MEDIEVAL DRAMA LINKS - Page 3 MEDIEVAL COSTUMES a. General b. Women c. Men        d. Armour

MEDIEVAL COSTUMES

a. General

Extant Clothing of the Middle Ages
     A first-class study, with photos, of costumes, material and trinkets that have survived from the middle ages - assembled by Cynthia du Pré Argent.

French Medieval Costumes
A useful collection of enlargeable thumbnail illustrations of costumes (with a brief text in French). Separate pages deal with: a. Women's Hairstyles (Les coiffures féminines); b. Men's Hairstyles (Les coiffures masculines); and c. Accessories (Les accessoires).
 

Medieval Costumes and Clothing
     A basic but reliable illustrated introduction to men and women's clothing - a part of a series covering many periods.

The History of Costume

    Some 500 plates illustrating costume from antiquity till the middle of the nineteenth century, first published in Munich between 1861 and 1880. The site was created by L. Otis Sweezey.


 

Footwear of the Middle Ages (with special emphasis on Britain and Denmark)

     A detailed and comprehensive account compiled by I. Marc Carlson.



 

b. Women

Cloaks and Other Garments
     A series of very useful illustrated instructions (by I. Marc Carlson) to make:

• Mantle of St Birgitta  (c1330s)
• Mantle of St Brigit  (Before 1347)
• St. Birgitta's Hairshirt  (c1330s)

Fifteenth Century Female Flemish Dress: A Portfolio of Images

An excellent collection of images of women from paintings from the 15th century by artists working primarily in the north-western part of Europe.

From Gunnas to Houppelands - Medieval English Dresses
     A simple introduction, with bibliography, to the changes that took place in the style of women's dresses from 460-1460, written by Affreca McNaven.

Medieval Scottish Women's Clothing and Medieval Scottish Men's Clothing  
     Sharon M. Krossa has written two excellent introductory articles, that contain brief bibliographies and form part of a collection of her articles on Medieval Scotland. Also included is Leine Pattern, a simple description - amusingly written - of how to make a leine, a type of smock common in sixteenth-century Ireland and possibly Highland Scotland.
 

c. Men

Chaperons and How to Make Them 

A useful account of the simple medieval hood
that, over time, became an all-purpose hood.

Making Simple Medieval Pants for Men 
     Easy-to-understand instructions with a pattern written by a medieval re-enactor who glories in the name of 'Duchess Leah Kasmira of Natterhelm'.

Basic T-Tunic
     Another useful article written by 'Duchess Leah Kasmira of Natterhelm'.

Cloaks and Other Garments   
     A series of very useful illustrated instructions (by I. Marc Carlson) of how to make:

• Bocksten Bog Man's Cloak (Middle 14th Century)
• Reconstructed Sknurmantel (Late 12th-13th Centuries)
• Skjoldehamn Trousers (Middle 14th Century)

Men's Hats
     More very useful illustrated instructions (by I. Marc Carlson) of how to make:

d. Armour
 

Arms and Armour - Glossary of Terms
     A comprehensive and most useful glossary. There is also a modern English version of 'How a man shall be armed for his ease when he shall fight on foot', a document originally written c.1450.)

Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournament - Glossary of Terms
     A useful and easily understood glossary, arranged in alphabetical order (with a separate page for each letter - apart from 'X') with numerous cross-references.