so your household planned a 13 century event and you have no idea what to wear

th

by Sophie Has this ever happened to you? You think youre going to go to a weekend of booze and hitting people and suddenly you are aware that its not a household gather and in fact, that it has a period theme oh, my! As a member of such a household, it is only helpful to the event as a whole, to make a reasonable attempt to dress period. I doubt you would be strung up for not being period-accurate were not the garb-nazis, after all but it would be nice. So lets just say, for arguments sake, that this event is based in the 13th century, and see what you might be able to wear: Clothing between 1200 and 1300 can be generally characterized by loose-fitting garments, similar to t-tunics, with tight sleeves. Its really, that easy! But here are some more specifics. Lords (or male mercenary scum):

1. 4.

2.

3.

Oh, look at all those lovely pictures! But heres the breakdown of garments: (1) Braies skivvies, draws, loosy whities (well, theyre not tight!), whatever you want to call em, these are it. These would be a longer-leg version. (pic #11, partial images #1,2,12) Think of these as the predecessor to the boxers, but also as the around the house shorts as in #11. (2)Shirt this was a basic t-tunic shirt, white, worn under everything to keep your nice tunic clean(er). (3) Chausses these are an all-purpose garment for socks/leggings/pants, and they are hooked up to the waist belt that also holds your Braise up. **Cheat note! Get the look under your tunic without doing all that last-minute work: Head to your local Wallyworld (or wherever) and pick up a pair of womens leggings in whatever color, and be sure to get a size up at least, you dont need them to be skin-tight. Then youre legs will at least LOOK covered and we can stow the PJ pants until another event.

5. 7. 8.

6.

(4) Cotes Think of your basic t-tunic. Now put a seam for an armhole and set-in sleeve like a regular shirt, and taper the sleeve as you get closer to the wrist. Be sure that the opening of the wrist is no tighter than the circumference around your closed fist you want to be able to put it on, after all! Now the length for men can range from just above the ankle, all the way up to just above the knee its all up to you. They can also have a slit from waist to hem in the front. And yes, there are photos of the above-the-knee length worn without Chausses but I dont personally recommend it, especially if youve not worn this kind of garment before, so that youre not looking like this guy:

9.

10.

11.

(5) Variations on the tunic: As you can see in some of these images, there is an option to have a tunic with a slit up the front (see above tah-dah!, and also pics #2 and #4 where these edges are clearly tucked up out of the way into the belt). You can also do parti-colored (pics #4, 8): a different color on each side of the tunic perhaps, I dont know, blue and gold?! This is especially good for when you dont really have enough fabric for a whole tunic in any one color but maybe you have 2 colors. And remember period color matching is not out modern sensibility basically anything goes. (I know these show the hems of the part-colored tunics are dagged, but I think this is more because they are performers). (6) Cyclas/Sleevelss Cote - These are seen both on fighters over their armor, and over a regular Cote as described above. These began as a rectangle with a hole for the head and open sides, and gradually became a garment that was sewn on sides and just missing sleeves to its large armholes. The front may also be slit up to the waist(#6), or fully closed (#10). (7) Accessories okay, weve got hoods (called Chaperon) here, which do not have to match the garment (pic #7), weve got white linen coifs (pics #2,3,5) weve got semi-circular cloaks (called Mantles) and skinny belts too. Theres lots more, but thems the basics.

Ladies, wenches & cabin boys

1. 3.

2.

(1) Cote/Gown Okay. This is so easy. Start w/ your basic t-tunic, but set in the sleeve at the armhole (this really just means to cut the body part straight, and then attach the sleeve at an armhole seam). The dresses are roomy, long as you can stand, and have very full skirts. Just as the mens tunics, the sleeves narrow as you go down the arm but be sure that the very end of your sleeve is wide enough to get your hand through! Measure around your balled fist to be sure that the sleeve opening is no smaller than this. Necklines appear round, or keyhole style (generally held closed with a pin, see #2). These gowns are a predecessor to the next centurys Cotehardie. (2) Surcote/Overdress There are several different styles, but Ill talk about a few right here. You can do a 2nd tunic-style gown as above only a tad bigger (or maybe you can layer the same size, depending on how roomy they are) to layer. Theres also an option (pic 6) that has larger loose belled sleeves to be worn over your tunic style gown.

4. 6.

5.

(3) Open-Sleeve Gown - There is also another kind of gown that has removable sleeves (see pic 4) in which the gown is made the same as the tunic, only there are a few inches left un-sewn below the armhole, and the sleeve is not fully sewn into the garment, it is only attached at the top and sides. This allows a large enough hole for working women to slide their arms out of the dress and tie them behind their backs so as not to get them dirty how clever we women are! I have only seen pics of this worn over a white underdress/chemise. (4) Sideless Surcote/Sleeveless Dress (see #7,8,9) This garment starts at the beginning of the century as a lose-fitting dress without sleeves and just big armholes (perhaps 5 inches below the armpit). However, by the end of the century they can be open all the way to the hip, and may be either completely open, or laced back up to under the arm, or somewhere in between there are as many variations as you can think of, though they are generally floor-length. The sideless gown continues throughout the next century, but it is important to note that those worn in this period are cut wider and fuller, and not the skinny-front kind you see in later period. (4) Accessories- Weve got veils (#3), weve got a couple little hats (#4, 5, 7) and weve got loose hair (for those unmarried girls & hussies!) and circlets (#2). Other headgear not shown here are snoods, barbettes, gorgets, fillets and wimples. Some neck jewelry is visible to close keyhole necklines (#1,2,4,5), necklaces (#2, 5), skinny belts which have ends to hang down, and dangling pouches (#5). We also have halfcircle cloaks that are clearly lined (#5). And dont forget your shoes, even if they arent visible.

7. 9. Conclusion

8.

Okay, this is not a comprehensive report by ANY means, but this should give you an idea of the types of garments appropriate for this period, and provide you with an idea of what you can pull out of your own garb, borrow, or whip up for your next 13th century event. ~Sophie More research on this, and other SCA period costuming available at http://www.SophieStitches.blogspot.com. Mens images 1-9 from Maciejowski Bible, image 10 from Womens images 1-5 from Maciejowski Bible, image 7 from the Sketchbook of Villard dde Honnecourt, images 8&9from the Luttrell Psalter.