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Medieval Tunics
| Posted on 10 September, 2012 at 21:46 |
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Period Pattern No 16 Tunics have
been worn throughout Europe since earliest recorded history. Depending on the
location and which century, the garment had many different names and variations but to keep this
as brief as possible I will refer to them all as ‘Tunics’. The practicality
of this garment, combined with ease of construction and utilisation of precious
fabric or furs, made it extremely popular by the 1st Century A.D. The basic
rectangular shapes were used to create a garment that would range from hip to
ankle length for men and ankle to floor length for women. Tunics were designed
to be pulled on over the head and sleeves were mostly long, both loose and fitted although
some had no sleeves at all. They can be worn loose or belted and men usually
wore short Tunics over breeches. Children were dressed in the same fashion as
adults and there were, usually, only minor variances in the cut of those worn by
the different classes of society. Younger or less distinguished men wore
shorter Tunics than older or higher ranked men, while women who performed
manual labour might wear Tunics shorter than women more wealthy. The main
difference between garments within a particular culture was in the quality of
the fabric and trimmings used in creating the garment. Colours also played a
role in class rank with the poor folk using black, rust, a variation of brown
and certain blues while the wealthy could afford the expensive clothing dyes
such as red and purple. The higher the quality of fur would also set class
distinctions as did the trimmings. Trimmings were anything from the simple use of
another coloured fabric, cord, ribbon, to exquisite embroidery including metallic
threads, jewels and pearls. Trimmings were usually limited to the neckline,
hemline and sleeves and depended on wealth, taste and whichever fashion was
prevailing of the particular period or culture. The
versatility of, combined with the endless variations that can be created from
this Pattern makes the Tunic a definite ‘must have’ in any Medieval Wardrobe,
Male, Female or Child. |