Introduction To Twelfth Century Western European Clothing For Women and Men

Intro to 12th Century Western European Clothing for Women and Men
Introduction to Twelfth Century Western European

Clothing for Women and Men
About the class
This is intended to be a beginning-level class, however, I hope that what I
am presenting will be of interest to any who are experienced in the study
of medieval clothing. We will cover geometric cutting and construction
theory; have two in-depth segments on measuring and cutting layouts for
both men and women; appropriate fabrics and ornament styles; and touch
on the differences between court dress and everyday clothing. You will
come away from the class today with an accurate cutting diagram for a
basic 12th century tunic or gown. This class will be presented in six
segments of approximately 15 minutes each. I have scheduled a little
extra time in case we run over, and you are welcome to stay after and
discuss what is presented. The class segments are:
1. Introduction and “show and tell” of both

contemporary and reproduction items
2. Geometric construction and the variety of possible
styles using this method
3. Court dress; Fabrics, ornament, and accessories
4. Measuring techniques; Demonstration and practice
5. Layout, cutting, calculating yardage; Demonstration
and practice
6. Review and question and answer period; Recap of “show and tell” and open discussion
There are a total of nine handouts for this class, including this one. Some are multi-page. The list of handouts is as
follows:
1. Contemporary artwork and archaeological artifact examples (2p)
2. Geometric construction overview (1p)
3. Geometric construction variations and sample cutting diagrams (2p each, men and women. Please
ask if you need both)
4. Court dress overview (1p)
5. Fabrics and ornamentation (1p)
6. Accessories: Shoes, cloaks, jewelry (1p)
7. Measurement worksheet (1p)
8. Graph paper to chart your cutting layout based on your measurements (1p)
Instructor:
This class is taught by Branwen M. Folsom, known in the SCA as Lady Marguerie de Jauncourt. I've been in the SCA
for eight years. I have been studying and re-creating historic clothing for twice that long. My area of special interest in
the SCA time frame is 12th Century clothing, and its evolution from earlier forms, as you may have guessed. I have been
tracking the elusive bliaut (French court gown) for six years, and will share a few theories with you today, but all the while,
I've been making and wearing as much or more everyday 12th Century clothing for myself and my family, and this is the
most useful. That everyday clothing will form the core of the information I present today.
Note:
This class was taught for the first time at Ansteorra's Argent Anniversary. Further copies of the class handouts were available
in an online format at my old (now defunct) web site http://bliautlady.50megs.com
Copyright ©2004-2010 Branwen Maura Folsom, Branwen Maura Townsend Please email for permission to reproduce. jauncourt@gmail.com
Bibliography/Further reading
Web Sites (all sites cited date as of 6/20/2004 unless otherwise noted)
Asplund, Randy Chausses and Braies (men's undergarments and hose)
http://www.randyasplund.com/browse/medieval/chausse1.html
Carlson, I. Marc Some Clothing of the Middle Ages (a survey of archaeolgical examples)
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/bockhome.html
Carlson, I. Marc Footwear of the Middle Ages (10th thru 13th century styles)
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM
Doyle, Sarah Clothing of Norman Women in the Late 11th and Early 12th Centuries (Norman English women)
http://freespace.virgin.net/sarah.doyle/KIT.htm
Eustace hight Broom, Emrys Shertes, Trewes & Hosen (parts i, ii, iii, cited as of 6-30-04)
http://www.greydragon.org/library/underwear1.html
Folsom, Branwyn The Bliaut Files (instructor's website, detailed information on court and women's dress)
http://bliautlady.50megs.com
Payne, Grace The Beautiful Bliaut (construction of separate-skirt type women's court dress in detail)
http://www.chateau-michel.org/belle_bliaut.htm
Spies, Nancy Ecclesiastic Pomp and Aristocratic Circumstance (tabletweaving)
http://weavershand..com/arelatestudio.html
Virtue, Cynthia, ed. Extant Clothing of the Middle Ages (extant examples from museums, 11th-12th C pieces)
http://www.virtue.to/articles/extant.html
Virtue, Cynthia Introduction to Garb: A Seminar (overview of basic everyday clothing)
http://www.virtue.to/articles/in_depth_garb.html
Virtue, Cynthia Practical Worksheet for Tunic Construction (measurement worksheet and construction method)
http://www.virtue.to/articles/tunic_worksheet.html
Vogt, Kelly Making a Keyhole Neckline (detailed instructions for installing this neckline)
http://home.gte.net/kmvogt/kkeyhole.html
Wymarc, Richard A Stitch Out Of Time (10th-12th century examples and Costume for a 12th Century Lady)
http://www.wymarc.com
Books
Benton, John F. (Ed) Self and Society in Medieval France: The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert of Nogent University of Toronto Press,
1984
Burnham, Dorothy Cut My Cote Royal Ontario Museum, 1973
Boucher, Francois 20,000 Years of Fashion - the history of costume and personal adornment Harry N. Abrams, no date
Bradfield, Nancy Historical Costumes of England 1066-1968 Costume and Fashion Press, 1997
Carretero, Concha Herrero Museo de Telas Medievales Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real de Huelgas Patrimonio Nacional, 1988
Cunnington, C Willet and Cunnington, Phillis The History of Underclothes Dover, 1992
Davis, R.H.C. The Normans and their Myth Thames and Hudson, 1976
Dodwell, C.R. The Pictorial Arts of the West 800-1200 Yale University Press, 1993
Egan, Geoff and Pritchard, Frances Medieval Finds from Excavations in London:3 Dress Accessories 1150-1450 HMSO,1991
Grew, Francis and de Neergaard, Margarethe Medieval Finds from Excavations in London:2 Shoes and Pattens HMSO, 1988
Hunnisett, Jean Costume For Stage and Screen Patterns for Women's Dress Medieval - 1500 Player's Press, 1996
Kohler, Carl A History of Costume Dover, 1963
Piponnier, Francoise and Mane, Perrine Dress In The Middle Ages Yale University Press, 1997
Stoddard, Whitney S. Sculptors of the West Portraits of Chartres Cathedral: Their Origins in Romanesque and Their Role in
Chartrain Sculpture: Including the West portals Norton, 1987
Tate, Georges The Crusaders: Warriors of God Harry N. Abrams, 1996
Tilke, Max Costume Patterns and Designs Rizzoli, 1990
Tilke, Max Oriental Costumes, their designs and colors Berlin: E. Wasmuth, 1922 (e-text at
http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/etext/tilke/ )
Time-Life Books (eds.) The Divine Campaigns TimeFrame AD 1100 - 1200 Time-Life, 1988
Waugh, Christina Frieder Well-Cut through the Body: Fitted Clothing in Twelfth-Century Europe in Dress: the journal of the
Costume Society of America , vol 26, 1999
Contemporary artwork and archaeological artifact examples
Marriage Chest in the Louvre (after Kragelund Tunic, after Tilke's sketch Pediment lady Chartres LPL 2
photo p 64 in Bogin, Meg _The
Women Troubadours_)
Lady and Knight from Chelles Lady and seducer from the lost Philologia from Quedlinbourg
Reliquary (after photo in Pipponier) _Hortus Deliciarum_ (after 19th C. Tapestry (after photo in Dodwell)
Copy)
Herod and Salome capital My poor sketch of the probable Nun on the Ladder of Virtue (after
decoration original cut of the Brial of Don 19th C copy of the _Hortus
Garcia (after sketch in Waugh) Deliciarum_)
Ivar the Boneless (after The Emperor Charlemagne Manto of Fernando de la Cerda
illumination shown on p3 of Cohat, (After sketch by Tilke of unknown (after sketch of restored mantle in
Yves _The Vikings, Lords of the origin in _Costume Patterns and _Museo de las Telas Medivales_)
Seas_ ) Designs_)
Of particular note are silhouettes, shoes, ornament and hairstyles.
Basics of Geometric Garment Construction

Main Points:
• Geometric Construction, also called “rectangular construction” applies to any garment cut chiefly from geometric pieces. For the
purposes of this class, however, we are focusing on upper body garments worn in W.Europe.
• Garments made this way can be made with a minimum of scissor cuts, and very little waste.
• Much of the cutting can be done by tearing the cloth along the straight grain, which gives a pure straight edge.
• Shaping and movement ease are provided by gores and gussets inserted into seams rather than shaped or tailored pieces. Center gores
for more even fullness seem to have become more common in the 11th C.
• It is one of the oldest forms of garment construction and possibly the oldest form of constructed garment construction.
• This method of garment cutting was fairly highly developed by the middle of the 12th century, and was pushed to its limits in variety
of shapes and figure-accentuating designs. At the end of the 12th C, fashion, combined with a widespread, relative impoverishment of
the nobility and wealthy merchant classes (caused by wars and the funding of the Crusades), brought about a return to simpler, looser
garments with less decoration.
Assembling a Basic Geometric Cut Tunic

1: Sew the gussets to the sleeves and finish the seam (1). Fold sleeves in half lengthwise, mark center
point of sleeve. (1a)
2: Fold body of tunic in half, hem edge to hem edge, and mark the center point. Match fold on sleeves
to fold on body (2). Pin and sew. Finish seams. You should end up with a t-shape like the one in the
illustration.
3: Pin side gores to body, starting at hem and matching the bias edge of each gore to the edge of the
body. Make sure you are working on the right side of the tunic. Sew gores in place (if sewing by
machine, sew from hem to point to reduce stretching), and finish seams.
4: Lay center gores out and mark length of slit by the bias edge, marking the slit about 1“ shorter than
you need it. Cut the slit (4)and pin the gores in place, and when you reach the point, clip a little further
if necessary, but end the slit in a “y” shape (4a). Sew gores in place (if sewing by machine, sew as
above) up to points. Sew points by hand and finish seams.
5: Finish neckline (not covered here due to variety of choices), and sew side seams in this order: Hem
to armpit (protruding point of gusset), then armpit to cuff (5). Finish seams.
6: Hem the tunic. You are finished.

This is not meant to be an in-depth set of instructions, but a shorthand overview of the basic steps
involved in constructing a typical geometric-cut tunic of the period we are discussing. For example, if
you want to make earlier styles without center gores, omit step four.
Layout Diagrams, for Men

These are sample layouts, so the specific dimensions will be dictated by
your shoulder to hem, hip to hem, arm length/circumference, etc.
measurements. You should take your measurements, and using the
layouts as a guide, work out what you need on graph paper or in a
computer graphics program.
Above: Basic tunic, loose cut body, waist to hem gores, straight Loose over tunic with straight sleeves.
sleeves, this layout is given with a slightly shorter skirt (thigh length) as Basic outer wear for all classes.
you would wear for body linen.
Braies.
Very basic cutting diagram, and obviously,
your mileage may vary. I highly recommend
that you visit
http://www.randyasplund.com/browse/medie
val/chauss2.html for detailed construction
advice and information (including chausses
which I am not prepared to cover in this
class)
Sleeve variations -
Tapered sleeve, flared sleeve
Fashionable cut court tunic, with tight belled

sleeves and widely gored skirt. May be laced
at sides and left open at side seams. As shown
is about knee length, but these can be made
ankle length.
Basic half-circle mantle. May be trimmed along straight edge for
extra pizazz
Man's old-style tunic, with side gores only.
Straight sleeves.
Layout Diagrams, for Women

These are sample layouts, so the specific dimensions will be
dictated by your shoulder to hem, hip to hem, arm
length/circumference, etc. measurements. You should take your
measurements, and using the layouts as a guide, work out what
you need on graph paper or in a computer graphics program.
The nun from the _Hortus Deliciarum_ shown above is wearing a Loose gown with small points on wide straight
loose gown with belled sleeves and a gored skirt like the one sleeves
diagrammed to the right.
Basic tunic
loose cut body, waist to
hem gores, straight
sleeves, this layout is
given with a slightly shorter
skirt (ankle or calf length)
as you would wear for body
linen.
Can be cut slightly longer
and made with tapered
sleeves for a simple gown.
Conjectural method of adding

Piecing to create tapered sleeve Sleeve variations
gores to increase skirt fullness
Basic half-circle mantle. May be trimmed along straight Fashionable cut dress, with tight belled sleeves and
edge for extra pizazz widely gored skirt. May be laced at sides.
Overview of Court Dress
Differences between court and everyday dress:
• Generally made of opulent fabrics (silks, fine brightly dyed wools, fur linings)
• Elaborately decorated with embroidery and woven bands
• Garment styles impractical for everyday tasks (wide or dangling sleeves, long skirts, long dangling braids)
• Much more jewelry worn (I suspect braid weights to have been exclusive to noble ladies)
• More hair shown by women, men had longer hair and affected beards
A)
B)
C)
A: Philologia and B: Iusticia from the

Quedlinbourg Tapestry and C: my theory Lady from Chartres (LPL2) wearing a
on how these sleeves may have been gown with a finely pleated skirt with a
cut delicate orfrois at the hem, shoes with
Queen of Sheba in the Louvre pierced decoration and knotted sleeves.
Fabrics and Ornamentation

Appropriate Fabrics:
Best fabrics (most period):

• Linen: fine plain weave and as white as you could get it. Hempcloth, nettlecloth and ramie (an Asian nettlecloth) are good as well,
as they have similar properties (and are almost indistinguishable in archaeological samples).
• Wool: twills, plain weave, fine to heavy weight, usually fulled as part of the finishing process, in many colors from plain natural to
the most expensive bright or deep colors that could be dyed. Patterned twills, woven stripes and checks were worn.
• Silk: plain weaves (habotai and taffeta for example), twills, or heavy lampas-woven brocades, found in white, plain colors (as many
as wool) and polychrome designs. Saris with elaborate zari work of non-paisley patterns are an excellent equivalent for patterned
silk fabrics of the time. Slubby silk was not desirable in period.
Second best fabrics (decent substitutes):

• Cotton in appropriate weights, weaves and colors, the better quality you buy the longer your garment will last.
• Linen in heavy weights, bright colors or pattern weaves suitable for outerwear (non-period usage)
• Slub-weave silks, such as dupioni, noil, and shantung can substitute for more expensive smoother silks. Finer, tight-weave silk
noils can be a decent visual substitute for equivalent weight wools if you are allergic.
• Rayon, which is a cellulostic (vegetable-derived) man-made fiber can substitute for silk or linen depending on weave. As with
cotton, quality has a lot to do with its longevity and properties. Avoid anti-wrinkle treated rayons.
Colors:
For everyday clothes, earth tones, weld yellows and indigo blues are recommended. For wealthy persons, reds and polychrome
brocades are appropriate. For theatrical costumes, block prints and patterned printed fabrics in a Romanesque style can give a good
visual equivalent.
Ornament
Ornamentation could be applied at neckline, cuff and sometimes hem of short (men's) tunics. Some (very rare) examples of women's
garments are depicted with hem ornament, but these are all queens and allegorical figures. The more opulent the clothing, the more
applied (Roger II's tunic has a wide panel made up of several bands of tablet weaving at the neckline).
Trimming on your garments could be made up of any of the following, sometimes in combination:
• Bands of plain cloth

• Narrow pattern woven bands
• Bands of embroidered silk or wool
• Embroidery worked directly on the garment
Accessories: Shoes, Cloaks, Jewelry

Shoes:
Both men and women wore pointed shoes, often with a decorated vamp. Examples:
Herod's shoes appear to have a low- Salome's shoes have a band of Ivar's shoes appear to have some sort
cut vamp embroidery or painted decoration of decoration and are ankle height
straight up the vamp (about 150 years earlier)
Jewelry:
Everyone used circular pins to hold their clothing together, everyone who could afford it wore rings. Women did wear circlets,
earrings and bracelets (though it is mentioned in textual sources, it does not show up well in artwork). Women with long hair
might weight their braids with small heavy decorated pendants to keep them straight.
Head of lady depicted in Chartres Copy of small annular brooch with Head of old testament queen from Le
LPL2. She wears a circlet with small spiral wire decoration from _Dress Mans. She wears a wrapped veil that
stones or pearls Accessories_ (p 254, fig 164, artifacts has been elaborately and fashionably
1340 and 1341) Actual size is 1 inch. draped.
Cloaks:
Cloaks were everyone's outerwear. They could be decorated heavily, lightly, or not at all. Some surviving examples of cloaks
have ties rather far down the straight edge. When worn, this causes the edge lying against the neck to bunch up and help to
insulate the wearer, as well as fitting the cloak much more closely to the shoulders than anyone would expect from an
unstructured garment.
Toggle closing on cloak worn by Chartres LPL2.

Manto of Fernando de la Cerda. Notice placement of ties.
Notice how edge of cloak rolls at neck.
Measurement Worksheet
How much cloth do I need?
The amount of cloth you will need to make your tunic is influenced by several factors. It depends on the width of the cloth you choose, how
tall/wide you are, how large you want to make your sleeves, and how long or wide you want your skirts. In general, an average woman will
need enough to go from the floor, over her shoulders, and back the floor again, plus between 1 and 3 yards (which can be attached to that
first length or not). An average man may need more or less, depending on his preference for long or shorter tunics.
About half of the first part, lengthwise, is your main pattern piece (body piece). The rest, plus the second part of the yardage, is used to
make up the remaining pattern pieces In the accompanying handout are example layout diagrams, to show you how to fit the pieces on
your cloth.
Measurements needed
You will need to take the following measurements to work out your pattern. I recommend getting some help with doing this,
so they are as exact as possible, before you start working out your cutting diagrams.
shoulder to hem, Under bust or chest bicep circumference
front/back
Waist high hip arm length, shoulder
point to wrist
bust or pectoral high hip to hem Widest part of hand
measurement
What they determine:

Measurement 1: shoulder to hem, front/back This is how long your body piece will be.
Measurement 2: waist The difference between your waist measurement and measurement 5, divided by four, determines how far in you
need to 'scoop' the each of the sides for a tightly fitted fashion tunic. Note: This measurement isn't necessary for laying out under tunics or
loose tunics.
Measurements 3 & 4: bust /pectorals and under bust/chest These two measurements determine if you need to add more fabric (through
gussets) to help give a better fit. If there is more than a 4" difference, make your gussets larger than 6“. Note: These aren't usually
necessary for laying out the under tunic or loose tunic, but if there is a large difference between 3 and 5, use the larger of the two for the
width of the body piece.
Measurement 5: high hip This, divided in half, dictates how wide the body piece will be. If measurement 5 is much larger than 3 , you may
want to make your side gores go up a little higher (to your waist) to accommodate your body.
Measurement 6: high hip to hem This measurement determines how long your gores and gore slits need to be. Use this for the length of
the gores. Cut your gore slits 1" shorter than the straight grain length of the gores.
Measurement 7: bicep circumference The measurement around the widest part of your upper arm, normally your bicep (not including the
area immediately around your armpit, which is usually fitted using gussets), is how wide you will need to cut the sleeve pieces, on all
sleeves. Note: You will want to add 1" or more ease to the loose tunic sleeves, so that it can be comfortably worn over several layers in
cold weather. Also, you will want to add ease for simple tunics that will be worn alone in hot weather, for airflow.
Measurement 8: arm length, shoulder point to wrist Your arm length decides the length of all sleeves except the super-long, tight, high-
fashion sleeve. That can be cut as long as your fabric width will allow after cutting the body piece.
Measurement 9: widest part of hand The widest part of your hand necessarily determines the width of the under sleeve at its narrowest
point (the wrist).You need it big enough to get over your hand. Measure this with your hand compressed as much as you can to get the
tightest possible wrist. Add 1/2 inch for seam allowances (that's for a 1/4 inch seam allowance).
Note: You will not need this measurement for straight, untapered sleeves or bell sleeves.

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Intro to 12th Century Western European Clothing for Women and Men

Introduction to Twelfth Century Western European

1. Introduction and “show and tell” of both

Of particular note are silhouettes, shoes, ornament and hairstyles.

Basics of Geometric Garment Construction

Assembling a Basic Geometric Cut Tunic

6: Hem the tunic. You are finished.

Layout Diagrams, for Men

Fashionable cut court tunic, with tight belled

Layout Diagrams, for Women

Conjectural method of adding

A: Philologia and B: Iusticia from the

Fabrics and Ornamentation

Best fabrics (most period):

Second best fabrics (decent substitutes):

• Bands of plain cloth

Accessories: Shoes, Cloaks, Jewelry

Toggle closing on cloak worn by Chartres LPL2.

What they determine:

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