More on women's costume

The very early medieval woman's dress was often called a cote (cotte), gown or tunic. Such loose simple draped material was the everyday wear of both sexes. Somewhat later in the era the gown was called a kirtle, at least in England, usually referring to a garment that laced or buttoned down the front. The basic shape of the early medieval dress has a couple distinguishing features. It is quite long, in a basic A line- that is, narrower at the top and wider at the hem. The neckline is quite high, and is sometimes cut with a small vertical slit at the neck to slip it over the head more easily. This is usually closed with a brooch. The body can be shaped a little by taking the waist in a little but this style of dress was never fitted through the bust and torso. A belt or girdle allowed the wearer to hitch up the garment and drape it over the waistline. Distinctions in class were made by the quality of fabric used and the richness of the dyes used. Some artworks show bands at the neck and wrist which might be embroidered directly into the gown, but were more likely embroidered onto a separate piece of cloth and stitched on. This made it easier to embroider, and made it possible to remove the embroidery and reuse it elsewhere. The shoulders do not have a sleeve hole cut in or set in at the usual armhole. Sleeves are added at the edge of the rectangular body of the tunic, giving a slight batwing shape to the underarms. This gives the dress a basic T-shape, derived from a loose-fitting garment called a cyclas. The sleeves were tapered at the lower arm and tight at the wrist sometimes extending down over the knuckles. It was very common for this style of cote to be worn both as an undergown or chemise. The undergarment was of linen or silk fabric and often contrasted in color with the outer garment. Linen was relatively easy to clean. It protected the outer garment from body oils and sweat. The whole costume was then covered with a surcote (surcotte, tabard), a sleeveless gown with a looser fit. It may have a regular neckline, be slightly gathered onto a decorative band or have a loose V shaped neckline and three-quarter sleeve. If sleeveless, the sleeves are usually high cut just under the armpits. A working class woman would wear a surcote or an apron to protect her clothes underneath from excessive wear and dirt.An upper class woman might wear a sleevess or short-sleeve surcote for warmth or when travelling. Many illuminations and paintings clearly show linings in contrasting colours. In a few paintings of working women, the garments do not appear to be lined. This type of gown is often shown with side seams which were laced to allow for an expanding waistline during pregnancy or weight gain. Sideless surcotes were designed to show off the gown underneath and were quite different than the utilitarian surcote. They were often quite plain, little or no embroidery. Some styles featured string ties at the sides rather than a seam. Women also wore hose or stockings similar to those we desribed for men in an earlier post.