Evolution of Clothing Over Time

Everyone loves talking about clothing and how it has changed over time. In this page you are going to ready about how the clothing that men and women would wear has changed over a period of time, the hygiene has changed, but it might be a lot better than we think it is and also everything has changed from the past years but in the end we still use most of the style that we did back then, now. In the middle ages you can really tell the differences between the rich and the poor people with clothing and hygiene.

People can tell by the way they smell, look, and how they dress themselves for the places that they go. When everyone does most of the reading they do not find much about the poor people, it’s mostly the rich or wealthy people that you read, see pictures of, and hear about.

The peasant clothing is more to how the live and the actions they for their day-to-day life.

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“The men wore stockings and tunics and the women wore long gowns with sleeveless tunics and wimples (things to cover their hair) to cover their hair. Both men and women had sheepskin cloaks and woollen hats and mittens were worn in the winter for protection from the cold and rain. Leather boots where covered with wooden patanes to keep the feet dry. The peasant women spun wool into the threads that were woven into the cloth for these garments.” Medieval people at all levels of society washed daily, enjoyed baths and valued cleanliness and hygiene.

They are less clean than we are but they still washed daily with water and soap.The soap was made out of the manorial workshops, wood ash or potash, and natural soda. The poor people or not as wealthy people, stayed clean and valued cleanliness and they did not like people who were filthy and smelly. Heating up water for a bath was very time consuming, so they did not take baths very often. Regularly washing from a basin, especially the hands before and after eating which was regarded as good etiquette in a period when cutlery was still a rarity for most people.

For the rich people the clothing was different. For the early medieval times, men had a woollen tunic, belted at the waist that has been embroidered around the hem and sleeves over this, he has a woollen cloak, fastened with a brooch. Women had to wear woollen dresses, tied at the waist, over a white linen underskirt. Over that the ladies would wear a woollen cloak, and then a headdress made out of linen and is held in place with a headband. Then, in the late medieval times, men wore a fur-trimmed, velvet, gown, over a black padded long shirt that has gold embroidery around the edges, has black stockings to cover the legs, and also a large hat is a sign of his wealth. Women wore a green woollen dress trimmed with cream coloured fur that is belted very high. Underneath the dress she has another dress made out of blue material. Her headdress is made out of fine expensive linen.

The hygiene for the more wealthy or rich people was most likely a lot better, than it would be if it was for peasant. The nobility raised baths to high levels of luxury, with bathing in large wooden tubs of scented water with seats lined with silk being not only a solitary pleasure, but something shared with sexual partners or even parties of friends, with wine and food on hand, much like a modern hot tub or jacuzzi. In conclusion, clothing has changed and is very different with wealthy people and non wealthy people.