Index of clothing styles

A list of commonly referred to and controversial clothing styles in the SCA

Some of these are misnomers, unrepresentative of the breadth of clothing of the medieval period, or are often poorly reproduced. However, they are the style names current in Lochac, and a beginner costumer will often encounter them. A good glossary of such terms (in their many uses) can be found at the following external link: Marc Carlson's "Some Clothing of the Middle ages; Glossary"

• generic early period t-tunic
• "10 gore dress" - a 14th century style worn by Vikings in Greenland. It adds side gores and more advanced sleeve caps (early set in sleeves) on a basic T-tunic to give more shaping to a gown.
• viking clothing - most often used to refer to early period Scandinavians, i.e. men in t-tunics and leg wraps, and women in the controversial to reconstruct "apron dresses"
• Burgundian clothing
• Norman bliaut
• Italian Renaissance - actually refers to a variety of substyles, all of which have in common
  • For women- a dress with a seam at the waist, pleated on skirts below and a corseted bodice above.
  • For men- doublets worn above tights is mostly the fashion (although longer robes also exist). See Florentine, Venetian, Flemish clothing.
• Elizabethan clothing
• The great-kilt - read carefully, there are many misconceptions about this article of clothing, which is a belted cloak worn in late medieval Scotland, not the modern pleated skirt.
• Cotehardie
• Houpelande

Medieval clothing styles by time period:

• pre-600
  • Roman clothing
• 600-800 (note: not sure on where to put time boundaries here)
  • Viking
  • Frankish
• 800-1100
  • Byzantine
• 1100-1200
  • bliaut in England, France, variations from Germanic region through the Alps to Italy, and some features copied further afield eg Christian Spain
  • T-tunic in nearly all of Europe
  • Byzantine
• 1200-1300
  • Spain-side laced dresses
• 1300-1400
  • armless/shoulderless surcoat c1310 Germany
  • Cotehardie
  • Houpelande England, France, Italy, northern Europe c1360-1450
• 1400-1500
  • Burgundian
  • Cotehardie
  • Houpelande England, France, Italy, northern Europe c1360-1450
  • Italian early Renaissance styles
• 1500-1600
  • Tudor clothing
  • Elizabethan clothing
  • Renaissance Florentine,
  • Renaissance Venetian
  • Renaissance Flemish
  • German Renaissance (landsknecht)

Medieval Clothing styles by Region:

• Russia
• Scandinavia
• Germanic region
  • t-tunic
  • bliaut c1130-1200. Local variation - trim in bands on biceps,
  • armless/shoulderless surcoat c1310 Germany
  • Houpelande northern Europe c1360-1450
• Ireland
  • leine and brat - Kings pre 1000
  • t-tunic
  • coathardies egmoy bog gown women's garments worn c1400-1800
  • shinrone gown 16th or 17th Century Irish woman's dress
• Scotland
  • t-tunic
  • the great-kilt - read carefully, there are many misconceptions about this article of clothing
• England
  • Bliaut men & women, 1050-1200
  • Houpelande men & women c1360-1450
  • Tudor clothing 1485-1558
  • Elizabethan clothing 1558-1603
• France and region
  • Frankish
  • Bliaut men, & women 1100-1200
  • Houpelande men & women c1360-1450
  • Burgundian clothing 14?? - ?
• Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland, Checkosolvakia)
• Italian city states
  • t-tunic
  • Italian variations on the ladies' bliaut c1130-1200
  • Houpelande men & women c1360-1450
  • early Renaissance (1400-?)
  • Renaissance Flemish
  • Renaissance Venetian
  • Renaissance Florentine
• Roman Empire
  • Roman clothing
• Byzantium and "near East"
• Turkish clothing
  • Turkish coat for Venice
• Northern Africa (Including Egypt)
• Spain (Islamic and Christian)
  • t-tunic
  • t-tunic styles with sleeves similar to those on the bliaut c1100-1200
  • women's side laced surcoat c1190-?
  • Islamic clothing - http://witch.drak.net/lilinah/MaghribiWomensCostume.html
• The region including Afghanistan....
• Indian
  • sari
• Mongol clothing
• Chinese
• Other Asian
• Japanese

Clothing styles by profession or cultural group

(i.e. styles that will be distinct from the normal clothing styles of the time):

• musicians,jongleurs and entertainers
• prostitutes
• clergy includes priests, monks, nuns
• romany and other travelling groups
• mariners (sailors)
• military clothing
• travelling traders - was special clothing worn, or clothing from home, local clothing or a mixture of both?
• clothing of the jews

Clothing for special purposes

• special clothing for fighters
• special clothing for horseriding
• changes to crusader dress for the heat of the east (were there any?)
• clothing adjustments for working in a hot place (eg a kitchen)
• clothing adjustments for working in the fields (taking off layers, add a straw hat, etc)
• nightgowns (mostly just undergarments we think - evidence?)
• clothing for attending religious services (add a hat or veil? rosary?, what for which religion, etc)
• clothing for weddings - (I believe nothing more special than your best clothes or a new best set for the rich, but an article with evidence from various periods is needed)
• Clothing for maternity and breastfeeding

This page is a work in progress, and also an overview the scope of which is beyond any average person. Details will be wrong - fix them. Go on, you know you're just itching to fill in the gaps.