by Suzette Baker

Created on: July 20, 2010

When it comes to fashion, there are some things that never change. For instance, during the Middle Ages, what a person wore depended heavily on his or her financial status. There are; however, some significant differences between then and now such as in the Middle Ages there were laws that stated what a person of a certain financial or social class could or could not wear. These laws applied only to the nobility and peasant classes but excluded the Royal family.  

The 14th century saw the greatest changes in fashion-especially among the men. As the century wore on, the tunics got both shorter and tighter. This was especially true with the invention of tailored sleeves in 1330. No longer did a person's clothing hang from their shoulders like a piece of drapery. Instead, the tailored sleeve allowed the fabric to reflect the natural shape of the wearer's body. This led to opposition from both fat and religious people and created a distinction between male and female clothing.

Sumptuary Laws

By the beginning of the 14th century, clothing fashions reached new heights. The tunics that once hung well below the waist were now cut high enough that a man could show off his legs all the way to his hips. Long hanging sleeves and pointed shoes were also a popular fashion statement. However, even with all of the revealing-even sexualization of clothing trends, there were some moral and social limitations on what a person could wear. For instance, women were not allowed, with the exception of washerwomen, to expose their arms or legs in public. This is in contrast to the fact that men's tunics eventually reached a point where their bottoms were showing.

Clothing was also used to preserve social order. For example, prostitutes were accepted in London as long as they wore the yellow hoods of their trade and abided by the city regulations. By the same token, lepers were expected to wear the cloaks and bells that were a part of their social contract.

In 1337, Sumptuary laws were added to the books. These laws; however did not pertain to the Royal family. The purpose of these laws was to mandate the types of clothing a person was allowed to wear according to their financial class. While there were no restrictions placed on Lords and their families who owned land worth £1,000, Knights and their families who had land worth £400 marks annually were not permitted to wear ermine or weasel fur or precious stones other than the jewels the women wore in their hair.

The

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>