What Were Medieval Clothes Made From?
Linen:
Linen was used for the undergarments, the coif, and in some cases, hose. It is a breathable, easily worked and relatively cheap fabric. You will be able to find it in most fabric stores in white, natural, blue, red, yellow, green, and other colors. It will work perfectly in a white, sand, natural, or similar muted tone for your under linen shirt, braies, and coif.
Although wool is the best suited fabric for hose, linen will serve well for split hose and will drape properly on the body. Typically, women’s hose were only worn calf length and linen hose will be perfectly usable for that. Men’s hose will likely be a little bit too loose because linen doesn’t stretch as much as wool. However, linen will still look good and might be a more practical option. Personally, I made my hose out of a dark blue linen and I have been very happy with how they turned out.
Another use for linen would be to line a more expensive garment like the surcoat. This serves at least two purposes, first, it will protect the more expensive wool from body soil and sweat. Second, if done in a contrasting or complimentary color, it will add an eye-catching pop and nice finishing touch to the garment. Even if you don’t fully line a garment, it might be worth considering doing a lining around the collar, sleeves and hem of the garment to give the appearance of being lined.
Wool:
When we think of wool today, we often think of thick, scratchy, and hot fabric. While this can be true, a quality medium or light weight wool will not have any of these problems and will drape beautifully in a longer garment like a cote, surcote, robe, cowled hood, or cape. Wool comes in various weights and unless you are trying to make a garment meant for warmth, you will want a medium or lightweight wool. When looking for lighter weight wools, ensure that the fabric is opaque rather than sheer or semi-sheer.
Wool is an underappreciated fabric today because we think of it only in terms of providing warmth, but it has many other beneficial features. One is that it is very moisture resistant. This has multiple benefits. First, when it rains, you will not immediately get soaking wet because water will bead up on your garment and absorb a fair amount of water before you get wet and uncomfortable. Second, in warmer weather, wearing wool will actually have a cooling effect because it will wick away your sweat and allow your body to cool itself off.
Some of the terms surrounding wool fabric can be confusing here are explanation for some basic types of wool and the terms associated with wool:
Linen was used for the undergarments, the coif, and in some cases, hose. It is a breathable, easily worked and relatively cheap fabric. You will be able to find it in most fabric stores in white, natural, blue, red, yellow, green, and other colors. It will work perfectly in a white, sand, natural, or similar muted tone for your under linen shirt, braies, and coif.
Although wool is the best suited fabric for hose, linen will serve well for split hose and will drape properly on the body. Typically, women’s hose were only worn calf length and linen hose will be perfectly usable for that. Men’s hose will likely be a little bit too loose because linen doesn’t stretch as much as wool. However, linen will still look good and might be a more practical option. Personally, I made my hose out of a dark blue linen and I have been very happy with how they turned out.
Another use for linen would be to line a more expensive garment like the surcoat. This serves at least two purposes, first, it will protect the more expensive wool from body soil and sweat. Second, if done in a contrasting or complimentary color, it will add an eye-catching pop and nice finishing touch to the garment. Even if you don’t fully line a garment, it might be worth considering doing a lining around the collar, sleeves and hem of the garment to give the appearance of being lined.
Wool:
When we think of wool today, we often think of thick, scratchy, and hot fabric. While this can be true, a quality medium or light weight wool will not have any of these problems and will drape beautifully in a longer garment like a cote, surcote, robe, cowled hood, or cape. Wool comes in various weights and unless you are trying to make a garment meant for warmth, you will want a medium or lightweight wool. When looking for lighter weight wools, ensure that the fabric is opaque rather than sheer or semi-sheer.
Wool is an underappreciated fabric today because we think of it only in terms of providing warmth, but it has many other beneficial features. One is that it is very moisture resistant. This has multiple benefits. First, when it rains, you will not immediately get soaking wet because water will bead up on your garment and absorb a fair amount of water before you get wet and uncomfortable. Second, in warmer weather, wearing wool will actually have a cooling effect because it will wick away your sweat and allow your body to cool itself off.
Some of the terms surrounding wool fabric can be confusing here are explanation for some basic types of wool and the terms associated with wool:
Woolen: woolen is a term used to refer the fibers of the yarn. Woolen fabric has fibers overlapping and going in many directions. It will have an apparent weave to it.
Worsted: worsted wool is usually lightweight and can be woven in different weaves. It is ideal for a quality summer cote or surcote. It is distinct from woolen fabric because the yarn is combed to run in the same direction and spun parallel to each other. This therefore gives it a less “fuzzy” appearance than woolen fabric in most cases.
Broadcloth/Melton: These do not have a visible wave structure to them. They will appear felted and can be very smooth depending on quality. They range from medium to heavy weight and will give a garment a rich, heavy drape that will exude quality. The extra weight will obviously provide extra warmth and these types of fabrics will be good three season fabrics and will make excellent cloaks and hoods.
Tweed: tweed refers to a wool fabric using a type of weave called twill. Twill weaves can be used in any number of fabrics but when it is used in wool, it is called a tweed. Tweeds are a very durable weave and are often lighter weight. This makes them excellent choices for summer cotes and surcotes.
Knit: commercial knitted fabrics will not be suitable to make up a cote or surcote. I would avoid them.
Flannel: wool flannel is a lighter eight of broadcloth style wool. It has no visible weave and appears felted. Unlike cotton flannels, wool flannels will not fray along the cuts and make a good choice for hoods, cloaks, and medium weight garments.
Worsted: worsted wool is usually lightweight and can be woven in different weaves. It is ideal for a quality summer cote or surcote. It is distinct from woolen fabric because the yarn is combed to run in the same direction and spun parallel to each other. This therefore gives it a less “fuzzy” appearance than woolen fabric in most cases.
Broadcloth/Melton: These do not have a visible wave structure to them. They will appear felted and can be very smooth depending on quality. They range from medium to heavy weight and will give a garment a rich, heavy drape that will exude quality. The extra weight will obviously provide extra warmth and these types of fabrics will be good three season fabrics and will make excellent cloaks and hoods.
Tweed: tweed refers to a wool fabric using a type of weave called twill. Twill weaves can be used in any number of fabrics but when it is used in wool, it is called a tweed. Tweeds are a very durable weave and are often lighter weight. This makes them excellent choices for summer cotes and surcotes.
Knit: commercial knitted fabrics will not be suitable to make up a cote or surcote. I would avoid them.
Flannel: wool flannel is a lighter eight of broadcloth style wool. It has no visible weave and appears felted. Unlike cotton flannels, wool flannels will not fray along the cuts and make a good choice for hoods, cloaks, and medium weight garments.
Hemp:
Hemp, like linen, was widely used with one of the most typical applications being canvas fabric. Although it is harder to find today, it was quite prevalent in the medieval period.
Silk:
Even today silk is an expensive fabric. If you are willing to spend the money on silk fabric, be sure that you are not cutting any corners on any part of your garment because only the ultra-wealthy would wear silk. Even then, silk was found more widely in Italy and southern Europe, this is largely because of the silk road trade that the Italians had established in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Cotton:
Cotton was rarely if ever used. This is problematic for the reenactor because cotton is far and away the most accessible fabric available. Most of the good colors, patterns, and let’s face it, good deals, are found in cotton. The question of how authentic you want to be in your garb largely rests on whether you will wear cotton cloth or not.
That being said, because cotton comes in so many different styles and weaves, you can find quality cotton that will approximate many types of fabric in their weight, drape, and appearance. In some instances, a practical choice might be to use cotton instead because the color, weight, or style of fabric you want in a period accurate fabric is simply not available.
Hemp, like linen, was widely used with one of the most typical applications being canvas fabric. Although it is harder to find today, it was quite prevalent in the medieval period.
Silk:
Even today silk is an expensive fabric. If you are willing to spend the money on silk fabric, be sure that you are not cutting any corners on any part of your garment because only the ultra-wealthy would wear silk. Even then, silk was found more widely in Italy and southern Europe, this is largely because of the silk road trade that the Italians had established in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Cotton:
Cotton was rarely if ever used. This is problematic for the reenactor because cotton is far and away the most accessible fabric available. Most of the good colors, patterns, and let’s face it, good deals, are found in cotton. The question of how authentic you want to be in your garb largely rests on whether you will wear cotton cloth or not.
That being said, because cotton comes in so many different styles and weaves, you can find quality cotton that will approximate many types of fabric in their weight, drape, and appearance. In some instances, a practical choice might be to use cotton instead because the color, weight, or style of fabric you want in a period accurate fabric is simply not available.
Practical considerations:
As a practical matter, I would recommend that you avoid most synthetic fabrics. These will be glaringly out of place and will look inaccurate from a distance, will feel “wrong” and will drape incorrectly.
If you are trying to approximate the look of silk without the cost, my opinion is that synthetic silks will simply make your garment look like you cheaped out rather than make you look like the kingly reenactor you were hoping to be. Rather than use synthetic silk, you would be better served by using a heavyweight linen or quality wool fabric even if the outcome is a plainer garment. Nevertheless, there are many fine, synthetic silk alternatives that are designed to approximate the look and feel of real silk. These may be suitable choices, but will depend entirely on the individual fabric and color.
That being said, if you buy a wool fabric with 10% viscose or 20% rayon, I would not rule it out entirely. The fabric will still have the look and feel of 100% wool and in the same vein as the above point, if you find the perfect pattern or color at a good price, it makes sense to be practical and get a better all around fabric than a more expensive, less ideal color all wool fabric. Just be mindful of this because of it may affect the wear or care of the garment.
Fabric Colors and patterns:
Brocade fabric: This is a fabric with an elaborate raised design, usually in a gold or silver thread. Brocade fabrics were typically made from silk and would feature intricate designs and would be worn by only the wealthiest people. Today, if you are looking for a good approximation of brocade style fabric you will probably only find things like sheets and curtains and home ware fabrics.
Vertical stripes: the mid-13th century saw a marked increase in the use of vertical stripes in the fabric. Sometimes the fabric would have a vertical striped pattern. In other cases a garment like a robe or surcote was split vertically down the middle with each half having a different color. In this case, the garment was not woven to have two colors but was two separate fabrics sewn together. If the vertical striping is more regular, it would have been a woven pattern. In the case of vertical stripes, those seen in period artwork tend to be thicker. You don’t see pinstripes or even stripes as thin as those seen on a referee’s shirt. Instead you tend to see thicker, regular, and evenly spaced striping.
Horizontal stripes: this is seen less in the medieval period but is not unheard of. Usually, instead of a regular horizontal strip, the fabric might have two or three horizontal stripes run across the whole garment.
Chevron: this pattern would be woven into the fabric in a zigzag striped layout. This was a very popular medieval pattern. Many modern fabrics with a chevron pattern will have too small of a pattern to be usable. Patterns depicted in the artwork typically show large chevron patterns.
As a practical matter, I would recommend that you avoid most synthetic fabrics. These will be glaringly out of place and will look inaccurate from a distance, will feel “wrong” and will drape incorrectly.
If you are trying to approximate the look of silk without the cost, my opinion is that synthetic silks will simply make your garment look like you cheaped out rather than make you look like the kingly reenactor you were hoping to be. Rather than use synthetic silk, you would be better served by using a heavyweight linen or quality wool fabric even if the outcome is a plainer garment. Nevertheless, there are many fine, synthetic silk alternatives that are designed to approximate the look and feel of real silk. These may be suitable choices, but will depend entirely on the individual fabric and color.
That being said, if you buy a wool fabric with 10% viscose or 20% rayon, I would not rule it out entirely. The fabric will still have the look and feel of 100% wool and in the same vein as the above point, if you find the perfect pattern or color at a good price, it makes sense to be practical and get a better all around fabric than a more expensive, less ideal color all wool fabric. Just be mindful of this because of it may affect the wear or care of the garment.
Fabric Colors and patterns:
Brocade fabric: This is a fabric with an elaborate raised design, usually in a gold or silver thread. Brocade fabrics were typically made from silk and would feature intricate designs and would be worn by only the wealthiest people. Today, if you are looking for a good approximation of brocade style fabric you will probably only find things like sheets and curtains and home ware fabrics.
Vertical stripes: the mid-13th century saw a marked increase in the use of vertical stripes in the fabric. Sometimes the fabric would have a vertical striped pattern. In other cases a garment like a robe or surcote was split vertically down the middle with each half having a different color. In this case, the garment was not woven to have two colors but was two separate fabrics sewn together. If the vertical striping is more regular, it would have been a woven pattern. In the case of vertical stripes, those seen in period artwork tend to be thicker. You don’t see pinstripes or even stripes as thin as those seen on a referee’s shirt. Instead you tend to see thicker, regular, and evenly spaced striping.
Horizontal stripes: this is seen less in the medieval period but is not unheard of. Usually, instead of a regular horizontal strip, the fabric might have two or three horizontal stripes run across the whole garment.
Chevron: this pattern would be woven into the fabric in a zigzag striped layout. This was a very popular medieval pattern. Many modern fabrics with a chevron pattern will have too small of a pattern to be usable. Patterns depicted in the artwork typically show large chevron patterns.