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14C-Fashion-art
- 6/11/17
"An
Age of Change: Examining 14th century Fashion" by Duchess Aislinn Morcroft.
NOTE:
See also the files: fashion-msg, Cotehardies-art, cotehardies-msg,
clothing-books-msg, cl-academic-msg, dagging-art, Houppelande-art, houppelandes-msg,
wearg-p-fshns-msg.
************************************************************************
NOTICE -
This article was submitted to me
by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium.
These files are available on the
Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of
this file remains with the author or translator.
While the author will likely
give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please
check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of
this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li
Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************
An Age of Change: Examining 14th
century Fashion
by Duchess Aislinn Morcroft
The mid-fourteenth century
marked the true beginning of "fashion" trends in clothing as we know
it today. Developing wealth of the
mid to late 14th century left people with more time to focus on fashion and
more money to spend on achieving the latest looks. During the 14th century period, fads in fashion came and
went, with no obvious progression from long to short hems or tight to loose
fits. Almost every decade, the
pendulum swung, and the height of fashion changed. Western fashion changed at a pace greater than other
civilizations where fashion changed quickly only with major religious and
political changes such as Muslim conquest of India. These changes were likely able to see their fruiting due to
rising wealth among all classes of society and new tailoring techniques. An examination of the modifications in
dress shape and style looking at 10-25 year spans during this century, while
not inclusive of the sometimes yearly changes noted in regional styles, does give
the interested individual a view of the evolution of the common garments most
associated with this period of medieval history as well as the evolving concept
of "high fashion", defined as an ever changing set of requirements in
dress which had little or nothing to do with functionality of clothing use, and
demonstrates that the only thing that remained the same in clothing styles
during this 100 year period was change.
Figure 1 - Maciejowski
Bible c. 1300
Figure 2 - Manesse Codex c. 1304
Coming into the first quarter of
the 14th century, things were still very simple by comparison to the
extravagant fashions we see during the latter century, and reflect modesty in
garment wear and decoration that were prevalent throughout the previous century
and were promoted by the religious and moral writers of the time. Looser styles as whole, the geometric
shaped patterns with little wastage were pieced to create
the shapes we see in these garments as these styles were prior to the advent of
the set in sleeve which is not seen until after the 1320's. [[1]] What fitting that did occur was done
through laces or even sewing the wearer into their garment. Figures one and two above demonstrate
the loose styles noted throughout the visual record of the time.
Figure 3. Roman de la
Rose, 1340s
New
techniques in tailoring which allowed for increased fitting, like the set-in
sleeve, occurring in the 1330's to 1340's dramatically changed the earlier fit
of clothing and allowed for increased fitting of the human body above the
waist, and voluminous skirt below the waist. While underwear and shirts tended to continue to use
rectangular construction methods [[2]],
curved set-in sleeves and body panels, and use of larger triangular gores to
increase skirt width without adding bulk to the line of the garment were
introduced. Practical
experimentation with both the geometric construction method and the curved
set-in sleeve method supports that while the geometric method of the previous
century allows for very little wastage of fabric, the area where the sleeves
meet the body of the garment (across the chest) tend to be too loose for close
fitting as a result of achieving arm gores large enough to allow reach. This precludes a tight a fit above the
waist as noted starting in the mid-14th century. Using the set-in sleeves and curved body shapes thought to
be the pattern of 14th century construction after 1330 allows increased comfort
in fitting, the fabrics are allowed to hug the body, and there is more range of
motion in the arm.
These changes allow the garments
to be fitted much closer to the body without losing mobility. This may also be why at the same moment
in time, we see women involving themselves in what have traditionally been men's
pursuits in the visual record such as boating, hunting, archery, etc. Garments now allow an ease of movement,
and the shorter sleeves allow women to be both fashionable and functional at
the same time.
Men's clothing in particular
began to dramatically change, increasing in tightness to the point that slits
were required up the middle front, and growing drastically shorter. What began as a class divide in
clothing (with nobles wearing longer gowns and squires short gowns) becomes popular
throughout all social statuses, and by the end of 1340, even the King of
England had both long and short suits [[3]]
noted in the Wardrobe accounts of England. The fact that this change was drastic and represented a
change from previous era is supported by commentary provided in 1356 by
contemporary historian Jean de Venette.
Looking back on the 1340's, he writes: "But at this time men,
particularily noblemen, high born squires, and their following, as well as some
citizens and practically all servants began to redesign their mode of
dress. They started to wear short
clothing and that so short that both their buttocks and their private parts
were pretty well visible, which was really very strange because previously
things had been getting more decent." [[4]]
It is of particular note that
prior to around the mid 1330's, there is no mention of buttons in the Wardrobe
accounts of England or France.
Several sources theorize that this indicates that until this time,
wearers were mostly sewn into their garments via thread or lacings, or the
garments were left loose enough to pull over the head. Guilles li Muisis, abbot of St. Martin
at Tournai dictating in circa 1350 wrote of the good old days, when "buttoned
sleeves were worn only by women of ill-repute and that others sewed up their
sleeves." Newton also notes that this practice is recorded in the Roman de
la Rose from the same time period. [[5]] It is not until around the accounts of
1337-1338 that buttons are mentioned on suits, and even then these suits are
described as "with buttons" which may indicate that the buttons are
merely decorative and not meant to be functional closures for fit. By 1340,
wardrobe accounts indicate buttons down the front of the garments, and are
described as "buttoned".
The use of the closure as an action verb, when compared to early
description of "with buttons" may indicate its functionality as a
means of closure at this time.
Figure 4. Taymouth Hours
c. 1330-1340
The fit of the garments is
changing, especially for men, at this time. The sleeves on the outermost layer begin shortening (travelling
from the wrist to now the elbow for length) and develop longer and longer tails
[[6]]
called tippets in English or sometimes beaks. As the sleeves on the outer layer shorten, the now visible
middle layer is available for ornamentation. Buttons up the sleeves allow tightness and an expression of
wealth and decoration. Women's
over-gowns begin to tighten and expose curves not seen in the past century or
so, and men's garments both tighten drastically through the chest and waist, and
shorten dramatically. At this
point, by about 1345, the man's short cote hardy has reached its full awareness
and is the typical outer garment. [[7]] These cote hardies are mostly knee
length at this point, buttoned down the front with full skirts below the waist
to ease movement.
As the second half of the
century dawns, clothes continue in their tightness but get still yet shorter
for men. Garments are molded to
the human form. From the 1350's,
buttons are prolific both on the front of the garments as well as the
sleeves. Figure 5, a wooden figure
of Walter de Helyon c. 1360 demonstrates both the tight fit of the cotehardie,
as well as the profuse use of buttons on the center closure and the sleeves of
men's garments. While difficult to
see in this image, the original wood carving also has long thin tippets at the
biceps. Clearly, this man was
represented the height of fashion at the time of this carving.
Figure 6 - Coronation Book of Charles V. Paris cl1365-1380
These rather drastic changes did
not go without comment from the conservative, older population. In Li Muisis' Annals, Guilles again
comments on both the men and women's scandalous dress. "And what can I say of clothes and
their decorations," he questions rhetorically. "The men's so tight, so short that their private parts
could often be seen beneath them.
And what can I say of the dress of women? Their dresses and ornaments
were made in the likeness of men's, so tight their nude bodies could be seen
through their clothing." Manuscript
images from the same time sought to teach a lesson regarding appropriate dress
to keep from being cast into hell using fashion to demonstrate lack of
piety. One manuscript even shows
people being cast into the pit by demons, in various states of undress, but
with the trappings of fashion still present, indicating that if you focus too
much on your outward appearance and not enough on God, you were bound for
hell. Even the contemporary
historian responsible for the French historial chronical Grandes Chroniques
cites tight clothing and flared skirts as the demise of the French chivalry and
suggests that fashion is primarily responsible for the French defeat at Crecy.
Figure 7 - Bible
Historiale c1357
Following 1340's there is also a
dramatic increase in sumptuary law imposed by both religious and secular
departments in order to curb excess and promote modesty in clothing. Authorities both religious and lay were
concerned about too many people being able to access fashion and expensive
textiles which placed the social order as they knew it at risk. [[8]] Ironically, this did not keep citizens
from attempting to rise above their social class and dress to extremes. In some cultures it even became part of
the fashion of the day to flaunt a disregard for these laws. In Florence, for example, the
fashionable middle to upper class women paid their fines for otherwise
forbidden clothing, and then attached the lead seals to the hem of their gowns
as if to show that they had "paid" for the right to break the law.[[9]]
Figure
8,9,10 - Taccuinum Sanitatus c 1390-1400
Approaching
the final quarter of the century, women's clothing styles remain fairly
unchanged between 1350 and 1370, continuing with tight bodices, flowing skirts,
tippeted sleeves and buttoned fronts and button-sleeved kirtles under their
cotehardies. Men's garments
continue to shorten, and develop an exaggerated "S" or "serpentine"
shape that gives the impression of almost a sway back as demonstrated in Figure
7, but otherwise also remain unchanged.
Dagging on hems, sleeves, and hoods grow in popularity and dagging
remains through the end of the century. Perhaps this lack of dramatic change in
clothing style is the result of the renewed hostilities of the Hundred Years
War with frequent battles and treaties noted in the histories during this
period or as a direct result of the devastation of the Black Plague. It is also
possible, however that given the notable reduction in European illuminated
manuscripts [[10]]
during these years, that change in fashions was present during this time, but
not chronicled through the visual record for our study at this time. The late 1370's, however, saw the
beginnings of change again, with slightly longer cotes on men (again to the
mid-thigh or top of knee) and a reshaping of the cotehardie on women, which
opened the neckline wider and raised the line of the skirt to the natural
waist.
The most
dramatic change from the previous 10 years of fashion to occur in the last
quarter of the century was the return of the long gown as a status symbol. The end of the fourteenth century
begins with the advent of the houpelande in France and the Goun (Gown) in
England. Where the short cotehardie
was still worn as a middle layer on men, now the long gown had returned as the
outermost layer. Women wore both
the newly styled cotehardie with open neckline and higher waist and a long gown
with high neckline which was belted under the breast. Man or woman, though, the gowns enabled the rich to
demonstrate their wealth through conspicuous consumption of fabric necessary to
pull off the long skirts and sleeves noted toward the end of the century and
into the next. Ironically, clergy
and chroniclers alike began to complain about the excessive amounts of cloth in
these long styles, almost forgetting their predecessors' complaints of too
little fabric used previously.
Sumptuary laws again try to tighten down on the luxury available to the
rising middle class by limiting quality of fabrics, ornamentation, and amounts
of cloth to be used for the voluminous skirts and sleeves now fashionable.
It seems that no matter which ten year period reviewed, two
things were common—style was changing and people at all social classes wanted
that style. The shear volumes of
sumptuary laws added, and prolific manuscripts that are available, especially
toward the end of the century clearly indicate that not only were people at all
social classes aware of the changing styles of the upper nobility, but that
more and more people had the wealth in which to obtain those styles for
themselves. As the
fourteenth century drew to a close, one thing was certain. Fashion, as defined in Margaret Scott's
Medieval Dress and Fashion as "ever-changing appearance, based on
novelty and not necessity, which is considered desirable and sought by as many
people as possible" [[11]],
was here to stay. While men's
fashion changed much more dramatically and frequently than did women's during
this century, both men and women experienced a degree of experimentation and
expression never seen before—and maybe not seen after in the same
timeframe. This truly makes the
14th century an age of change.
Footnotes
[1] French manuscript Miroir Historial shows set in sleeves c
1335-40. Van Buren: Illuminating
Fashion, p. 44.
[2] Crowfoot et al., Textiles and Clothing, p.177.
[3] Newton describes a "suit" as a complete layered outfit
with undershirt, gown, and overcoat.
[4] Newton, Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince, p.8.
[5] Newton, Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince, p. 129.
[6] Figure 4 denotes both
the shorter oversleeve with the long tippet and the visible tight undersleeve.
[7] Van Buren, Illuminating
Fashion, p.50.
[8] Scott, Fashion in the Middle Ages, p. 44.
[9] Scott, Medieval Dress and
Fashion, p. 97.
[10] Scott, Medieval Dress and Fashion, p. 81.
[11] Scott, Medieval Dress and Fashion, p 79.
List of Illustrations
1 Maciejowski Bible, New York, Pierpoint Morgan Library, MS M.638, leaf 15
2 Manesse Codex, Zürich, Heidelberg, Universitätsbibliothek, Cod. pal. Germ. 848, fol. 64
3 Roman de la rose, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Selden supra 57
4 Taymouth Hours, England, British Library, Yates Thompson MS 13, f.88r detail
5 Wooden
figure of Walter de Helyon, Much Marcle, Hereford and Worcester
6 Coronation Book of Charles V, Paris, British Library, Cotton MS Tiberius B VIII
7 Bible Historiale, Brussels, Bibliotheque royale, MS 9634-5
8 Tacuinum Sanitatis, Milan, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673
9 Tacuinum Sanitatis, Milan, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673
10 Tacuinum Sanitatis, Milan, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673
References
Crowfoot et al., Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450,
Museum of London Press, 2006.
Eagan and Pritchard, ed. Dress
Accessories 1150-1450, Museum of London Press, 1991.
Newton, Stella Mary. Fashion
in the Age of the Black Prince, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, 1980.
Scott, Margaret. Medieval
Dress and Fashion, The British Library Press, 2009.
Scott, Margaret. Fashion
in the Middle Ages, J Paul Getty Museum Press, 2011.
"1300-1400 in Fashion".
Wikipedia Last modified
January 8 2013. Accessed on
February 12, 2013. <http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1300–1400_in_fashion>
Van Buren, Anne. Illuminating
Fashion:Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands, 1325-1515, The
Morgan Library and Museum Press, 2011.
------
Copyright 2015 by Kim Karr, 1891
Basket Oak Dr, St. Charles, MO 63303. <Rogueduchess at gmail.com>.
Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided
the author is credited. Addresses
change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is
notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in
a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this
article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that
I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
<the end>
[1] French
manuscript Miroir Historial shows set in sleeves c 1335-40. Van Buren: Illuminating Fashion, p. 44.
[2] Crowfoot et al., Textiles and Clothing, p.177.
[3] Newton
describes a "suit" as a complete layered outfit with undershirt,
gown, and overcoat.
[4] Newton, Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince, p.8.
[5] Newton, Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince, p.
129.
[6] Figure 4 denotes both the shorter oversleeve with the long tippet and
the visible tight undersleeve.
[7] Van Buren, Illuminating Fashion, p.50.
[8] Scott, Fashion in the Middle Ages, p. 44.
[9] Scott, Medieval Dress and Fashion, p. 97.
[10] Scott, Medieval Dress and Fashion, p. 81.
[11] Scott, Medieval Dress and Fashion, p 79.