Medieval Clothing – An Introduction

Medieval clothing depended largely on the social and economic status of the wearer.  Poorer individuals had to settle for less comfortable varieties of clothing.  A peasant in the medieval age, or worse yet the Dark Ages, was typically relegated to wearing rags.  Wool was the most common material of the day, with scratchy undergarments the order of the day.  Washing clothes, and bodies for that matter, was done only rarely.  At the upper end of the economic scale, the royalty displayed their wealth with ostentatious clothing.

Upper scale medieval clothing was as much about showing off wealth as it was comfort.  In fact, much medieval clothing was really about showing off wealth.  Intended more as a display of wealth, royal medieval clothing was about showing off the latest styles and fashions.  Long trains and elaborate jewelry typically complemented womens clothing of the time. The mens medieval clothing was often equally elaborate, featuring complex designs of fabric and colors.

If you have seen any of the modern reproductions of medieval clothing, common in movies such as Braveheart, you know that the clothing emphasized the display of wealth. For poorer denizens of the medieval ages, clothing was much more about utility than comfort or style.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, people in the royalty worked to emphasize style more than anything else.  Styles changed just as frequently as it does today, or perhaps even more so.

For those looking to reproduce the look of medieval clothing, places like renstore.com are a great place to start.  Although focusing primarily on renaissance clothing, renstore.com can supply affordable Medieval clothing as well.  The inventory is very large, and the prices are not very high.  20, 30, 40, and even 50% clearances are commonly seen.  This makes medieval clothing relatively affordable, and the reproductions available at renstore.com are known to be very accurate and true to life.

With several styles of all time periods, renstore.com is a one stop shopping experience for medieval clothing. The reproductions available at renstore.com have a focus on authenticity and quality. Combine that with frequent clearances and affordable prices, and renstore.com is a great way to find great medieval clothing.