Role of Clothing in The Roman Empire Research Paper

"Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life," said Bill Cunningham. Between the collapse of the western section of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE to around 1340, Europeans' clothing was sluggish to change and mostly consistent throughout a large region (Laver & Simmons, 1998). Fashion was a major component in determining a person's status during the Middle Ages. Luxurious clothing denoted riches, whilst rags and basic attire denoted poverty. During the Middle Ages, feudalism divided individuals into classes ranging from peasants to kings and queens. The dress of peasants was very different from that of royalty, and the royalty did not want anything to do with peasants. Clothing revealed a person's social position, where they lived, what they did, and how much respect they were accorded in Medieval culture (The importance of clothing in the Middle Ages, 2016). 

Woolen clothing with linen undergarments was the norm in the Middle Ages. Colors that were more vibrant, higher-quality materials, and a longer jacket length were all signs of wealth. The nobility and wealthy merchants wore elaborate clothing that changed with the seasons. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, upper-class men wore hose and a jacket, often with pleating or skirting, or a tunic with a surcoat (Fashion in the Middle Ages, 2016). Peasant ladies wore long dresses with sleeveless tunics and wimples to cover their hair, while peasant men wore stockings or tunics. To keep warm and dry in the winter, sheepskin cloaks, woolen hats, and mittens were used. Leather boots were covered with wooden patens to keep the feet dry (Clothing, 2019). The outerwear was rarely washed, although the linen underwear was washed frequently. The odor of wood smoke, which saturated the garment, served as a deodorant. 

The majority of the holy orders wore long woolen robes similar to Roman attire. The color of the garment can be used to identify the order: Benedictines wore black, whereas Cistercians wore white or undyed wool. According to St. Benedict, monks should dress simply but comfortably, with linen coifs to keep their heads warm. The Poor Clare Sisters, a Franciscan nun society, had to petition the Pope to wear woolen socks.

The armored garments worn by knights gave both comfort and safety. The armor of a medieval knight included a sophisticated set of clothing, chain mail, and iron plate. The portions of a knight's suit of armor covered the most vulnerable parts of his body. Knights wore a linen undershirt and linen underwear under their armor, with woolen stockings protecting their legs. A knight's underpants were crucially significant. It protected the knight's flesh from the chafing of his armor. Craftspeople wore belts with huge squares and tool bags hung on them. When working, craftsmen wore simple skull coifs to keep their hair off of their faces. When men began to wear hoses with short jackets that stopped just below the waist, their clothes changed the most. Boys wore woolen tunics and stockings, as well as leather belts and boots, to emulate their fathers. Clothing for children was not developed exclusively for them in the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, both children and men faced many challenges.

Clothing production in the Middle Ages was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Sheep's wool was routinely shorn and then put through a torturous cleaning process to create soft, clean clothes. To eliminate any remaining oils, the wool was soaked in urine after it was shorn. Before being woven into a garment, the wool is spun into a thread. The dyes come from colorful flower petals that were mashed into a pigmented paste in the medieval periods due to the forest environment in which settlements were located (Clothing in the Medieval Society, 2020). Slaves and peasants would be the ones who made all of the clothing for the wealthy, particularly for women rather than males in this case. Women and men wore thicker, heavier garments in medieval times than they do today, which took a lot more time and work to weave because the clothing with strands had to withstand the harsh conditions they would be subjected to.

In Medieval Europe, accessories such as fur, jewels, and even facial hair were worn. Fur was commonly worn by the more privileged. The majority of the jewelry was imported and used as collateral for loans. Because gem cutting did not become popular until the 15th century, most of the stones were dull. In the 12th century, diamonds were popular in Europe. Silver was occasionally added to clothing, but only the wealthy could afford it (Clothing, 2019).  The beard, which was worn in its whole at the start of the twelfth century, was altered in both shape and length. It was cut in a point initially, and only covered the tip of the chin. The next craze, however, was to wear it to match the moustache. Moustaches went out of fashion in general.

Medieval fashion was largely influenced by and controlled by the Kings and Queens of the Middle Ages. Only the wealthy could afford to dress in fashionable clothing. Under King Edward III's Sumptuary Laws, only royalty might wear gold and purple silk cloth. The primary goal of this legislation was to maintain social order, but this proved to be a far more difficult task than just separating the privileged from the rest of society. Ordinary people's spending, including garment purchases, was restricted by these rules, which had an impact on Medieval fashion. Expensive veils were made illegal for lower-class women. Only the wives and daughters of noblewomen were allowed to wear velvet, satin sable, or ermine, a weasel pelt that was used historically in royal robes in Europe. Medieval fashion changed with each new monarch and queen (Fashion in the Middle Ages, 2016).

Traditional perceptions of medieval cities were that they were filthy, congested, had open sewers, and that people were careless about appearances. Fashion, on the other hand, was highly valued at this time since it determined social status and money. It was also a period of innovation, with new looks and designs including color, fur, and jewelry emerging. To some extent, even the Pope and peasants were fashionable.