Fashion in the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages, also known as the Medieval period, are dated by some scholars from the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This was from the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period - in the 16th century. There were many marked changes in this period and one can also notice variations in the dates of the particular periods, which has happened largely due to different scholars. The medieval period or the Middle Ages is divided into three periods - The Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages.

Fashion in the Middle Ages was not about the wide variety of choice that we have today. Clothing during the medieval period was also restricted to the social status one belonged to. The elite class had a different style of dressing as compared to the peasant folk. Here’s a look at the various kinds of fashion in the Middle Ages.

Fashion in the Middle Ages:
Fashion in the Middle Ages was dominated by the kind of status one belonged to. The wealthy were seen in highly fashionable attire. The Kings and Queens in the period were seen adorned in silks and luxurious fabrics. The interesting fact about fashion in the Middle Ages remains to be the Sumptuary Laws that were passed during this period. Kings and Queens were known to adorn brightly colored silks. Special tailors created clothing in the medieval period for the royal Kings and Queens. With the Sumptuary Laws being enforced, people who violated the same faced severe penalty. The Sumptuary Laws enforced rules such as the wealthy class of the society would be the only ones seen wearing fashionable clothing. A violation of the same would result in loss of property or heavy fines as well!

Fashion in the Middle Ages for the common folks was all about loose linen or wool. Men were generally seen in tunics, which went all the way, down to their knees. Tunics that were really long were seen for special events or functions. Such tunics were also combined with long pants beneath. These pants were generally made of wool. For the cold winters, one often saw the use of cloaks.

The fashion in the Middle Ages for women was obviously dictated by their social status. Apart from long tunics, women also wore under-tunics made of wool and teamed it with a cloak if they stepped out of the house. These tunics were available in a wide range of colors and sometimes women also adorned fancy hats to make a fashion statement.

There were certain garments that were considered to be a status symbol for women who belonged to the upper classes. Brighter colors, rich materials, long jackets, elaborate garments, tunics worn with surcoats etc, were all a part of fashion in the Middle Ages. Women also preferred to wear gowns and used an array of headdresses to make a mark. Leggings and hose were also found in use during this period, but it was not considered to be a mark of the wealthy people. The rich classes were also known to import clothing from other countries such as silk cloth, bleached linen and dyed or patterned prints. On the other hand, people who belonged to the lower segment of the society often wore homespun wool and used colorful borders, which were woven into the fabric in the loom.

During the Middle Ages, people also wore togas and trousers apart from tunics. Wide gowns often had embroidered edges to add a touch of design to the entire ensemble. Women’s gown often had long sleeves and trailing. Amongst the headdress worn by women, a high double horn headdress was considered a symbol of pride. Laced sandals and pointed shoes formed part of the footwear.

During the early period of the Middle Ages, women’s dresses were high which covered their neck and such dresses often consisted of two tunics along with a veil that was worn over the head. Sleeves for the dresses were often long and pleated, sometimes with decorative ornamented bands. These bands were also used on the lower portions of the dress as well. Women soon began wearing surcoats, which were also worn by males later on. Surcoats were large coats wrapped around the upper portion of the robe.

A great amount of extravagance could be seen in the fashion of the Middle Ages when gold, silver and other precious stones were used on the clothing. Dresses in that case were seen richly embroidered or decorated. During the later period, the external corset also came into use. This was worn with a display of lace work and was crafted in silk for the summers and fur for the winters.

During the later period of the Middle Ages, the long trails that were worn earlier shortened to a great extent. High conical bonnets were also added to the dresses. Ruffs and small collars were introduced later on. The dresses had relatively lower necklines, which enabled women to wear necklaces as well.

Thus we see, how fashion in the Middle Ages was dictated by social status and various other factors associated with the people during this period.

Hair Fashions for Older Women

Hairstyles for older women are aimed at making the hair look voluminous. As your age advances, your hair loses volume and they look very thin. The hair fashion for older women must be such, that it increases the volume of your hair. The other issue with the fashion hair styles for older women is, to make the face look younger. For meeting both these needs, many women choose a shorter haircut. Short haircuts are easy to maintain and give the face a younger look. The volume is added to hair with appropriate layering haircut. Let us discuss some of the hair fashions for older women in detail.

Hair Fashions for Older Women - Haircuts and Hairstyles

• If your hair is thinning with age, you can go with the shorter hairstyles. A bob haircut looks cool on women with straight hair. You must avoid having a bob haircut which is below your shoulders. This may add a older look to your face. With the bob hairstyle, you can have subtle highlights or even natural gray highlights of hair will look good with bob haircut.
• However, if your hair are still thick and healthy, plain long hair makes your face look very old and tired. Instead, try out some wispy layers with the first layer along your cheeks. You can add some medium sized bangs and then a gradual layered haircut.
• Haircuts with wispy bangs can help conceal the wrinkles on the forehead. Therefore, go for some light bangs. However, avoid very short bangs as they might look childish and spoil the whole look. In addition, the short and medium bangs give some volume to your hair.
• The hair length is of great importance in hair fashions for older women. Short or medium hair length is suitable and makes the face look younger. Long thin hair are just too annoying and drags down your face.
• After length comes the style of haircut, that is, straight or layered. The answer is obvious, layered. Layered hair add volume, while the straight long hair adds age to your face.
• When it comes to hair color, one must apply subtle streaks. Proper hair care products must be used for hair and care must be taken that the hair color must not turn brassy. Older and matured women must stay away from too much hair coloring. This may damage the hair, as they are already thin.

There is another reason that older women prefer shorter hair. This is because, short hair needs low maintenance and are easy to style. Also, take the suggestion of a stylist about which type of bangs will suit your face cut and hair texture. Accordingly, go for those bangs and look younger. Your hair parting plays an important role in your hair fashion. Try out partitioning your hair off-center. For long hair, the choppy look with varied layers looks good, but you have to make sure whether your hair texture is suitable for this hairstyle.

Hair Fashions for Older Women - Hair Colors

Middle aged women need to freshen up their look with a suitable hair color. Besides, this hair color must complement the hairstyle and skin tone. Older women can add simple highlights to their hair or simply color their entire hair. The hair color must be of the shade which is two shades lighter than the current shade of hair. When you just want to cover the gray hair, you can do this using one shade lighter, than the current shade of your hair. Hair coloring is a fab way to style your hair, however, choose hair color suitable to your skin tone, age and hairstyle.

This was all about hair fashion for older women. Keeping hair natural and styles subtle, is the key to look great even when you are old.