By the 13th century, the bliaut was replaced by the surcot for both men and women,
sometimes with short sleeves, but even sleeveless. For men, it was split in front and
extended just below the knees, while for women it was bell-shaped, closed, and floor-
length. Women’s clothing was now fitted to emphasize the shape of the female body:
slim waists, tiny feet, narrow hips, and small bosom. To make the surcot more snug
above the waistline, it became fashionable to slit the sides of the chemise and surcot from
the waist to the armpit; the openings were then laced, but a little bare flesh was permitted
to show. Sleeves were tight at the wrists and were buttoned or sewed together after the
garment was put on. The chemise could be dipped in saffron for color and to provide a
pleasant odor. Gloves as we know them first came into fashion for ladies of the upper
nobility in the 12th century. Buttons were used on some clothing from the 13th century,
but most medieval clothing was laced or held together by pins and brooches.
In the 13th century, young girls still wore their hair long and unbraided, but women’s
hair was generally hidden modestly under long veils or wimples. All this began to change
late in the 13th century, when elaborate hairdos became the rage. Instead of braids, hair
was rolled and worn in a bun either over the ears or behind the head. The bun was
retained by a net called a crispine or crispinette, which for wealthy women might include
gold threads or bands. A veil and wimple were sometimes worn over this elaborate
hairdo, gathered by a jeweled circlet. Women used white powder and rouge on their
faces, and older women might dye their hair to prevent its turning gray.
Extravagances in dress were condemned by moralists and religious leaders, and
sumptuary laws were passed limiting the varieties and numbers of items of clothing a
person could own. But even the saintly Louis IX admonished his courtiers to dress well,
so that their wives would cherish them more and their people respect them.
In the late 14th century, male courtiers adopted a much shorter form of clothing, a
doublet over long tight hose, which would remain in vogue until the 17th century.
Although this was the first step in the direction of modern dress, the sharp break with the
past brought accusations of indecency. The hose were made of expensive fabrics and
were often particolored—that is, a different color was used for each leg. However, the
long bliaut did not entirely disappear, as elderly men and even the kings from Philip VI
to Charles V preferred traditional dress, particularly in the wake of Pope John XXII’s
condemnation of modern clothing as indecent. Imitating the kings, judges, lawyers,
university intellectuals, and administrators all wore the long traditional robes, as did
commoners and bourgeois. Only fashionable courtiers wore the effete shorter clothing.
Thin-soled leather shoes were a mark of distinction, being worn only by the wealthy.
Sandals and wooden clogs were worn by commoners and peasants. Shoe shapes were
simple and practical through the 13th century, but in the 14th century the mode was for
pointed toes, which became exaggeratedly long in the poulaine, whose point was turned
up like a ship’s prow. Toes were often stuffed to maintain their shape. In the late 15th
century appeared the hennin for women, a towering conical headdress as much as a yard
tall; it was worn inclined to the rear, and from its peak fluttered a thin veil. The first of
the high, elaborate hairdos to gain notoriety was the two-horned escoffion, popular ca.
1380–1410.
Because of the abundance of late-medieval tapestries, books of hours, and similar
visual sources, the fashions of the 15th century are those most remembered today. All of
the luxury fabrics, such as damask, brocade, and velvet from Florence, were widely used,
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