleeved and knee-length padded “jack”. Some could have mittens incorporated.
Surcote: A simple sleeveless garment, reaching to the knees. Originated in Crusades.
Chausses: Mail protection for the leg and foot. Rigid protection was worn on the shins beneath them. Chausses usually came to the knee and were attached by points to the belt.
Shield: Medium or small wooden heater shield decorated with coats of arms.
Head: The head should be covered at all times, unless you are portraying a “loose” woman. The covering varied from simple linen scarves and caps to elaborate wimples. Hoods were also worn by women of poorer classes.
Shift: The medieval woman’s underwear! This was a linen garment that resembled a loose white nightgown.
Kirtle: This was a dress made from wool or linen and usually lined. Reaching to the ankle by the 14th century it could lace up the front or be plain. Fashion at this time preferred sleeves that were wide at the shoulder and narrow at the wrists. Like the tunic, decoration could be embroidered round the neck and sleeves. Detachable sleeves, fastened with lacing, were known so the wearer could change the appearance of a dress by changing the sleeves.
Overdress: In bad weather, or when travelling, women also wore an overdress. Basically the same as a kirtle (though not laced down the front) it was large enough to cover everything else and usually unlined.
Hose: Woollen hose that came to the knees and with feet were worn. Cloth or leather garters held them in place.
Apron: Only for the poorer classes, made from undyed linen, it tied round the waist.
Cloak: Made from wool or linen.
Footwear: Leather shoes or boots. Pattens made from wood preserved the soft shoes and kept them cleaner in muddy conditions.
Lady’s Costume
Similar to above, with the exception of the apron, and made from finer materials. Lady’s clothes would have been richly embroidered. Heavily embroidered sleeves that showed through the layers of clothing were fashionable.
Head: The head was again always covered but noble women’s styles varied more. Filets and wimples were worn rather than caps and they could be decorated with gold and silver pins. Long hair could also be braided with fine ribbons as decoration.
Cotehardie: Similar to a kirtle, the name cotehardie comes from middle French meaning bold tunic. Fitting closely to the curves of the body, it was fastened by buttoning or lacing it shut. The sleeves were long and could be decorated with buttons from the elbow down.
Tabard: Noble women are shown as sometime wearing tabards with their husband’s coat of arms as decoration.
Materials
Wool and linen mostly, with silk reserved for the rich. Velvet was not available until 15th century.
Colours
Soft reds, browns, greens, blues, yellows, mauve, pinks, oranges. Black was difficult to achieve without rotting the fabric and so was reserved for the rich. Purple was an ecclesiastical and royal colour.
Literature: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (second half of 14th century)
Geoffrey Chaucer Canterbury Tales (1360)
Manuscripts: The following are all available on the internet.
Luttrel Psalter 1340 – great for scenes of daily life
Holkam Bible 1327-1335 – good for images of archers
Murthly Hours – 1280 - good for images of ecclesiasts and noblemen
Maciejowski Bible 1250 – good for images of knights and soldiers in battle.
References
to costume in 14th century
“He wore a fustian tunic stained and dark/ With smudges where his armour had left a mark” (Chaucer describing the Knight in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“He was embroidered like a meadow bright/ And full of freshest flowers, red and white” (Chaucer describing the Squire in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“This Yeoman wore a coat and hood of green” (Chaucer the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“Upon his head a Flemish beaver hat/ And on his feet daintily buckled boots” (Chaucer describing the Merchant in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“The thread upon his overcoat was bare” (Chaucer describing the Oxford student in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“He wore a homely parti-coloured coat/ Girt with a silken belt of pin-stripe stuff” (Chaucer describing the Sergeant at the Law in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“In a woollen gown that reached his knee” (Chaucer describing the Skipper in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“In blood-red garments, slashed with bluish grey/ And lined with taffeta, he rode his way” (Chaucer describing the Physician in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“Her hose were of the finest scarlet red/ And gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new”
“Well wimpled up, and on her head a hat/ As broad as buckler or a shield/ She had a flowing mantle that concealed …” (Chaucer describing the Wife of Bath in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales)
“Her yellow hair was braided in a tress/ Behind her back, a yard in length, I guess” (Emily in The Knight’s Tale, The Canterbury Tales)
“She used to wear a girdle of striped silk/ Her apron was white as morning milk/ Over her loins, all gusseted and pleated/ White was her smock; embroidery repeated/ Its pattern on the collar, front and back/ Inside and out; it was of silk and black/ The tapes and ribbons of her milky mutch/ Were made to watch her collar to a touch/ She wore a broad silk fillet, rather high” (Alison in The Miller’s Tale, The Canterbury Tales)
“His shoes cut out in tracery, as in use/ In old St Paul’s. The hose upon his feet/ Showed scarlet through…/…in a jacket of light blue/Flounced at the waist and tagged with laces too,/He went and wore a surplice just as gay/ And white as any blossom on a spray” (Absalon in The Miller’s Tale, The Canterbury Tales)
“He was got up in green from head to
heel:
a tunic worn tight, tucked to his ribs;
and a rich cloak cast over it, covered inside
with a fine fur lining, fitted and sewn
with ermine trim that stood out in contrast
from his hair where his hood lay folded flat;
and handsome hose of the same green hue
which clung to his calves, with clustered spurs
of bright gold; beneath them striped embroidered silk
above his bare shanks, for he rode shoeless.
His clothes were all kindled with a clear light like emeralds:
His belt buckles sparkled, and bright stones were set
in rich rows arranged up and down
himself and his saddle. Worked in the silk
were too many trifles to tell the half of:
embroidered birds, butterflies, and other things
in a gaudy glory of green and inlaid gold.
(The Green Knight in Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight, Anon.)
The strong knight stood
there to take up his steel,
dearly dressed in a doublet of silk
and a hooded cloak cunningly made
with a lining of ermine layered inside.
(Description of Sir Gawain in Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight)
“The other one's kerchief covered her
neck,
and bright veils billowed round her black chin,
while silk framed her forehead, which was fretted round
with lacework linked in delicate loops.”
(Description of two ladies headdresses in Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight)